Shen/English 301 (Spring 2016): Reflective Essay Assignment/personal experience and your insight into that experience
Description of the Assignment:
This essay asks you to reflect on a personal experience and your insight into that experience. You may want to write about something you’ve done, or something that happened to you in the past. Support your reflections with personal observation and reasoning. What insight have you gained from this experience? In what ways has it impacted your life or changed you or your perspectives? You might also want to consider discussing the experience with friends or family members to gain their perspective on it. If the experience was of a public nature or was related to a public event, consult news reports for background information and alternate perspectives.
Start by asking questions about your past or recent experiences, such as the following:
• What is my favorite childhood memory? Why is it so special to me?
• Did I learn anything about myself this weekend (or this holiday season)?
• What surprised me at work (or at home) recently?
• What story that is currently in the news annoys me the most?
• What is the last thing that made me laugh?
• What do I worry about most? Why?
• What in my life do I wish had gone differently?
• What am I most proud of, and why?
Grading Criteria:
• Reflecting on something appropriate to the assignment
• Conveying the main idea clearly
• Telling an interesting/meaningful story
• Using appropriate voice and tone
• Illustrating character’s words and actions in great details, helping the reader visualize what is happening
• Presenting thoughtful reflection, showing great insight into the subject matter
• Smooth transition between paragraphs; coherent overall organization
• Good command of English language: varied vocabulary and sentence structure, proper verb tenses,proper paragraph length, effective punctuation usage, etc.
• Appropriate document design: font size, margin, following MLA or APA style of format correctly