Spring Board Unit 1 EA 1
English 10 Honors
Assignment: Write a reflective essay explaining your
cultural identity.
Your essays can be structured in any way you like as long as it is communicating
your voice and cultural identity and includes
a hook (interesting opening),
a definition of how you see your cultural identity,
an explanation/examples to demonstrate your cultural identity, and
a conclusion/reflection.
To receive a high score, your essay should also meet the following criteria.
-Your essay should be centered around an event, conflict, description, or
idea that creates a vivid sense of your cultural identity.
-You must use an effective organizational strategy that flows well, creates
cohesion, has a logical progression, and uses appropriate and varied
transitions.
-Also, use precise and appropriate language to create a clear voice, as well
as demonstrate strong command of conventions and mechanics. This
means you should include a variety of diction and syntax in order to
effectively communicate your ideas, emphasize important points, and
reflect your opinion.
Resource
Definitions of culture
Chart of objects that symbolize your culture
Writing about one important object from
your chart
Quick writes – Do you identify with the
narrator?
Answers to statements on page 17
Poem
List of most important elements to your
cultural identity
Where to Find it
Page 5
Page 6
On your own paper (passed back with page 6)
On your own paper (passed back with OPTIC chart
on page 30)
On your own paper (same page as quick writes)
On your own paper (response to prompt on page
33)
Page 40 #6
Spring Board Unit 1 EA 1
English 10 Honors
Potential Structure/Organization for Essay
1. Hook
This could be a description of an object of importance, a big question
you’ve struggled with, a brief event or incident that was important to you
or introduces your point.
2. Definition of cultural identity
Keep in mind this definition can be very definite or if could be uncertain if
that’s how you feel about your cultural identity. Either way, you have to tell
the reader how you define your cultural identity (or your confusion or
apathy towards it).
3. Explanation of identity through explanation, examples, and/or anecdotes
This should be the largest portion of your essay because this is where
you’re proving your point and showing why you define your cultural
identity the way you do. (Thus, it should be multiple paragraphs.)
This portion should also connect to your hook. For example, if you begin
describing an important object for your hook, then go into more detail here
and tell a story about the object and why it’s so symbolic of you. If you
brought up a big question in the hook, try to answer it in this section or
describe how you’ve tried to answer it.
4. Conclusion/reflection
Give the reader a sense of completion at the end of your essay by summing
up the point of what you’ve shared. Overall, what have you learned about
your cultural identity? Are you still learning? What will you do in the future
about this idea? How do you feel about what you just described?