ELA 20 Reflective Essay Writing – Resources
You’ve done a number of formal literary written assignments in recent semesters of ELA. This next essay will have a more-relaxed format and be less formal because it will rely on the reflection of personal, childhood memories.
Through this writing assignment, in particular, it will really test your use of transitions to smoothly guide your reader back and forth from past to present observations.
Sample Writing – Reflecting on Childhood Ideas From an Older Perspective:
In this class video, I guide you through an author’s piece of writing called “Back to Wolf Willow” where the author shares what it was like returning to the place he lived as a child. In it are many of the transitions of Past to Present.
Some parts of this writing will require special attention including:
Handout with Advice to Consider
- Transitions to consider for Past vs Present writing
- Understanding to keep similar topics together in your paragraph – avoid jumping back and forth and back and forth between past/present within one body paragraph. Clump similar focuses together in the paragraph to keep the organization of ideas smooth/easy to follow for your reader
- establish a pattern of steps in your body paragraph writing – adapt the pattern you typically use for body paragraphs to suit the requirements of this assignment in particular
- There are also sample student paragraphs included ranging from less developed to more with feedback included for what is strong and weak in each. It may help you set goals for what to develop in your own writing.
Sample Student Paragraph – strong development
Introduction & Conclusion Writing (video guide & student samples)
