WRITING A PERSONAL STATEMENT Senior English LEARNING TARGETS

WRITING A PERSONAL STATEMENT Senior English

LEARNING TARGETS The student will be able to… Choose an essay prompt and brainstorm ideas for essay

COMMON APP What is the Common Application? Let’s explore. . . Essay Prompts Home Page

Option #1: Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story. Option #2: The lessons we take from failure can be fundamental to later success. Recount an incident or time when you experienced failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience? Option #3: Reflect on a time when you challenged a belief or idea. What prompted you to act? Would you make the same decision again? Option #4: Describe a problem you’ve solved or a problem you’d like to solve. It can be an intellectual challenge, a research query, an ethical dilemma-anything that is of personal importance, no matter the scale. Explain its significance to you and what steps you took or could be taken to identify a solution. Option #5: Discuss an accomplishment or event, formal or informal, that marked your transition from childhood to adulthood within your culture, community, or family.

BRAINSTORM Re-read the prompt that you picked. Or pick a new prompt. Brainstorm five different stories from your life that fit your chosen prompt. Common App Writing Tips: -You have a 650 word limit -You can write another 650 words about yourself in the add more information section -You can only alter your essay three times once it is uploaded

REFLECTION What topics do you think should be avoided on the personal statement? Are there any?

YES, THERE ARE… Listing accomplishments. Death, divorce, tragedies in general. “The most important thing/person in my life. ” Sports. Humor. “I’m so lucky. ” Do-good experiences. Sensitive topics. The un-essay. Illicit behavior. .

TOPICS TO AVOID But opinions differ on what those are, let’s see what the “experts” suggest. . . Douglas Fehlen, contributor to Education Portal Janine Robinson, editor of Essay Hell and author of “Escape Essay Hell”

GRAPHIC ORGANIZER 2 – 3 Sentence summary of your event 5 Ws – who, what, when, where, why? Stick to the basic facts—you’ll elaborate later Select 3 Details Write the detail down Below the line, analyze how this shows your personality, values, and/or perspective

COMMENTARY How do these details show your perspective, views, values? (3+ sentences) Use your mature perspective to explain the life lesson, or change in your values or perspective that occurred because of this event

ROUGH DRAFT Start with an introduction. Elaborate on your experience using specific details including sights and sounds—also include the analysis of what this shows about your values, perspective and personality. Finish with a conclusion that explains your big lesson or the way in which this event changed you. Save your rough draft to Turn. It. In. com

PEER REVIEW This is easiest if you save your draft to my workspace, and let your partner open it from there. Also, you may e-mail your draft to your partner. In order to complete your peer review, use the Review button on the ribbon at the top of Word. Highlight text you want to comment on, then press New Comment.

PEER REVIEW Highlighter Test – Highlight anything that lets the reader “learn” about the student – students are supposed to include stuff that will help the counselor learn about the student. Not just facts, but things that show who the person is. Show Don’t Tell – Comment on any places where the writer is telling what happened in vague or general terms. Using a new comment, tell the writer to show change or development of character or something that they learned through the use of vivid details or dialogue. The prompt – a lot of people don’t answer the prompt. Answer the prompt, talk about how you changed or developed. If the writer gets off-topic, highlight the text and make a new comment encouraging them to stay on topic.

NEXT STEP Reflect. . . In order to make my final draft better, I need to. . . Final draft due date is tomorrow by the end of the day.

FINAL DRAFT Clean up your draft. Proofread to ensure that it is error free. Triple check for spelling, grammar, punctuation and capitalization errors. Upload your final draft to Turn. It. In. com