Personal Statement Student Models

"We cannot accomplish all that we need to do without working together" - Bill Richardson

Let's begin to focus on the upcoming task. We're going to spend the next couple days looking at some student models. These are real personal statements written by high school seniors just like you.

There are FOUR different essay models.  You will be responsible for reading and analyzing only ONE selection.  However, you will expected to explain the rhetoric of the essay to your classmates.

Steps:
1. Read your assigned essay.
2. Read your essay again w/the questions in mind.
3. Work with classmates. Read the essay, discuss, answer and work on the questions together.

Please answer the questions below.  Use them to guide your understanding and explanation.
Record these answers using textual evidence in your Writer's Notebook or online via Googledocs

1. Which model are you reading?
2. What does the writer want you to learn about her/him? What was his or her goal in telling you this particular story?
3. How does the writer introduce their essay? How is it effective or not effective? 
4. What are one or two powerful sentences that show who this person is and what they are trying to convey?
5. What part of their writing was most successful? (Voice, word choice, story arc, clear ideas, structure, etc)
6. Do you seen any instances of ethos, logos, or pathos? How do the affect the writing?
7. How might you apply these techniques to your own writing? 
8. What could make their essays better or stronger?