Writing Workshop

Unit 3/Part 3

Connecting to Literature In “who are you,little i,” E. E. Cummings reflects on looking out a window at a November sunset as a child. Poets contemplate many experiences, from observations of nature to the meaning of life and death. Similarly, writers of essays reflect on their experiences.

Reflective Essay

Reflecting on an Experience

who are you,little i

(five or six years old) peering from some high

window;at the gold

of november sunset

(and feeling:that if dayhas to become night

this is a beautiful way)

—E. E. Cummings, “who are you,little i”

Unit 3/Part 3

When you write a reflective essay, you describe something you observed or experienced and how it affected you. The purpose is to communicate your thoughts to others. To write a successful essay, follow the goals and strategies of reflective essay writing.

Reflective Essay

Reflecting on an Experience

Unit 3/Part 3

Rubric: Features of Reflective Essays

Reflective Essay

Reflecting on an Experience

Unit 3/Part 3

Assignment

Write a reflective essay about a meaningful experience you ad or an observation you made. As you move through the stages of the writing process, keep your audience and purpose in mind.

Audience: peers, classmates, and teacher

Purpose: create a vivid and memorable impression of your experience for others

Reflective Essay

Reflecting on an Experience

Unit 3/Part 3

Donald Hall is a noted poet whose work expresses his reflections about the world. He has also written more than twenty collections of essays. In the selection on pages 663-664 of your textbook, look for his observations about the pride New Englanders take in their bad weather. Pay close attention to the comments in the margin. They point out features that you might want to include in your own reflective essay.

Reflective Essay

Analyzing a Professional Model

Unit 3/Part 3

Gather Ideas To reflect means to think. When you write a reflective essay, you describe what happened or what you observed. You also tell or imply how you think or feel about your experience or observation.

Reflective Essay

Prewriting

Unit 3/Part 3

Choose a Subject Below are some hints for choosing a subject that is important to you and will be meaningful to your readers.

• Find a familiar subject. Ask yourself questions such as the following: How do I feel about this place? What do I notice about the people who live in my neighborhood? What do I think about what happens here every morning/afternoon/evening?

• Select a subject that is meaningful to others. Choose a subject that others will find meaningful, either because it is familiar to them or because it gives them new insight. Ask yourself: Why do I think people are interested in this subject? How can I describe it so that it is meaningful to others?

Reflective Essay

Prewriting

Unit 3/Part 3

• Use a cluster diagram. To gather your ideas before you begin to write, jot them down in an organizer. You might, for example, put “Things That Happened Last Year” in the center. Then add notes to help you decide on a memorable experience for your essay.

Reflective Essay

Prewriting

Unit 3/Part 3

Reflect on Your Subject Before you begin drafting, think about why this event was important in your life and why others will want to read about it. Consider what you learned or how it changed your life.

Talk About Your Ideas To help develop your writing voice, describe your reflections to a partner. Ask your partner to suggest where you might add narrative details to help develop the story or sensory details to help your readers experience what you went through. Listen to your partner’s reflections too. Ask questions to help your partner recall the details and conversations that took place.

Reflective Essay

Prewriting

Unit 3/Part 3

Put Your Thoughts and Feelings into Words Using your plan as a guide, begin drafting your reflective essay.

Write a topic sentence to state the main idea of each paragraph.

Remember that your goal in this step is to let your ideas flow without being concerned about grammar and mechanics.

Leave the evaluation of your writing for later.

Reflective Essay

Drafting

Unit 3/Part 3

Read the final draft of the reflective essay on pages 666-667 of your textbook and answer the questions in the margin. Use the answers to these questions to guide you as you write.

Reflective Essay

Analyzing a Workshop Model

Unit 3/Part 3

Peer Review Once you complete your draft, exchange papers with a partner. Evaluate each other’s narrative and descriptive details. Discuss your tone, or attitude, as shown by your word choice. Is it the tone you want to communicate? You can refer to the traits of strong writing.

Reflective Essay

Revising

Unit 3/Part 3

Using Precise Adjectives

Your essay will be more memorable if you use descriptive adjectives.

Remember that adjectives modify nouns and pronouns by telling what kind, how many, which one, or how much.

Phrases and clauses can act as adjectives. Adjectives, adjective phrases, and adjective clauses make your writing more vivid and precise.

Reflective Essay

Revising

Unit 3/Part 3

Using Precise Adjectives (cont’d)

Reflective Essay

Revising

Revision:

Draft:

Unit 3/Part 3

Get It Right When you have completed the final draft of your essay, proofread for errors in grammar, usage, mechanics, and spelling. Refer to the Language Handbook, pages R45–R59, as a guide.

Reflective Essay

Editing and Proofreading

Unit 3/Part 3

Correcting Dangling Participles

A participle is the form of a verb used to modify a noun or pronoun—for example, diving puffin.

A participial phrase is made up of a participle and its objects and modifiers: All puffins viewed on the tour were part of an experiment. A participial phrase needs to be connected to the word it modifies. If it is misplaced, it is called a dangling participle and should be revised.

Reflective Essay

Editing and Proofreading

Unit 3/Part 3

Correcting Dangling Participles (cont’d)

Below is an example of a dangling participle from the Workshop Model. Note the two ways to correct this problem.

Reflective Essay

Editing and Proofreading

Unit 3/Part 3

Checking Details Before you submit your essay for others to read, you should check all the details. Make sure you have followed the assignment guidelines for placement of your title and name. Whether you type or handwrite your paper, it should have a neat appearance.

Reflective Essay

Presenting