Reflective Essay Rubic

Reflective Essay

• You should have 6-7 paragraphs.
• You can use your graphic organizer. 

Use the following to help prepare:

• The Reflective essay prompt ("Reflective Essay Prompt Directions" in Week 10 on Canvas)
• The Graphic Organizer for the Reflective Essay

Rubric

Reflective Essay - Winter 21

Reflective Essay - Winter 21

Criteria	Ratings	Pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Organization- Thesis	5 pts Full Marks The thesis statement clearly states what the essay will be about, and presents it as a claim which the writer will prove to the reader. 3.6 pts Clear but no claim This thesis statement clearly states what the essay will be about, but does not set out a claim which the writer will prove to the reader. 3 pts Needs a lot of work The thesis statement is difficult to identify, due to the way it is written, or where it appears in the essay. The reader is left guessing what the essay will be about. 0 pts Missing The writer did not include a thesis statement.	5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Organization - Topic Sentences/Points	5 pts Excellent The topic sentences are truly claims in which the writer takes a stance to prove in the paragraph. Paragraphs are focused, with relevant evidence. 3.75 pts Mixed - Some Claims, Some Statements Some of the points in the essay do make claims that the writer proves in the paragraph. Other paragraphs state a clear statement of fact that focuses the paragraph, but not a claim to be proven. 3.5 pts Clear focus but no claim The topic sentences clearly indicate what the paragraph will be about, and the paragraph does not wander off topic. However, the topic sentence does not take a stance or make a claim, to be supported in the body paragraph. 3 pts Topic Sentences Not Focused The body of the paragraph covers several topics that were not included in the topic sentence. 0 pts Very few topic sentences Student combines multiple parts of the paper into 1 paragraph, instead of leaving them as separate paragraphs. This means the topic sentence does not adequately preview all of the topics contained within the paragraph.	5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Development - Reader, Writer, Student Skills, Online Learning, Pandemic	10 pts Excellent The writer fully discusses all five areas, giving clear, detailed support for the claims made in the appropriate paragraphs. Reader can clearly understand what the writer is talking about because the writer has provided enough context. 7.5 pts Needs a bit more Most of the areas were discussed in detail; however, one area needs more information, detail, or support. 5 pts Needs more More than two of the five areas needs detailed support. 0 pts No Marks	10 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Development - Support	7 pts Excellent Support The writer provides detailed, specific examples to buttress claims. The writer provides quotations where appropriate. The writer explains in clear detail any processes used to write, read, or understand the course assignments. 5.75 pts Needs a bit more support Overall, the writer provides detailed support, but could use more in any one area. 4.5 pts Needs a lot more support Support is vague, general, and lacks both specificity and detail. Reader is forced to "take the writer's word for it" due to lack of detailed support. 0 pts No Marks	7 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Development - What You Learned About One Essay Topic	7 pts Topic Covered Well The writer includes thoughtful analysis of what has been learned about one topic through writing various essays in the course. 5.75 pts Mostly thoughtful, but more needed for about topic The writer provides reflection on the topic, but does not address it in as much detail or depth. 4.5 pts More Needed The writer provides a superficial explanation of what they learned about the topic throughout the course. 0 pts Missing! The student did not include a paragraph about what they learned, or did not mention it at all in the essay.	7 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Development - What still needs improvement?	5 pts Excellent Awareness The writer clearly identifies and explains the areas to work on in future writing courses. In addition, the writer explains why those areas are important to improve upon. 4 pts Pretty Good Awareness The writer clearly identifies and explains areas to improve upon, but provides details/explanations for only some of those areas. Writer explains importance of improving, but only for some of those areas. 3.5 pts Some Awareness The writer identifies some areas to improve upon, but does not provide a lot of detail or explanation about those areas. Writer also does not explain why it is important to work on those aspects of writing, reading, or learning. 3 pts Needs a lot more information Writer briefly mentions, but only superficially. Or, the information provided is so vague that it is difficult for the reader to understand what the writer means. 0 pts Missing! The student did not include a paragraph about what they want to work on in future writing classes.	5 pts
This criterion is linked to a Learning Outcome Sentence Construction	11 pts Sophisticated Sentences! The writer uses the different strategies from the course to make lengthy, developed sentences that show a clear structure and express the logical relationships between parts. 9 pts Very Good Sentence Construction Writer mostly has sophisticated, varied sentence structure. There are some occasional errors due to mis-applying the sentence combining strategies learned in class, so credit for trying out those new strategies! 8 pts Needs Improvement The writer's sentences show little variety. Sentence combining would help a lot to express logical relationships and clarify structure. However, there are few grammatical errors in the sentences. 6 pts Insufficient The writer's sentences show little variety. The writer does not demonstrate an ability to combine sentences to express logical relationships and clarify structure. There are many grammatical errors in the sentences. 0 pts No Marks	11 pts
Total Points: 50

Reflective Essay

 Content: Write an essay of three to four pages (typed or handwritten) to discuss your experience in EWRT 1AS this quarter.  Review all the work you've done for the class and our modules and reflect on your experience in this course and of course with online learning.  In addition, you may examine and discuss the experience of sheltering in place and the pandemic.  And you also may want to discuss the events coming out of the Pandemic that are further revealing systemic racism and the activism happening in its wake.

Your overall purpose, though, for this last essay is to demonstrate how your writing, reading, thinking and/or studenthood (how you are as a student) have changed as a result of what you have learned in this class. You must provide specific evidence for your claims, meaning quotes from your essays or detailed descriptions of specific events or processes.  You will be using evidence/quotes from your essays, class materials, my comments, comments from your classmates, and anything else we have covered.

• Introduction: What were you like as a student, a reader, and a writer, before you took EWRT 1AS this quarter? What experiences did you have in previous English classes? Or in school in general? How did those experiences shape your attitudes when you began the quarter in our class? 

• Discuss any reading strategies you’ve picked up or enhanced over the quarter in EWRT 1AS (1 paragraph). You might discuss annotating or using vocabulary. 

 

• Discuss what you have learned as a writer in EWRT 1AS. This might include practice in organization, analysis, development, vivid examples, construction of better sentences, proofreading, writing process, and so on. (This is 1-2 paragraphs.)

 

• Pandemic/Shelter in Place. We are living during unprecedented times through a pandemic and being quarantined.  What have these last eight months been like for you?  What have been some of the challenges?  Have there been any silver linings?  (1 paragraph)

 

• How has online learning been for you overall?  What in our class was helpful?  What could you have used more of?  Or less of?  What seemed more effective online?  What might have been lost because the course didn't have any face to face time, besides Zoom?  Would you have preferred a face to face class?  Why or why not?  What about a hybrid course?  What kind of mix would be ideal?  How so? (1 paragraph)

 

• Writing is learning. To demonstrate how this worked in your case, choose one  topic from your writing, and explain how your understanding of these issues changed as a result of reading and writing about them. What did you understand or believe about these issues before EWRT 1AS, and how do you see those issues now? How does that impact your personal, career or academic life?  Give an example, e.g . what it means to be a citizen or how folks live long and happy lives. (1 paragraph)

See next page à

 

• Social Justice: We also witnessed what happened to George Floyd in Minnesota and to too many others  across our country.  We are now seeing the massive effort in protest, awareness, and other actions.  If you choose, you can include thoughts on the Black Lives Matter Movement, your experience participating or viewing different protests and what you've learned here or will pursue in the future in terms of systemic racism.  

(1 paragraph --This part is optional; the others are required.)

 

• For the conclusion, you can reflect on all of this--and my goodness is there a lot to reflect upon!  What still needs improvement?  Write about what you'd still like to work on with your writing, reading, and even you as a student. Remember that all of us are still trying to be better writers, so what are you going to focus on in EWRT 1AT and beyond?  

Audience: De Anza English teachers

What I'm looking for in the reflective essay:

• a solid introduction and thesis

• Clear organization with topic sentences

• Well-developed paragraphs that show critical thinking about your own writing and learning process

• Specific examples, details

• Well-constructed sentences

• Correct grammar and punctuation

• Form: typed, double-spaced 

Due: You must complete this essay by:

• Tuesday, March 22 for full credit

• Wednesday, March 23 for reduced credit

• You can use the graphic organizer to assist you.

 

Portfolio Expectations & Process

 

Portfolio Expectations & Process

 

If you complete all of your work and have a passing grade in the course (C or above) at the end of the quarter, you will submit a portfolio to the English Department. This portfolio will affect your final grade in this course.

 

The English Department expects that your portfolio should

·       demonstrate your best work in the class. Consider carefully which essays and assignments you will choose to include.

·       represent the work of a student who is passing EWRT 1AS. If you are not passing the class, you cannot submit a portfolio.

·       Represent your own words, and NOT contain any plagiarism. Plagiarized work cannot pass the portfolio process.

 

This means that your final grade in this course depends on two processes:

1. If you complete all of your work in the class and have a passing grade, you will submit a portfolio of selected writing for review by members of the English Department at the end of the quarter. If these readers agree that your portfolio demonstrates the appropriate skills for a student who has completed this quarter of EWRT 1A, you will pass the class. If your portfolio does not demonstrate the appropriate skills, you will not pass the class.

 

2. If the English Department determines that you should pass, your actual final letter grade (A, B, or C) will be determined by the percentage of points you earned throughout the quarter. For example, if your percentage on your assignments throughout the quarter in this class is 89.4% and you pass the portfolio process, you will receive a B+ in the class. However, if you do not pass the portfolio process, you still cannot pass the class.

 

In order to pass this class with a good grade, you should

• complete all of your work and score as many points as possible during the quarter.
• revise and polish selected essays in order to assemble a strong portfolio at the end of the quarter.

 

My grades on your essays should be a signal of whether you are likely to pass the portfolio process, so you will definitely have multiple warnings if you are in danger. However, you should keep in mind that—ultimately—you will not be able to “make up” for failing essays by earning lots of participation points or homework points. Those points will not affect the assessment of your portfolio, even if they affect your grade. More information will be provided as the quarter progresses.