Name ___________________
Language Arts
Mr. Rooney
6/1/2012
Final Paper (100 points)
We started the year off talking about “bucket lists,” or lists of goals that we would like to
achieve before dying. We are going to end the year with a two page paper on three bucket list goals that
you hope to achieve before graduation. This paper is about your dreams and your own life so it will
only be boring if you allow your ambition to be limited. Choose three dreams/goals that you can work
toward achieving by graduation. The goals will be an agreement between you and I, and I will likely ask
about your progress in achieving them beyond this class and before graduating.
These goals can involve grades, sports, or any kind of personal goals. They need to be specific and
measurable. In other words, we need to be able to clearly determine whether or not you accomplished
your goals when graduating.
Examples:
Instead of saying you want to “get better at running,” explain that you want to break a 5:00 minute mile
during indoor track in 2012.
Instead of claiming that you want to “improve your grades,” explain that you want to graduate in June,
2013 with a GPA above 3.0.
Instead of saying you want to become a better person, explain that you want to speak with at least one
outcasted student a week starting next year until you graduate.
Instead of saying that you want to do something adventurous, explain that you want to go skydiving at
Allaire State Park in Farmingdale, New Jersey with your friend in the summer of 2011.
5 paragraph format:
1st paragraph: introduction- utilize the funnel effect (moves from general information about life/bucket
lists/dreams to the specific goals in your thesis statement)
2nd paragraph: transition word/phrase, topic sentence including goal #1, *quote, citation, supporting details
(elaboration)
3rd paragraph: transition word/phrase, topic sentence including goal #1, *quote, citation, supporting details
4th paragraph: transition word/phrase, topic sentence including goal #1, *quote, citation supporting details
5th paragraph: conclusion- reword your thesis, sum up points of your paper, include a quote
**The quotes that you find for each body paragraph will be from a .org, .edu, .gov, book, journal,
newspaper, magazine, or database resource. The quote should be from an expert on the field involving
your goal- use the quote to support the benefits of achieving it.
-For example, if looking for a quote to support my goal of biking across the country I could use this:
Biking across the country “…helps cyclists explore the landscapes and history of America for fitness, fun, and selfdiscovery” (Adventure Bicycling Association).
-The supporting details will further support the quote and why this will be a worthwhile goal to achieve
before graduating.
*Recognize that we are writing this paper as if it were a persuasive essay and that this is an essay
about personal goals; this paper is therefore an exception to the rule of not being able to use the
words “I” or “me.”
An example of a specific thesis statement:
Three goals that I will achieve before the Monroe Township High School 2013 graduation are biking
across the country in the summer of 2011, completing a half-ironman triathlon in under four hours and
30 minutes, and creating an online adventure photography business between January 1, 2012 and
January 1, 2013.
Final Paper Rubric: Life Thesis
Introduction- Funnel method used for first four sentences defining what the purpose of life and dreams/goals are
in our lives (5 points)
Thesis statement is last sentence of introduction, one sentence long and has three specific goals (5 points)
10 points
Goal #1- paragraph 2
Transition words/phrases (2 points)
Topic sentences (3 points)
Supporting details on why your goal is worthwhile (10 points)
15 points
Goal #2- paragraph 3
Transition words/phrases (2 points)
Topic sentences (3 points)
Supporting details on why your goal is worthwhile (10 points)
15 points
Goal #3- paragraph 4
Transition words/phrases (2 points)
Topic sentences (3 points)
Supporting details on why your goal is worthwhile (10 points)
15 points
Body paragraph quotes (three total) from an appropriate source (.org, .edu, .gov, database, newspaper, magazine,
etcetera) with citation and at least two sentences of elaboration used to help support why your goal is worthwhile
in each paragraph
25 points
Conclusion- sum up the goals and the point made in the paper
10 points
Works Cited page
www.easybib.com or http://owl.english.purdue.edu
10 points
-5 for
-No title
-No heading
-Any paragraph under 5 sentences
**The quotes that you find for each body paragraph will be from a .org, .edu, .gov, book, journal, newspaper,
magazine, or database resource. The quote should be from an expert on the field involving your goal supporting
the benefits of the goal.
-For example, if looking for a quote to support my goal of biking across the country I could use this:
Biking across the country “…helps cyclists explore the landscapes and history of America for fitness, fun, and selfdiscovery” (Adventure Bicycling Association).
-The supporting details will further support the quote and why this will be a worthwhile goal to achieve before
graduating.