1. Start thinking about yourself. Who are you? What are the characteristics that make up your personality?
Think about where you came from, what kind of person you are and what kind of person you want to be.
Make note of what you do in life, what your dreams are, and what your accomplishments and failures have been. Take note of how they make you feel and how they all fit into the larger picture of your life. Look at things honestly.
2. Take notes about yourself before writing the essay. Take note of a few things you'd especially like to write about. This could be one experience or a series of experiences. Decide if you'd like to write about your life as a whole or focus on one significant event. Make sure that whatever you write, you provide insight about who you are, how your life made you who you are and what your personal ideas are.
3. Think of your beliefs, ideas and hopes. Start your essay by introducing yourself. Discuss where you were born, what sort of family you were born into, and how these factors influenced your personality, beliefs and behaviors. Continue the essay by talking about your life as a whole or about a few aspects of your life, including how you were affected by these aspects and what your thoughts were and are. Shed some light on your personality, your likes and dislikes, and your general outlook on life.
Instead of simply listing random things about yourself, use your experience or background as a jump-start: It can provide an opportunity to look at how you react, think and believe. Talk about your religion, philosophy, social behaviors, desires and limitations.
4. Conclude the essay by summing up how any events changed you, where you're headed today, and any developments in perspective and beliefs. Compare the past to the present, and show the reader who you are in the very moment you're writing the essay. You may end the essay by stating where your life is now and what you think of it. You may also end the essay by discussing your hopes for personal growth or change.
5. Edit the essay when you're done. Edit the essay for grammar and spelling.
School-wide Writing Rubric
Your objectives when writing
Content
Organization
Style
Conventions
90% - 100%
Excellent Work
Maintains a clear well-focused topic
Clear and logical organization with smooth transitions
Good variety in sentence length and structure.
Uses appropriate spelling, grammar, and capitalization
80% - 89%
Almost there!
Maintains adequate focus on topic
Clear organization with adequate transitions
70% - 79%
Consider rewriting to improve the score
Maintains inconsistent focus on topic
Flawed organization with limited transitions
<70%
Unsatisfactory
Little or no focus on topic
Little or no organization, not in paragraph format
No variety in sentence length and structure
Some variety in sentence length and structure. Strong word choices
Generally uses appropriate spelling, grammar, and capitalization
Limited variety in sentence length and structure. Sufficient word choices
Spelling, grammar, capitalization errors detract from the meaning
Numerous spelling, grammar, capitalization errors.
School-wide Writing Rubric
Your objectives when writing
Content
Organization
Style
Conventions
90% - 100%
Excellent Work
Maintains a clear well-focused topic
Clear and logical organization with smooth transitions
Good variety in sentence length and structure.
Uses appropriate spelling, grammar, and capitalization
80% - 89%
Almost there!
Maintains adequate focus on topic
Clear organization with adequate transitions
70% - 79%
Consider rewriting to improve the score
Maintains inconsistent focus on topic
Flawed organization with limited transitions
<70%
Unsatisfactory
Little or no focus on topic
Little or no organization, not in paragraph format
No variety in sentence length and structure
Some variety in sentence length and structure. Strong word choices
Generally uses appropriate spelling, grammar, and capitalization
Limited variety in sentence length and structure. Sufficient word choices
Spelling, grammar, capitalization errors detract from the meaning
Numerous spelling, grammar, capitalization errors.
School-wide Writing Rubric
Your objectives when writing
Content
Organization
Style
Conventions
90% - 100%
Excellent Work
Maintains a clear well-focused topic
Clear and logical organization with smooth transitions
Good variety in sentence length and structure.
Uses appropriate spelling, grammar, and capitalization
80% - 89%
Almost there!
Maintains adequate focus on topic
Clear organization with adequate transitions
70% - 79%
Consider rewriting to improve the score
Maintains inconsistent focus on topic
Flawed organization with limited transitions
<70%
Unsatisfactory
Little or no focus on topic
Little or no organization, not in paragraph format
No variety in sentence length and structure
Some variety in sentence length and structure. Strong word choices
Generally uses appropriate spelling, grammar, and capitalization
Limited variety in sentence length and structure. Sufficient word choices
Spelling, grammar, capitalization errors detract from the meaning
Numerous spelling, grammar, capitalization errors.