Reflective or Memoir Essay
Overview:
For this assignment, you will write a reflective essay or one more like a memoir. You will focus on an event that had a significant impact
on your life and explain the impact.
Purpose:




To continue practicing inquiry strategies
To review and practice organizational strategies for essays, especially the attention-getter and the clever
last lines
To focus on developments of details and build skills
To write a memoir
Form: This is an essay/writing of three distinct parts – there should be a clear introduction paragraph with an attention getter, any
necessary background, thesis and plan of development; three well- developed body paragraphs, each developing some particular aspect
of your reflection.
Special Considerations:
 It is a reflective piece or memoir, though, since you are focusing on a significant moment in your life. You will
have some time to draft this in class, and it will go through the revision process. Please be prepared to work
on this electronically both in class and at home.
Procedure:
 Discuss strong idea development and practice idea development skills
 Practice working on voice within an essay, and practice writing for a specific audience
 Practice incorporating dialogue appropriately
 Discuss and practice effective methods for attention-getters and clever last lines
 Complete a life graph or other inquiry strategy before writing
 Bring in specific essay prompts from universities
 Compose thesis statement, plan of development, and topic sentences
 Complete the type 3 draft
 Orally and peer revise the type 3 essay for organization
 Revise it for idea development
 Revise it for sentence fluency
 Submit the type 4 essay
Type 4 FCA’s:
See rubric on the back
Reasonable Best Effort Guidelines:
If the essay fails to meet one of the RBE Guidelines, it will be returned until corrected.
Yes
No

RBE Standard

Submits prewriting or other research

Appropriately addresses and responds to prompt/topic

Incorporates dialogue smoothly and appropriately

Incorporates vocabulary word smoothly and appropriately

Demonstrates efforts to vary sentence structure

Submits this rubric

Meets proofreading standards as identified by the class
I have checked the above RBE guidelines as well as the FCA’s, and I am confident my work meets or exceeds
expectations.
_________________________________________________________________________________
Name ______________________________
FCA
Organization
____/ 35 points
Mastering
+
Reflective Essay
+/-
Developing
Emerging
+/-
Organization:
Introduction:
Organization:
Introduction:
Organization:
Introduction:
Creates a clever, well-developed
3-5 sentence attention-getter
using one of the identified
methods, provides sufficient
background, and clarifies the
significance/impact of the event
thematically
10
May need revision in ONE of the
following: needs to develop an AG further or refine idea for
clarity and engagement; provides
some background but more is
necessary to have a clear picture;
incorporates a ThS but needs a
more clear theme of impact of
experience
8-7
Needs revision in EACH of the following: Needs
to create an A-G that works w/ one of the
identified methods to draw the reader in (may
use a question or write an A-G that does not
draw the reader directly into the topic); needs
to provide background information; needs to
focus the essay thematically
6-0
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Summarizes the ThS/theme,
reflects on the impact, and
attempts a clever last line, but
may need to: use less similar
words/phrases in summary,
reflect more clearly on the
impact of event, or revise the cll
for clarity, humor, effect, etc. to
effectively end w/ a bang
8-7
Needs to: re-state the ThS/theme using
different words and phrases, reflect on the
importance of the event, and end in a clever way,
as the conclusion summarizes instead of reflects
6-0
Topic Sentences:
Topic sentences serve as a
cohesive device, organizing
all the details in the
paragraph under one
thematic thought. 15
Topic sentences may not be
completely comprehensive for all
information in the paragraph.
Topic sentences may need
creativity.One topic sentence
may even be missing.
Topic sentences may not be present or are
not indicative of the details from the
paragraph.
Examples and Elaboration:
Examples and Elaboration:
Examples and Elaboration:
piles on (using more than 3
examples) clear, specific, and
thoughtful details and
anecdotes that clearly illustrate
impact/significance of
experience. Each detail is
elaborated upon carefully and
thoughtfully to explain, enrich,
& substantiate the TS and ThS.
Reader’s questions are
anticipated and answered.
Incorporates some details and
anecdotes, but needs to
implement less general and more
specific details/anecdotes in
order to define the
impact/significance more clearly
and personally. Each detail also
must have more substantiation/
explanation to fully demonstrate
support of the theme. Needs to
also anticipate reader questions
and address those in detail.
Presents a limited scope of significance/ impact
of this experience – may need to provide more
details and anecdotes and may also need to
clarify and/or sharpen the existing details.
Explanation, too, of how the details support the
essay’s theme are lacking and is therefore
necessary. The writer needs to reflect on the
experience and define it through anecdotes and
details in a personal, reflective way.
Voice:
Voice:
Voice:
Writes honestly, personally, and
engagingly to the reader about
the experience. Respects
purpose and audience for the
writing and so adds interest.
Writes sincerely and pleasantly
about the experience, but needs
to keep voice consistent so that
the reader feels compelled and
drawn to what the writer
develops. Writes “safely” and
needs to take some risk and
share his/her self. May need to
revise at points to better serve
the audience.
Writes at a distance from the topic and the
audience. Needs to show concern for the
audience and show his/her feelings/perspective
on the experience. Needs to be involved
sincerely in what s/he is writing.
Summarizes the ThS/ theme
using different words and
phrases, reflects on the
significance of the event, and
concludes with a clever last line
- a bang, not a whimper
10
Comments:
Idea
Development
____/ 50 points
Comments:
Voice
____/ 15 points
Comments:
_____ / 100 points
A
B
C
D
F