Navigator Week 7:
Your Personal Statement
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Welcome to Week 7!
Important Dates and Deadlines:
•Date #1
•Date #2
Last Week, We:
Took an inventory of our activities and experiences
Created a resume, summarizing our experiences
Chose 3 references to ask for letters of recommendation
This Week We Will:
Define personal statement and evaluate examples
Review the writing process
Free-write and goldmine to identify a guiding idea
Write a first draft of our personal statement
Upload a draft to CSNav (milestone)
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Imagine you have been asked to provide
a recommendation for one of your
classmates.
Use the “madlib” on
Navigator page 84 to
write a letter, sharing a
story about your
classmate’s strengths.
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STEP 1: List the qualities that powerful stories share.
Think It Through:
What makes stories so powerful?
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STEP 2: Define personal statement and review the conventions of personal
statement writing.
Successful personal statements have:
A strong, central guiding idea
Demonstration of one or two personal strengths
Word, phrases or sentences that add heartbeat
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STEP 2: Define personal statement and review the conventions of personal
statement writing.
Why write a personal
statement? Think about
transferrable skills!
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STEP 3: Evaluate a series of personal statements to identify the guiding idea,
personal strengths, and heartbeat in each piece
Directions: Read each personal statement on pages 88-91. Underline the
“heartbeat.” Then, fill in the chart on page 87.
Author’s
Name
Guiding Idea
Personal Strengths
Demonstrated:
Pinpoquin
Kpondon
Dale
Rachel
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STEP 4: Review the steps of the writing process
the writing process
Brainstorm to find a guiding idea
Write a first draft to express personal strengths
Revise to add heartbeat
Write a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) draft
Edit to fix mistakes
Publish a final, polish draft
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STEP 5: Free Write about a meaningful activity, experience, or topic
FREE WRITE RULES:
1. Put your pen or pencil on the paper.
2. When your teacher tells you to, start writing.
3. DO NOT STOP WRITING, NO MATTER WHAT.
4. Even if you don’t know what to write, keep writing. Write, “I don’t
know what to write.” But don’t stop.
5. Let your mind wander, don’t stay on the topic. Write anything and
everything.
6. DON’T STOP TO READ OVER WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN. DON’T
STOP FOR ANY REASON WHATSOEVER.
7. When time is up, put down your pen or pencil, crack your knuckles,
and know that you’ve accomplished something great, even if it
doesn’t look like it just yet.
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STEP 6: Collaboratively goldmine a classmate’s free write to pull out “golden
nuggets”
1849
“Goldmining” is a metaphor. When we
“goldmine” one another’s work, we are looking
for “golden nuggets” just like old time gold
miners did when they “panned for gold” during
the Gold Rush.
Yes!
No!!
We want these kind of “golden
nuggets”, not chicken
nuggets…
…because we want to help one another choose
the right golden nugget to turn into “gold” –
their perfect personal statement.
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STEP 7: Goldmine your free write in a small group or with a partner to
identify a guiding idea for your personal statement.
Author - Read your free write aloud, slowly and clearly.
Goldminers - As you listen to the free write, take notes.
Listen for:
•
Heartbeat
•
What makes you laugh?
•
What makes you cringe?
•
What seems important?
•
What is strong?
•
What needs more explanation and thought?
•
What do you like about what they’ve written?
•
What words or phrases do you feel are particularly interesting?
•
What are the major ideas that come through?
•
Which ones do you like best?
•
What stories or events are mentioned or alluded to? Can you choose one you
like best?
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STEP 8: Articulate your guiding idea
Author – Ask yourself:
•
Of all the golden nuggets you heard from your classmates, which are you most
interested in writing more about? Why?
•
What are the personal strengths you want to demonstrate in your personal
statement? Why?
•
What will be your guiding idea that you will weave through your whole personal
statement?
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STEP 9: Write a first draft of your personal statement.
try to:
Tell a story that relates to your guiding
idea.
Tell only one story, from beginning to end.
Include all the information the reader will
need to understand your story.
Include details which demonstrate YOUR
personal strengths.
the writing process
Brainstorm to find a guiding idea
Write a first draft to express personal strengths
Revise to add heartbeat
Write a second (or third, or fourth, or fifth) draft
Edit to fix mistakes
Publish a final, polish draft
try not to:
Tell your life story. Focus on one event or incident, not your whole life.
Assume the reader knows where you come from and understands your culture and
community. It’s great to use specific details of where you’re from, just be sure to explain
their meaning.
Tell someone else’s story or demonstrate THEIR personal strengths. If you are writing
about your mother or grandmother or a best friend, be sure the focus is on how they
helped YOU become a better person, not on how great they are.
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Week 7 Summary
This Week We:
 Defined personal statement and evaluate examples
 Reviewed the writing process
 Identified a guiding idea
 Wrote a first draft of our personal statement
 Uploaded a draft to CSNav (milestone)
Questions for Discussion:
•Which of the personal statements we read this week do you think was the
most powerful? Why?
•Do you consider yourself to be a good writer? Why or why not?
•What is good or bad about writing about yourself?
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CSNav How-to:
Personal Statement
Milestone
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Microsoft
Word
First, type your
personal
statement in
Microsoft Word,
or another
editor.
Save your
personal
statement, and
remember
where you
saved it.
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Quick
Links:
Personal
Statement
Logon to CSNav
to upload a draft
of your personal
statement.
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Your Portfolio
> Your Profile
>How You See
Yourself
The Quick Link
takes you here.
Click on “Upload
a draft personal
statement.
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Click “Browse” to
open a pop-up
window
Upload a draft
personal
statement
Find your
document and
click “Open”
Be sure to click “Upload
and save” to get your
checkmark!
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Your Profile >
How You See
Yourself > My
Personal
Statement
After you click
“Upload and
Save,” you will
see the name of
your document
here.
You will now
receive a
checkmark for
the milestone.
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Your
Planning
Milestones
To see your
checkmark, go
back to “Home”
by clicking on
the icon on the
top of the page.
Then, click “Your
Planning
Milestones” to
see your
checkmarks.
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