Name ______________________________________ Date _____________ Class ___________
Unit 1 EA#2
Reflective Essay
Assignment
Your assignment is to write a reflective essay that illustrates an event in which you or someone
you know felt like a “stranger in the village” or was perceived as “strange” by some group.
Steps - Prewriting
1. Generate a list of events that capture the thematic concept of “stranger in the village” by
considering a time in which you felt like an outsider, witnessed someone else who was made to
feel like an outsider, and/or made someone else feel like an outsider. Select two or three events
from your list to share with a partner, and explain how your event addresses the thematic
concept.
Event #1 ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
Event #2 ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
Event #3 ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
2. Select the strongest topic of interest to you and use a prewriting strategy to capture ideas and
explore your memory of the event.
3. Review the organizational structure of a reflective essay (e.g., event, response, and reflection)
by revisiting the two literary examples presented in this unit—“Shooting an Elephant” and
“Stranger in the Village.” Note the differences between them in terms of the recursive pattern of
event, response, and reflection.
Response
Reflective
Essay
Event
Reflection
4. Make sure to fully organize and explain your event using imagery.
5. Refine your rhetorical plan by considering your subject, purpose, target audience, and tone.
Drafting
6. Use your rhetorical plan to generate a first draft that develops points within the preliminary
organizational structure, addresses the thematic concept, and incorporates stylistic devices (e.g.,
voice, diction, detail, figurative language, syntax, etc.).
Revising
7. Read through your draft and revise it for clarity, to achieve the rhetorical purpose outlined in
the assignment, and to maintain a consistent tone appropriate for your audience.
8. Evaluate the revision suggestions from your peers, and consider which ones you want to
incorporate in your draft. Revise your essay accordingly, and share changes to your draft with
your peers.
Publishing
9. Compose a title for your piece by generating a list of possible titles stemming from ideas,
topics, or words or phrases within your text. Review and rank your list. Select the most gripping
title that captures the essence of your text.
10. Reread your essay silently and edit it to correct errors in spelling, conventions, grammar,
style, and/or formatting. Consult editing tools (spell-check, dictionary, thesaurus, style manual,
grammar references, etc.) to create a technically sound text and publish a final draft.
Timeline
Thursday, October 9 – We begin EA#2 Reflective Essay in class.
Tuesday, October 14 – Your rough draft for EA#2 Reflective Essay is due IN CLASS. It can be
handwritten or typed, but you MUST HAVE IT ON THIS DAY. We will Peer edit EA#2
Reflective Essay. THIS IS FOR A GRADE.
Friday, October 17 – EA#2 Reflective Essay is due at the beginning of class. It must be typed in
MLA format using the MLA heading, double spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font. It must
be printed.
Your Name
Mrs. Daniel
English IV
Due Date
The Title of Your Paper
Your paragraphs should be indented and your entire paper should be double spaced and
in Times New Roman font size 12. You can double space your paper in Microsoft Word by
going to format, paragraphs, spacing, and choose double spacing. Your paper MUST be typed in
double space format and it is due Friday, September 11th for a major test grade. It must be turned
in at the beginning of class, and no late papers will be accepted. Your thesis belongs as the last
sentence of your first paragraph.
Your body paragraphs should tell about your event in which you or someone you know
felt like a “stranger in the village” or was perceived as “strange” by some group. Remember to
use great imagery so I can feel what you felt.
This paragraph should include a response from your event in a smooth transition. You
should describe your feelings and thoughts concerning the event. Every paragraph should be at
least 6-8 sentences with ideas that flow and all relate to your thesis.
Your concluding paragraph should reflect on the event. This reflection usually occurs
some time after the event or incident. In the reflection, you will often transition from describing
a unique situation to more of a discussion universal in nature.