September Writing Workshop

Personal Essay

Personal essays are idea-based pieces written in non-narrative form. Non-narrative writing is idea-based writing where a writer tells a reader what he or she thinks about a topic.

When students choose a topic for their Personal Essay they will look through their writer's heart and get ideas about a special person, place or thing in their life. Their topic should be something they are:

• passionate about
• interested in sticking with for a while
• feel like they can write a lot about

Students will state an idea about their topic and elaborate upon the idea with support. Each support is developed and defended with a mini-story, dialogue and or inner thinking.

Personal Essay Unit Goals:

At the end of the unit, students will be able to:

• State a main idea, theme or opinion and provide supporting details.
• Use relevant examples, reasons and explanations to support their idea.
• Express opinions and make judgements that demonstrate a personal point of view.
• Use personal experiences and knowledge to analyze and evaluate new ideas.
• Develop a personal voice that enables the reader to get to know the writer.