STEPS FOR WRITING A REFLECTIVE ESSAY

All students please use this process to create your reflective essay. Note that there are examples included. At the end of this document is the final draft of the example essay. You may wish to read the final draft first, and then come back and review how the student got there.

STEP 1: WRITING A REFLECTIVE ESSAY PRE-WRITE

1. Select a piece of work you would like to use for your reflection. The work must be academic and from one of your current classes, but not necessarily one in which you received an A. It is more important to be able to write about a rich experience. Papers, creative projects, tests, design work, group or individual projects are all appropriate materials for a reflective essay. 2. Gather any materials (examples, graphs, artwork etc.) or proof you will include with your essay in you portfolio. 3. Without thinking about form, syntax word choice or spelling, spend 10 - 15 minutes writing about the assignment you selected .Let your mind remember anything it wants to about the assignment. No idea or thought is too silly. Let yourself reflect without editing. Write down everything you can recall as you went through the process of the assignment. This is the important key element of the reflective process. 4. If you want, review the list of Reflective Essay Questions on the website or posted in your advisory.

STEP 2: WRITING A REFLECTIVE ESSAY OUTLINE FORMAT

1. Introduction and Backward Looking Question A. Introductory Sentence Hook the reader! If you can think of a catchy phrase write it down, although many times catchy introductory sentences come after you have written your paper. B. Describe the project. This is important step. Let the reader know what you will be talking about. C. Address a Backward looking question. Be specific and give details. D. Transition sentence for next paragraph 2. Inward Looking Question A. Address an inward looking question. B. Make sure to use one or more examples that illustrate your answer to inward looking question. C. Give details. D. Transition sentence for next paragraph 3. Outward Looking Question A. Address an outward looking question

B. Make sure to use one or more examples that illustrate your answer to outward looking question. C. Give details. D. Transition sentence for next paragraph 4. Forward Looking Question and Conclusion A. Address a forward looking question. B. Make sure to use one or more examples that illustrate your answer to forward looking question. C. Give details. D. Tie it all together. Conclude with another catchy or crisp sentence. Sometimes it is useful to connect your concluding sentence to your introductory sentence. The concluding sentence should leave the reader laughing, thinking or just plain impress!

STEP 2 EXAMPLE: ESSAY OUTLINE

1. Web Design Assignment A. Me? Helping Eagles fly. B. Web Design for Fraternal Order of the Eagles #31 C. Challenged by making a site and satisfying my web assignment D. Invite reader to look at work that I am pleased with. 2. Inward Looking Question How I am proud of my work A. I am proud of work B. Learned PHP code C. Helps user to use site easier D. Compliments from members and Konni Maier 3. Outward Looking Question What I want people to notice A. Creating code is complex and hard to do B. Web users dont know how much work it is C. Helps to navigate D. Makes finding info easier 4. Forward Looking Question and Conclusion - What I want to do next A. Learn more PHP and other programs B. Work in industry/web designer C. Rewarded by the project D. Look forward to next project Some kind of skies the limit.

STEP 3: WRITING A REFLECTIVE ESSAY ROUGH DRAFT

When writing a rough draft, use your outline. Start by writing complete thoughts about what you have in your outline. Follow the outline and paragraphs will begin to form. Pay attention to descriptive language and make an effort to use active, not passive, language. Make sure to read back what you have written. Be concise and clear. Do not worry about the heading or formatting at this point. Make sure at this point you do use essay form, rather than just writing out a reflective question and then answering it.

STEP 3 EXAMPLE: ESSAY ROUGH DRAFT

As part of my Web Design class at Windward High School (WHS), I created a website for a local organization called the Fraternal Order of the Eagles #31. The assignment was an authentic one as I was able to create a professional page for an actual client. This aspect was rewarding. I was required to meet the needs of a real client while creating a website that matched my studies at WHS. At first, I was not satisfied with my work. To improve upon my original design, I worked for two months to improve the product. The site is now up and running. To see the result of my work, please go to http://www.foe31.org. I am very proud of how the webpage turned out. I feel that my upgrades made a big difference to the final product as the current version is much more useable than the first. One important aspect that I included was server-side code, which allows users to make updates to the site more easily. As a result, I have received a great deal of positive feedback from members of the Bellingham Eagles. They are glad that the club finally has a quality website for guests and members to quickly navigate for information. Additionally, I have received compliments for Konni Maier (Eagles Newsletter Editor and Past President) whom I have been working with to update the site with new information each month. When visitors see my work, I would like them to recognize the effort that went into the project like this. A site having code that responds to user information is not an easy thing to create. Most users of the web are unaware of this. I am also hopeful that users can easily navigate through my pages so as to find the information they are seeking. For my next web project, I would like to learn more about server-side code (PHP) and learn to write more complicated programs. Working in the software/web industry is one of my professional career goals, and I feel that these types of community projects are going to help me in the long run. Overall, designing a website for the Eagles was a great learning experience. Creating a product that is useable by members of the community is an extremely important part of my education. I look forward to future projects in this area.

STEP 4: WRITING A REFLECTIVE ESSAY - FINAL DRAFT

Important steps before you print your final draft. 1. Proof read your finished rough draft. Read it out loud to yourself. This is a very important step! 2. Make fluency corrections. Correct spelling. Perform a spell check and grammar check. 3. Make sure you have a catchy introductory sentence and concluding sentence. 4. Go back a see where you can replace common words with richer, more descriptive words. Challenge yourself to use at least one new word in your essay. Use the thesaurus tool in your word processing document for ideas. 5. Format the essay using MLA and print a copy. 6. Have a friend and/or teacher proof read your essay and give you suggestions for improvement. 7. Make corrections. 8. If you are unsure about a comma placement or other syntax item ask your advisor or another teacher to help you. 9. Put the correct heading on the essay and print it out. 10. Print a copy for your advisory teacher and then save the document to your Portfolio Collections folder on your H drive.

STEP 4 EXAMPLE: ESSAY FINAL DRAFT

PLEASE SEE BELOW

David Windward January 4th, 2007 Reflective Essay 1

Me, helping eagles fly? As part of my Web Design class at Windward High School (WHS), I created a website for a local organization called the Fraternal Order of the Eagles, #31. The assignment provided an authentic opportunity to create a professionallooking page for an actual client. I was challenged to meet the website needs of this client while also meeting specific criteria for my Web Design class; a rewarding aspect of the assignment. Designing a good web page is challenging and I spent two months improving upon my first design attempt. I am pleased to say the site is now up and running. To see the result of my work, please go to http://www.foe31.org. I am very proud of how this webpage turned out. Upgrades and design improvements made an immense difference to the final product. The current version is, by far, more user friendly than my first version. An example of a specific improvement included incorporating server-side (PHP) code in the design. PHP code allows users to easily update a site. As a result of this design enhancement, I have received a great deal of positive feedback from members of the Bellingham Eagles. They are glad that the club finally has a quality website for guests and members allowing quick navigation for needed information. Additionally, I have received compliments for Konni Maier (Eagles Newsletter Editor and Past President) whom I have been working with to update the site with new information each month.

When visitors see my work, I would like them to recognize the effort that went into a project like this. A site having code that responds to user information is not an easy thing to create; encoding information is a complex and precise task. Most users of the web are unaware of the time and specific steps a designer must use to create this seemingly simple maneuver on a site. I am hopeful that my efficient design allows users to more easily navigate through the pages of the site to find the information they seek. For my next web project, I would like to learn more about PHP and learn to write other complicated programs. Finding work in the software/web industry is one of my career goals. Certainly, authentic community projects and academic assignments, like designing a web page for the Eagles, will help me successfully achieve my professional aspirations. Overall, designing a website for a real client was a fabulous and rewarding learning experience. Creating a useable product for a community member is an extremely important and valuable part of my education. I look forward to future projects in this area, spreading my wings and the skies the limit!

Reflective Essay Rubric Name:_____________________Advisory:________

Assessment Format Superior Paper is formatted using designated heading and all required MLA guidelines. Essay form is used with expertise. Syntax is exemplary and dynamic and all spelling is correct. Each reflective question is thoroughly addressed using rich, descriptive detail with verve and graceful, effortless language. The essay flows smoothly and engages the reader fully. The student made excellent use of time in advisory and met the turn in date. Stellar effort! I have saved the essay and evidence to my: Portfolio Collections folder on the H drive. At Standard Paper is formatted using designated heading and all required MLA guidelines. Essay form is used. All syntax and spelling is correct. Developing Paper is formatted using designated heading and some required MLA guidelines. Student used question/answer format. Some syntax is correct. There are one or more spelling errors. Each reflective question is addressed using some detail and awkward language. The essay flows unevenly and the reader is somewhat confused. Needs Work Paper is formatted using a heading and few or no required MLA guidelines. There is no discernable form. Little syntax is correct. There are one or more spelling errors. Few or none of the reflective questions are distinguishable. Little or no details are used and the essay stumbles awkwardly. The reader is uninformed and indifferent. Comments

Form Grammar

Content: Backward, Inward, Outward, and Forward looking reflective questions are addressed.

Each reflective question is thoroughly addressed using descriptive detail and effortless, efficient language. The essay flows easily and engages the reader. The student made good use of time in advisory and met the turn in date. Good effort! I have saved the essay and evidence to my: Portfolio Collections folder on the H drive.

Time and Effort

The student made some use of time in advisory, but was distracted and turned in the essay late. Some effort was made. I have saved the essay and to my: Portfolio Collections folder on the H drive.

The student made no effort in advisory, was a distraction to others and failed to meet the turn in date.

Essay Evidence and storage

I have not saved my essay.

GUIDELINES ACADEMIC REFLECTIVE ESSAYS

Format for Reflective Essays

1. Paper White, standard, 81/2 x 11. 2. Length Depending on how you answer the prompts using thoughtful descriptive language. 3. Type - Times New Roman, 12 point, typed or word-processed, one side, and black ink only. 4. Margins Using MLA guidelines, 1 inch on all sides. Indent first word of each paragraph five spaces. 5. Spacing Essay should be uniformly double spaced.

Heading
Please use the following heading on all your reflective essays. Wendy Windward January 16, 2007 Reflective Essay

Format
Essay form is to be used. Please DO NOT use a question and answer form.

General Compositional Guideline for Writing

1. Avoid informational abbreviation (e.g. &, w/o, $) 2. Avoid contractions (e.g., hes, dont, well) 3. Spell out numbers between one and ninety-nine, unless they are specific statistics (e.g. The works of ten students were included: the work represented 25 percent of the class.) In some disciplines (e.g. business and journalism), it is acceptable to spell out only numbers on through ten. 4. Hyphenate works properly, or just move to the next line. Do not squeeze in a work on the edge of the paper. 5. When writing about literature, use present tense verbs. 6. A paragraph should not end with a quotation. 7. Use consistent verb tense. 8. Use action verbs (walk, talk, think, and so on) instead of linking verbs (is, are, was, were, and so on.)