A personal essay is written around a central idea, or thesis statement, drawn from the student's experiences. The student supports his or her thesis statement with evidence or examples. In the beginning of the year, students will learn to write personal essays in several formats. They can be as short as a paragraph or as long as a multi-paragraph essay. Fourth grade students typically have to write a personal or persuasive essay for the Wisconsin Knowledge and Concept Examinations (our state tests). Some characteristics of personal essays include:
a thesis statement;
transitional words, such as "for example," "in addition," and "in conclusion;" and
introduction and conclusion paragraphs.
Examples:
Personal Essay Rubric - Ms. Becker uses this rubric to grade students' Personal Essays.
Personal Essays - CCSS - Students complete these Common Core State Standards by writing Personal Essays.