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reflective1.docx

A written reflective essay is an extremely important part of any culminating or capstone project. This is the opportunity for you to write about where you started, what you thought was going to happen, and finally, what actually occurred. There are no “wrong” answers when reflecting on your experience.

The essay must be at least 500 words (two pages), typed, double-spaced with 1-inch margins and in Times New Roman size 12 font. This essay should be a narrative written in the first person style. The purpose of this paper is to show what you learned about yourself as you worked through the writing and presentations of their research.

This essay should include personal and educational experiences, that led to the your interest in the topic which was chosen for the project. The following questions will guide the writing but you are not restrictive to only addressing these questions:

· Why was this topic chosen? What experiences (classes, people, books, etc.) directed the choice of the topic?

· What did you learn about yourself through this experience (persistence, research skills, time management skills, commitment to a task, etc.)? Was the learning something unexpected?

· How will the experience apply to your future plans (leader in education, teacher, etc.)?

· What research was completed that helped the student accomplish his/her project?

· Were you satisfied with your topic choice? Why or why not?

· Were you satisfied with the results of your research? Why or why not?

· What obstacles were encountered and how did you deal with these challenges?

Reflective Essay Rubric “Reflecting on yourself as a learner”

Exceeds Standard

Meets Standard

Does Not Meet Standard

Components (65 %)

· Reflection reveals exceptional insight and introspection

· Description of the capstone project summarizes what was created or accomplished

· Describes new skills learned or advanced

· Describes challenges and obstacles

· Explains personal growth

· Describes modifications that you would do differently

· Lacks reflections about one or more of the components

Length and Format

(5%)

· Minimum of 500 words

· 1-inch margins

· Double-spaced

· Font: times New Roman

· Size 12 font

Organization

(10%)

· Structure is obvious, logical and complete.  

· Structure fits topic and content.  

· Components are seamlessly woven through piece while easily identifiable.  

· Organization shows planning with a clear beginning, middle and end  

· Logical or chronological order is functional.  

· All components are easily identifiable.  

· Organizational scheme not apparent  

· Detracts from readability  

· Some components missing or difficult to find  

Word Choice

and Voice

(10%)

· Words convey exceptional sense of personality.  

· Creative use of analogies, metaphors, humor, etc., to describe personal learning  

· Written in standard English, less formal and more personal than the scholarly paper  

· Few redundancies in word selection  

· Voice is appropriate and functional for audience and purpose.  

· Uses slang, inappropriate language  

· Redundant use of limited vocabulary  

· Voice inappropriate for audience and purpose  

Fluency

(5%)

· Consistently strong and varied sentence structure

· Effective transitions make reader eager to continue

· Variety of sentence structure

· Functional transitions move

the reader along

· Repetitive simple sentences 

· Many sentence fragments  

· Few or awkward transitions

Grammar

(5%)

· Minimal errors in punctuation, spelling and grammar

· Few errors in punctuation, spelling and grammar

· Many errors in punctuation, spelling, etc.  

· Seriously affects readability

Total