DATA COLLECTION
SUMMARIZING DATA SETS
Personal Daily Digital Journal
Students kept a personal daily digital journal where they completed quick writes which were written at the beginning of each class period (BELLWORK). This journal was used as a compilation of ideas for students which assisted them when it came time to pick an event for their personal narrative. The journal also showed gradual progress in student writing (grammar, quantity, organization, etc.) Additionally, students completed a brainstorming activity with ten possible prompts for their essays to help them pick a relatable topic (see below).
QUICKWRITE - DAY 1
QUICKWRITE - DAY 3
QUICKWRITE - DAY 2
QUICKWRITE - DAY 4
10 POSSIBLE WRITING PROMPTS
Affective Surveys -
Student Attitudes Toward Writing
Students were given an affective survey before they began writing and after their piece was written. The surveys measured how the checklist changed students’ feelings toward writing and confidence (if at all). Surveys were given as an anticipatory set and/or exit ticket during class.
Pre-Study Survey
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Post-Study Survey
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Students' First Draft
Students’ first drafts were submitted for a formative grade and discussed with students during writing conferences. Students discussed their essays by referring to their drafting checklist. Students received a mini-lesson on what goes into a quality personal essay (see some of the slides below). Students also used a graphic organizer to brainstorm ideas and organize their thoughts (see the graphic organizer below).
PERSONAL ESSAY MINI-LESSON SLIDES
GRAPHIC ORGANIZER -
BRAINSTORM & ORGANIZE
The Writer's Checklists
Students received a mini-lesson regarding the writer’s checklist. Once familiar with the writer’s checklist (after practice with mentor texts), students used it to track their decisions during the drafting stage of their personal narrative. They also used a similar checklist during the revision stage, but that one focused more on polishing the essay. The writer’s checklist tied to the assessment rubric, which was adapted from my district's ELA Curriculum Resource. Use the slider below and click on the images to see the checklists in their entirety.
How to view: Hover over the images to see the title and description of each document. Click on the document to view the full thing. Scroll through the images using the side arrows.
This is the writer's checklist that students used to draft their essays.
This is Page 1 of the writer's checklist that students used to edit their essays.
This is Page 2 of the writer's checklist that students used to edit their essays.
This is the writer's checklist that students used to draft their essays.
Students' Final Copy
MENTOR TEXT: I wrote an essay based on an experience that happened to me at the beginning of the school year. With this, I was able to model for students how to take a real experience, a short experience even, and turn it into an essay. Students were able to examine the essay for personal essay elements and use it as an example during their drafting process.
Students then went off to compose their own polished essays. They were expected to edit their first drafts with the editor's checklist (see above) and submitted the final version for a summative grade.
View my essay below.
Personal Essay Rubric
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Students were assessed on a 4-point scale (see table below). Students were assessed on this 4-point scale for each of the following criteria: Ideas & Evidence (Content), Organization, and Language. Click on the image below to read more about how students were scored.
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4-Point Grading Scale
Personal Essay Assessment Rubric
