Narrative Diary Essay Rubric
Ms. Beydoun/Language Arts
Assigned: May 8, 2014
Due: May 15, 2014
Entry One (20 summative points):
Please respond to any one of the following prompts you choose. Essays should
follow the “Sandwich” Model (Introduction, Body, Theme/Motif, details,
analogies crisp writing style, conclusion). Please note which question you
chose to reflect upon on the top of your paper. Essays will be graded based on
voice and content. There is no length required. Think QUALITY OVER
QUANTITY!
I will be checking to see that you:
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Skipped lines
Wrote neatly in blue or black ink (typing is preferred if possible)
Respond like you would in a diary (“Dear Diary…” or “Dear _____...”)
Date your entry
Proof read for spelling and syntax errors. Ask yourself: do my sentences
flow smoothly? Are my sentences interesting? Can I hear my
distinguished voice? Do I use italics, “quotations”, exclamation marks (!)
and periods (.) to strengthen my voice?
 Wrote an engaging response: Since there is a lot of leniency in these
writing assignments, I expect to read interesting responses. Please take
the time to think about how your response will sound. Does your
response teach your reader a lesson about who you are as an individual
and how you feel toward the particular prompt you respond to?
Choose any one of the following prompts to respond to:
1. In Diary 2 (Racial Segregation at School), the writer describes how
strictly segregated the high school quad is at lunchtime. Choose an area
of your own school or community you wish to comment on and describe
how certain crowds “own” different spaces. Explain what would happen
if someone from one crowd tried to join another. What would be the
positive and negative consequences?
2. In Diary 8 (Rushing a Sorority), the Freedom Writer joined a sorority
because she “wanted to fit in just like every other high school
freshman.” How important is it for you to fit in? Have you ever done
something as part of a crowd that you later felt bad about when you
were alone? Why do you think fitting in is so important?
3. In Diary 11 (Dyslexia), the Freedom Writer reveals animosity toward
school and anxiety of reading aloud: “Everyone would laugh at me and
call me stupid.” He describes how he struggled in school and
compensated by developing his abilities in baseball. What is a major
challenge that you or someone you know has faced in life? What did or
could you do to cope or overcome that challenge?
4. In Diary 12 (Juvenile Hall), this student writes about getting in trouble
and even spending time in Juvenile Hall. This Freedom Writer’s life has
since turned around. Describe a time when you got into a situation you
should not have. What do you do now to attempt to stay clear of this
type of trouble?
5. In Diary 13 (The Projects), the writer explains his struggles of not
having a father as he grew up and his realization that his friend also had
to grow up without a father figure: “I felt sorry for him. I knew how
hard it was to grow up without a father.” Have you or someone close to
you grown up missing a parent? Describe how this has affected you or a
person close to you.
If you have any additional questions, please email me at
beydouw1@dearbornschools.org or instant message me on KIK, username is
MsBeydoun