1. College Essay Pre-write (10 points)
English IVA

2. Your Task . . .
Write a well-organized and detailed essay about a teacher who strongly influenced you.
Let’s start with a poem.
1. Describe your initial reaction. (1 point)

3. Brainstorming
2. Now, write your own 4-stanza poem, using this form for each stanza. (4 points)

4. Think-Pair-Share
Discuss the lessons you identified in your poem with your partner.
3. List 4 lessons, total. (1 point)

5. An Example Read this example.
4. With a partner, place details from the example in 4 categories. (4 points)
(1) information about the teacher herself
(2) information about the author (Zindel)
(3) information about the underlying lesson
(4) other details.

6. Free-write (Exit Slip #2)
Which one “teacher” would you choose to write an essay about? Why? What details would you include? Can you reference one instance in which this teacher really impacted your life? Explain. (Remember – it doesn’t have to actually be a teacher – just a positive person in your life.)

7. Free-write (Exit Slip #3)
Does any specific attribute, quality or skill distinguish you
from everyone else? How did you develop this attribute?

8. Free-write (Exit Slip #4)
Have you ever struggled for something and failed? How did
you respond? Have you experienced a feeling of
disappointment and dissatisfaction of yourself?

9. Free-write (Exit Slip #5)
Which of the following college essay prompts would you prefer to use? Why?
What work of art, music, science, mathematics, or literature has influenced your thinking, and in what way? (University of Virginia applicants to the College of Arts and Sciences)
Discuss how a particular work of music, literature, or art has inspired your life. (William and Mary)
Tell us how a particular book, play, film, piece of music, dance performance, scientific theory or experiment or work of art has influenced you. If you choose a novel, film or play, assume we know the plot. (University of Notre Dame)
Consider the books you have read in the last year or two either for school or for leisure. Please discuss the way in which one of them changed your understanding of the world, other people, or yourself. (Duke University)
Tell us about a situation where you have not been successful and what you have learned from the experience. (William and Mary)