Spring 2006ENGL 1010-044K. Mayes
“‘Who Am I?’ Articulating Your Place in Society”
Essay #1—“Family Roles”
Narrative/Descriptive Essay (10% of Final Grade)
FINAL DRAFT DUE (in class & e-mail to me*): Tue., Feb. 7, 2006.
Draft #1 due for Revision Workshop (Bring 2 copies & e-mail to me*): Tue., Jan. 31, 2006.
Draft #2 due for Revision/Editing Workshop (Bring 2 copies & e-mail to me*):
Thur., Feb. 2, 2006.
*All essays should be e-mailed to me in WebCT.
ASSIGNMENT: For this assignment you can revise part or all of your diagnostic or write an entirely new essay, but you must write a 1,000-1,500 word narrative/descriptiveessayon the role of the family in your life, specifically identifying how your family has influenced who you are today whether positively or negatively. Failure to follow the assignment will result in a zero.
The following are ideas that you may use to help you write this essay. You may use any or all in writing your paper; however, you do not have to use any of them.
*Compare your family to a T.V. family (i.e., The Brady Bunch, The Simpsons, The Family Guy, The Cosby
Show, etc.). How is your family similar to or different from the T.V. family?
*Tell the story of an important lesson your family has taught you. What specifically did you learn,
and how did it affect you?
*Think about a family event (vacation, move, death, family crisis, etc.), and describe how it has
influenced who you are today.
The purpose of this essay is for you to think about your family and how it has contributed to who you are as person today. By remembering, describing, and telling about your family, you can better understand who you are and who you will become. Because this is your story, you should tell it in a way that is interesting and appealing to your audience. You should describe your family in detail, using vivid images, sensory words, and colorful language. Create the scene thinking about all five senses. Again, this is yourstory, so make it come to life.
AUDIENCE: Your audience for this paper is the person sitting next to you, so you should write as if you are telling him/her a story about your family. Be entertaining and appealing; you should grab your audience’s attention at the beginning and hold it until the end.
PAPER GUIDELINES: Your paper must be typed in MS Word, double-spaced, and printed in black ink. In addition, all papers will use 12-point Times New Roman and have a 1” margin at the top, bottom, and both sides. NOTE: The default for MS Word is 1.25”. An assignment block must appear in the top left-hand corner, and all pages must be numbered. (See HHH pp. 634-635 for explanation and example.) Not following paper guidelines will reduce your essay grade.
GRADING CRITERIA: Attached is the rubric I will use to evaluate this assignment.
“Family Roles” EssayEvaluation
Student ______Final Grade ______
This is the rubric I will use to evaluate your first formal essay. You can talk to me about your paper at any time during the writing process. This essay counts 100 points of your final grade. Your grade is based on the number of points you receive out of those possible 100 points. To reinforce the importance of writing as a process and not simply a product, you can receive up to 25 points for attending and actively participating in all sessions/workshops. Thorough, thoughtful work is required for full credit. There are no make-ups.
Brainstorming Sessions ____/5 points
Revision Workshop____/10 points
Revision/Editing Workshop ____/10 points
Introduction that grabs reader’sStrong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
attention & leads in to thesis1098 765
Strong, clear thesis statementthat tellsStrong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
the significance of your essay1098 765
Conclusion that reinforces main ideaStrong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
& makes reader want to read more1098 765
Development/control of main ideaStrong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
1098 765
Unified paragraphs with
well-developed topic sentencesStrong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
1098 765
Strong support & details with useStrong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
of descriptive & sensory words1098 765
Appropriate sentence constructionsStrong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
(No fragments, run-ons, or1098 765
comma splices)
Formatting, spelling, & Strong…………………….Average……………………..Weak
typographical errors5 4 3 2 1
DEDUCTIONS (5 points each)Missed Brainstorming Workshop
Missed Revision Workshop
Missed Revision/Editing Workshop
Essay is too short
EXTRA CREDIT (3 points)Brief narrative of visit to the UniversityWritingCenter