ESSAY REFLECTION
"The best writing is rewriting." E.B. White
REWRITE GUIDELINES
1. Re-read your essay, as if someone else wrote it. Pay careful attention to any teacher comments.
2. Fill out the T-chart below to brainstorm, and refer to several specific elements of your essay. Be very specific.
3. If you earned a B- or below, you should rethink your essay entirely. Go beyond just fixing the weak parts I pointed out. Rewrite it. If you earned a B or higher, you should make any teacher recommended changes.
4. Highlight the parts of your essay that are substantially changed or new.
5. Write a detailed, thoughtful paragraph explaining what you have learned about your writing from having to rewrite this piece. Attach the paragraph to this sheet. The paragraph should address the following:
ü Provide several SPECIFIC examples to illustrate your writing and what you have learned.
ü Explain each example and how it illustrates something in your writing and/or something you have learned.
ü Provide thoughts about strengths and weaknesses in your writing.
ü Provide thoughts on how you will avoid making the same mistakes in future writing.
ü Possible ideas to explore: What do you notice about your sentence structure, your paragraph structure, your supporting details, your interpretations, etc.? What grammar errors were common in this piece?
6. Ask your parents to sign the copy of your essay with teacher comments. Papers without parent signatures will be penalized.
7. Attach the ESSAY REWRITE RUBRIC AND your rewritten essay to the draft I corrected. The rubric should be on top.
8. I will give your rewrite an overall +, Ö, or – grade. Maximum points possible = 30 points.
Weaknesses in my writing / Strengths in my writing·
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Essay Rewrite Relection use this as a tool to help you with your rewrite, and attach this sheet to your rewritten essay!
SCORE / REWRITE PIECE / REFLECTION PIECE+
30 points / You have met ALL requirements for this rewrite AND reflection. You made and applied ALL requested changes based on the teacher comments on your original essay.
Significant improvement. / AND
· Your reflection is thoughtful and thorough and provides SEVERAL SPECIFIC examples to illustrate what you have learned about your writing from having to rewrite this essay.
· You thoughtfully explain what the examples illustrate about your writing and what you have learned.
· Your paragraph and chart demonstrate a deep, careful reflection about your strengths and weakness as a writer.
· Paragraph thoughtfully explains how you will avoid making the same mistakes in future essays.
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25 points / You have met MOST requirements for this rewrite. You made and applied (across all paragraphs) most requested changes based on the teacher comments written on your original essay. You may have missed a couple needed changes, but you made a decent effort to improve your essay.
Adequate improvement. / AND/OR
· You made and applied all changes requested on your essay, but your reflection does not demonstrate enough thought and effort.
· Reflection provides some specific examples to illustrate what you have learned about your writing from having to rewrite this piece.
· Specific examples are included; however, you may not thoroughly explain what they show about your writing and what you have learned.
· Paragraph and chart demonstrate reflection about your strengths and weaknesses; however, the reflection may be more at the surface/obvious level rather than at a deeper, reflective level. It may not point out all of your strengths and weakness, and it may not have thoughtfully explained how you will avoid making the same errors in future pieces.
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20 points / You have met SOME of the requirements for this rewrite. You made some changes based on the comments written on your original essay. You may not have applied those changes in additional paragraphs. Most of the changes you made were grammar, punctuation, and spelling rather than more difficult changes, such as elaborating on interpretations, providing more background, revising thesis statements, etc.
Little improvement / AND/OR
· Your reflection is very skeletal. Demonstrates little, if any, thought and effort.
· Missing reflection: If you turn in a rewrite without a reflection, you automatically earn a “–,” even of the rewrite itself is outstanding.
0 points / Turn in the same essay as the original.
Rewrite grade will be penalized 3 points for each of the following that is missing.
Included?
1. Parent signed the copy of your essay with teacher comments. YES NO
2. Student highlighted the changes on the rewrite. YES NO
Final Score: ______/30 pts
R. Sowers, 2004. Adapted from Lisa Clark-Burnell, CVMS