REFLECTING

End-of-Semester Reflective Essay

Directions: For this assignment, you will write a three-page reflection paper

(double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font) explaining what specific

skills you have learned since the start of the semester, how you have improved as a

student writer with each course assignment, and what skills you think will be most

beneficial to a successful completion of assignments in other English classes

and/or courses related to your career.

You must illustrate your points with relevant examples or specifics from course

assignments and/or your papers to help the reader gain a better understanding of

your progress as a writer.

As such, your paper should not consist of a free flow of ideas without purpose. It

must be constructed as any other formal essay, with an introduction that ends with

a clearly stated thesis statement, body paragraphs with topic sentences and

supporting details, explanations, and a conclusion.

Grading Criteria

Each section is worth 25 points for a total of 100.

Content and Development of Ideas

The paper meets all the content-related requirements of the assignment, as

specified above. It includes a clearly stated thesis statement (topic + assertion) at

the end of the introductory paragraph, supported with sufficient and consistently

relevant examples and clear explanations in each body paragraph. The paper has a

concluding paragraph that summarizes the main points and gives the essay a sense

of completeness.

Organization and Structure

The writing is planned so that it progresses by clearly ordered and necessary

stages, is developed with consistent attention to appropriate proportion and

emphasis; paragraphs are coherent, unified, and effectively developed; transitions

between paragraphs and between the sentences within each paragraph are explicit

and effective.

Word Choice (Diction), Tone, and Style

The paper uses words appropriate for a college-level audience. The words chosen

are precise and concise. The writing is free of colloquial (i.e., conversational,

informal) expressions, such as clichés and euphemisms. The tone is objective and

logical. The style is formal, consisting mainly of complex and compound-complex

sentences.

Grammar and Mechanics

The paper demonstrates careful proofreading. Sentences are clear and

straightforward. Clarity and effectiveness of expression are promoted by consistent

use of standard grammar. The paper is free of errors such as subject-verb

disagreement, sentence fragments, comma splices, run-on sentences, dangling

modifiers, etc. The writing follows rules for capitalization, punctuation, and

spelling