WE ARE GOING TO START TODAY WITH A GREEK ROOTS PRACTICE USING ALL 4 ROOTS WE HAVE LEARNED. PLEASE TURN IN YOUR ESSAYS TO THE BASKET AND PLACE ANY POSTERS ON THE FILE CABINET. Do Now

Write It Out We are going to be focused on personal narrative for our writing. The goal is:  Use what you’ve learned from Douglass and your memoir  Write stronger, clearer essays that are significant Take 10 minutes now to write about:  What you’d like to do after graduation (high school and college)  Where might you like to go to college? Describe a place, or style if you don’t know a certain school yet  What might your major be?

Memoir Vs. Personal Narrative MemoirBothPersonal Narrative Includes reflections on other people as well Focused on incidents that make up a person What the writer remembers happening (may be missing dates, may not be 100% accurate) Memories Multiple events, 1 theme Real person’s experiences Include direct experiences Can include narrative elements: setting, characterization, speech, plot The writer’s direct experience Writer’s thoughts and feelings only Writer’s reaction One event or incident Information from Kate Prudchenko, Demand Media

College Essay – Tips Do ThisAvoid This Talk to the reader, but remember their age and education level Tell a story Show, Don’t Tell – it’s a narrative, so make it vivid Use first person Write it yourself!! Make it sound like it’s you! Voice! Proof read, edit, revise, over and over again – get feedback from people who will be honest about it! When writing about a hero/influential person, make sure to still focus on you Be concise and focused Keep it in the word limit Turn it in on time Cliches Extended metaphors Boasting, using a thesaurus, or choosing a “big” topic to try and “sound smart” Writing what you think they want to hear instead of about who you are Waiting until the last minute Not doing drafts Having errors Being vague and unfocused Generalizations, lists, trying to do everything Talking about travel or missions from an “above it all” perspective Having a boring 1 st line Psychobabble

College Essay Advice The best, most memorable essays “offered a distinctive insight into the specific experience of an individual teenage life” -Andrea van Niekerk, former associate director of admissions at Brown University Choosing a college is a long but rewarding process. It takes time to find which college is the best fit for you. The sooner you complete your application (including transcripts, test scores, personal essay, and so on) the sooner you will receive a decision and your merit scholarship award. This provides you more time to investigate and weigh your options. — Michael Joseph, vice president of enrollment management, Valparaiso University

The Hook is Key Why is a hook and your introduction for a college admissions essay so important? Examples of Memorable Openers from Stanford  I change my name each time I place an order at Starbucks.  The spaghetti burbled and slushed around the pan, and as I stirred it, the noises it gave off began to sound increasingly like bodily functions.  While traveling through the daily path of life, have you ever stumbled upon a hidden pocket of the universe?

Sample Essays – Give them a Grade Carefully read the following 4 examples of college admissions essays. Mark them up as you go or afterwards – highlight things you like or struck you as wrong or poorly done Give each essay a grade from 1 – 5 and defend that grade in a paragraph.  1 = very poor, many mistakes, not a chance of getting in  3 = decent, not impressive, some places for revision, maybe  5 = phenomenal, very descriptive, nails the prompt, you want this author at your college 100%

Homework Write a 2 page stream of consciousness journal entry about important people and moments in your life  Who influenced you?  What has made you who you are?  These are ideas, not an essay, but just a chance for you to think and brainstorm This can be in your Do Now Journals.