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ReflectionAssignment3.docx

REFLECTIVE ESSAY

Instructions:

The reflective essay is an opportunity to take a step back and consider your work this semester. In this reflection, you will consider how your thinking and writing have changed and what changed them. The purpose of this essay is to gain insight into your learning process and reflect on how your thinking and writing have evolved.

Note: This paper is not about your success in the course; it’s about your learning. Success and learning are not the same thing – for example, you may have learned a lot from an assignment that didn’t earn a high grade. This paper is an analysis of your learning and thinking process, not an argument for your success in the course.

Your essay must address each of the learning goals from our syllabus:

1. Develop rhetorical awareness

2. Understand the interactions among audience, genre, and purpose in writing and communication

3. Learn and apply rhetorical skills to appeal to a variety of audiences for a variety of purposes

4. Interpret and incorporate others’ feedback and own observations in revision

5. Productively critique others’ writing with actionable feedback

For each goal, you need to address the following questions:

- Where did you start? At the beginning of the semester, how were you thinking about this idea or using (or not using) this skill?

- Where are you now? What is your current understanding of or way of thinking about this idea or skill?

- If your thinking has shifted, how did this shift come about? What specific moments helped shape your current view? (think: texts we read, activities in class, feedback you got, classmates’ drafts you read).

IMPORTANT:

1) This discussion should be a careful analysis of your learning process, not a narrative of the events of the semester or an argument about your success.

2) You may structure this essay in whatever way makes sense to you, but it needs to have an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

3) You must incorporate specific evidence from your reading and writing this semester in your discussion.

Audience:

Me (and yourself)

Purpose:

Reflection is an essential component in the learning process. This assignment allows you to pause and consider not only what you learned but how you learned it. This self-awareness or metacognition of your own learning process is invaluable to your future writing and learning. This project also functions as a kind of final exam in that it provides the opportunity to demonstrate writing skills we’ve been working on this semester.

Requirements:

1000-1500 words

Evaluation:

See rubric below.

Process/Resources:

While this project will not follow the same process of drafting, feedback, and peer reviews in class, you are encouraged to implement this process on your own. I’m happy to read over and discuss your drafts with you. You can partner up and do peer reviews with one another and/or visit the Writing Center.

DUE: 5/8

INTRODUCTION	0-9	10-11	12-13	14-15
	- The introduction does not attempt to draw the reader’s attention - The introduction provides no context or summarizes irrelevant information -The purpose is unclear - The paper does not accomplish the assignment - The purpose is inconsistent - The paper has no identifiable goal	- The introduction is ineffective in drawing the reader’s attention - The introduction either lacks necessary contextual information or provides an excess of unnecessary information -The purpose is unclear or does not correspond with the assignment - The purpose is inconsistent or varied - The paper attempts a particular goal	- The introduction attempts to draw the reader’s attention but is perhaps less effective or disconnected from the purpose. - The introduction provides contextual information, but some may be missing or unnecessary - The purpose is apparent and corresponds with the assignment - The purpose is mostly consistent throughout - The paper mostly or nearly accomplishes its goal	- The introduction draws the reader’s attention effectively - The introduction clearly explains necessary contextual information - The purpose is readily apparent and corresponds with the assignment - The purpose is consistent throughout - The paper accomplishes its goal
BODY PARAGRAPHS
Leads	0-4	5-6	7-8	9-10
	- Lead sentences are missing or unrelated to the paragraph - Arguments are difficult to discern - Arguments do not support or may be unrelated to the essay’s overall purpose	- Lead sentences are vague or lack a specific argument - Arguments are redundant - Some arguments are not clearly supporting the essay’s overall purpose	- Paragraphs have lead sentences that state the argument - There may be some similarity among paragraphs’ arguments - Arguments support the essay’s overall purpose	- Paragraphs have effective lead sentences that clearly state the argument - Each argument is distinct from the others - Arguments clearly and logically support the essay’s overall purpose
Evidence	0-10	11-13	14-17	18-20
	- Evidence is missing, inappropriate, or merely taking up space - Evidence may be entirely lacking in integration, explanation, or analysis - The paper never provides commentary - Evidence is often misread or misrepresented	- Evidence may be lacking, inappropriate or appears intended to take up space - Evidence may be poorly integrated, explained, or analyzed - The paper rarely provides commentary - Some evidence is misread or misrepresented	- Evidence is appropriate, but may not be sufficient - Evidence is not fully integrated, explained, or analyzed (1 of the 3) - The paper comments on evidence - There may be minor misreadings or oversimplification of evidence	- Evidence is appropriate and sufficient - Evidence is integrated, explained, and analyzed - The paper engages with evidence in discussion, extension or critique
Analysis	0-10	11-13	14-17	18-20
	- Arguments are neither supported nor investigated - Analysis missing or links from evidence to analysis are illogical - The paper demonstrates little to no critical thinking - The paper summarizes material - The paper oversimplifies the material	- Arguments are not/poorly supported or not/poorly investigated - Links from evidence to argument are difficult to discern or poorly explained - The paper demonstrates minimal critical thinking - The paper summarizes material from readings and/or class discussion - The paper avoids complexity and oversimplifies the material	- Arguments are supported and investigated - Some links from evidence to argument may be weak or not fully explained - The paper demonstrates some critical thinking - The paper presents the writer’s perspective and some interesting ideas - The paper hints at complexities in the line of argument, but may not fully engage them	- Arguments are fully supported and investigated - Analysis clearly and logically links the evidence to the argument - The paper demonstrates rigorous, in-depth critical thinking - The paper presents a fresh perspective and unique ideas - The paper engages with complexities – multiple points of view, paradoxes, confusions, difficulties, etc.
Finishers	0-4	5-6	7-8	9-10
	- Finishers are disconnected from the paragraph or main idea of the essay	- Finishers are vague or ineffective	- Finishers are clear but lack sufficient connection to the main idea of the essay	- Paragraphs have clear, effective finishers linking back to the main idea of the essay
CONCLUSION	0-9	10-11	12-13	14-15
	- Conclusion is disconnected from the main purpose of the essay - Discussion of the significance is absent or entirely disconnected from the main purpose of the essay	- Conclusion re-explains the main points OR contains material unrelated to the rest of the essay - Discussion of the significance is ineffective or unrelated to the main purpose of the essay	- Conclusion reminds the reader of the main points, but may delve into greater detail than necessary - Discussion of the significance is less effective, somewhat underdeveloped, or less closely tied to the main purpose of the essay	- Conclusion concisely reminds the reader of the main points - Conclusion develops an effective discussion of the significance that is closely tied to the main purpose of the essay
Grammar/Style	0-1	2	3-4	5
	- The writing has many grammatical problems - The problems disrupt the meaning - Many of the sentences are not clear - Language is very choppy and difficult to read	- The writing has frequent grammatical problems - The problems may disrupt the meaning at times - Most of the sentences are clear - The language may be choppy or difficult to follow at times	- The paper is mostly free from grammatical problems - The problems don’t disrupt the meaning - Sentences are clear - Most of the paper reads smoothly	- The paper is (nearly) free from grammatical problems - Sentences are clear - The paper reads smoothly
Citation	0-1	2	3-4	5
	- In-text citations are incorrect or absent - Works cited list is incorrect or absent	- In-text citations are sometimes incorrect -Works cited list is sometimes incorrect	- In-text citations are mostly correct - Works cited list is mostly correct	- In-text citations are correct - Works cited list is correct, including formatting
TOTAL POINTS