1. This I Believe Stand up or Sit down  Life is fair  Words can hurt  Police are your friends  What goes around, comes around  How you act in a crisis shows who you really are.  Love conquers all  An eye for an eye…  People learn from their mistakes  Miracles do happen  If you smile long enough, you become happy  This is one special person for everyone  Killing is wrong  Doing what’s right means obeying the law

2. This I Believe  What do you value?Where do you stand?What would you live by?What is one thing you are certain of?

3. This I Believe Type of essay? Personal Narrative (You can be creative) In Class Write – Tomorrow Friday 8/31

4. This I Believe -From 1951 to 1955, Edward R. Murrow hosted This I believe, a daily radio program that reached 39 million listeners. -On this broadcast, Americans read 5 minute essays about their personal philosophy of life. -Fifty years later, This I Believe, Inc. and NPR are again inviting Americans of all ages to examine their belief systems and write a 500 word personal essay.

5. This I Believe WHAT IS A PERSONAL ESSAY? - Focuses on a belief or insight about life that is significant to the writer. -Usually based on both experiences and relationships that have taught the writer what individual values are most important.

6. This I Believe EXAMPLES: thisibelieve.org

7. This I Believe HOW TO GET STARTED: Start with a powerful Hook (Grab the reader’s attention with one of the following) -Question- “When was the last time you went without a meal?” - Quotation- (from someone famous or significant in your life) “Be careful were the last words my father said to me each time I left the house.” -Strong Statement- (that your essay will either support or dispute) “If you eat enough cabbage, you’ll never get cancer.” - Metaphor- “The ogre at the front of the classroom was not only my teacher, but my mom.” - Description- (of a person or setting): “Michael once mowed my lawn wearing a frilly apron, high heels, and nylons. And it wasn’t even Halloween!”

8. This I Believe TIPS TO ADD AUDIENCE APPEAL: 1. You should be passionate about your topic. 2. Make the frame big enough to allow your reader to find parallels between your experience and theirs. 3. Paint a clear picture for the reader so they feel like they are walking in your shoes. 4. Use details to draw the reader in. 5. Employ all the sense to convey your ideas to the reader. 6. Make sure your reader can clearly find your main idea of your essay.

9. This I Believe HOW TO SUPPORT YOUR PHILOSOPHY: 1. Dialogue 2. Rhetorical Question 3. Anecdote 4. Personal Experience 5. Example 6. Statistic

10. This I Believe Focus / Coherence Belief is clear and well supported________/20 Voice Creative, Engaging, good diction and verbs________/25 Organization Paragraphs and Transitions________/20 Development of Ideas Consistent and it comes to a close________/25 Conventions Spelling, Grammar________/10