2.10.12

Personal Introduction Criteria Sheet

Name: ________________________                  Partner:________________________

Essay Criteria

Write an essay where you express who you are in a deep and personal way. You must choose a partner to be your audience for the paper.

____ 1. Thesis Statement: (Explicit or Implied) Re-write it in the space below.

_____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________

____ 2. Introduction: Circle which kind of introduction you used.

Anecdote
Quote

____ 3. Transitions: Do your paragraphs flow refer back to the thesis?

____ 4. Evidence: Prove your point with specific examples.
Stories from your life that relate to your thesis.
Descriptions of your beliefs, values, or character traits and how they shape your choices.
Descriptions of your skills, activities, or passions and why they are important to you.

____ 5. Conclusion: What kind of conclusion did you use?
Summary
Restate and emphasize the thesis

____ 6. Writing Focus:
“Our” vs. “Are” must be correctly used.
Use complete sentences. (No fragments or run-ons)

____ 7. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling checked.

Grading Scale:
F-D: Brainstorm HW
C: Brainstorm HW and Draft Following Organize Format
B: Brainstorm HW, Draft, Peer Review
A: Brainstorm HW, Draft, Peer Review, Final Draft

If you have access to a printer, you must type and print your final draft.

Sample Essays:

Sample Personal Introduction Essay with “Quote Introduction”


Introduction
Charles Spurgeon, a Baptist preacher, once said, “A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you and were helped by you will remember you when forget –me-not’s have withered. Carve your name on hearts, not on tombstones”. I do not wish to die with a tombstone that reflects a meaningless name. My name, Carolyn Elizabeth Stuart holds value to me because of everything that stands behind it: my family history, my own history, and the future that I hope to create for myself.



3 body Paragraphs
I come from a long line of Carolyns. I don’t particularly like the name but I like the people that had it. We are strong, powerful women; educated, hardworking, mothers, sisters, aunts. We are loud when we need to be heard, and silent when we want to listen. We are extraordinary even when we are ordinary. We are bigger than our names but our names bind us together.
My own history has made my name even more important. When I was younger I pretended that I was the Great and Powerful “C”. So special that calling me by my full name wasn’t necessary. “C” was all you needed. Then as I grew older I realized that your name is what you make it. It could mean something evil if I was evil, it could be something funny if I was funny. I made sure everyone knew what Carolyn Elizabeth Stuart was made of. My name became a part of me.
I have a future that I am not sure about. I want to see the world. Eat new foods. Meet new people and see my name in lights. I want to live in New York City and I want to live in California. I want so much that it is hard to keep track of everything. The one thing I know for sure is that my name will stay with me.

Conclusion
The name Carolyn has meaning to me. But not the way people would traditionally think. It holds my past and it holds my dreams. It has become a symbol for me of where I am from, who I am, and where I hope to go. It may not sound special to you, but it means the world to me. When I die, I hope it means the world to others as well.

Tuesday, October 2nd - Periods 3-4, 8-9, 10

Tuesday, October 2nd - Periods 1 & 6-7