Personal Essay

Name of the Activity: Rainy Day Writes

Learning Objective: By the end of the activity, students will be able to write a personal essay that is describing them when they had a sorrow situation which vividly presents their own experiences in the writing. 

Instructions: 

1. The teacher explains about personal experiences of her/him when receiving birthday gifts orally and writes on the board at the same time. 

2. The teacher assigns an activity for students to write their own personal essay when they are sad.

3. The teacher guides the students on how to write an essay about the topic given. 

4. Students are required to write their own personal experiences when they are sad and what they were going to do if the situation happened. 

Material

Justifications:

This activity is suitable for primary ESL students especially for Year 6 as students have to write their own personal essay based on the experience of them when they were sad. From the activity students will be able to: 

• Articulate Experience - Students are required to write their own essay when they are sad which enables them to articulate their memory to form in the written piece. They are encouraged to express the depth and nuances of their feelings in words, transforming abstract emotions into a tangible and communicable form. Students not only identify and express their emotions but also organise them into a coherent story. This process requires them to articulate the sequence of events, the context, and the emotional journey they underwent during the sad experience. For example, students can remember their experiences in sad situations and are able to transfer the memory into the written pieces coherently. 

• Increase Vocabulary - When students express their sad experiences in writing, they naturally tap into an emotional lexicon. They are compelled to search for words that precisely convey the depth and nuances of their emotions. This process encourages the exploration and incorporation of diverse emotional vocabulary. In addition, writing about a personal essay often requires the use of descriptive language to vividly portray the scene and emotions. Students are prompted to expand their vocabulary by seeking more expressive and varied adjectives, adverbs, and sensory language to create a richer narrative. For example, students might be bored with sad-related words that are familiar to them and they might find similar words of sad-related words. Sorrowful, miserable, unhappy, heartbroken are words that relate to sad-vocabulary words that might be used by students in the activity. 

• Promotes Expressing Emotions - Before students can express their emotions, they must first identify and recognize what they are feeling. The activity prompts self-reflection, encouraging students to introspect and pinpoint the specific emotions associated with their sad experiences. Emotions are deeply personal, and expressing them involves incorporating personal perspectives and insights. This activity promotes to students that expressing emotions such as unhappiness and sorrow are not a problem and it makes students feel better about themselves when expressing their emotions in the written words. For example, some students are unable to express their emotions because of shyness and feel inappropriate when expressing their feelings. From the activity prepared, students are exposed that expressing emotions, especially sad feelings, is not a problem and it has to be expressed when they are feeling down. 

Relevant Theories and Approaches in Teaching and Learning

• Constructivism - The activity encourages students to actively participate in the activity which requires them to produce a personal essay of them when they are sad. In the activity, as the teacher shares personal experiences, and students subsequently write about their own experiences, it aligns with the constructivist approach by allowing students to construct meaning from their own experiences (Western Governors University, 2020). 

• Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) by Vygotsky - Vygotsky's theory focuses on the idea that learning occurs within the ZPD, which is the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with support. The teacher guiding students on how to write an essay about a sad experience aligns with Vygotsky's theory, as the teacher provides support to help students develop their writing skills within their ZPD. The teacher, as the more knowledgeable person, is providing guidance and support to students as they engage in the task of writing an essay about a sad experience. This support is akin to scaffolding, a term Vygotsky used to describe the temporary support provided to learners to bridge the gap between their current abilities and the desired goal. Vygotsky emphasised the importance of social interaction in the learning process. In this activity, the teacher's guidance involves direct interaction with the students. (Silalahi, 2019) 

Moving Towards the 21st Century

• 21st century skill - Both the teacher's oral explanation and the student writing activity emphasise communication skills. Students are not only required to express their personal experiences in writing but also to articulate their thoughts and emotions effectively. This aligns with the 21st-century emphasis on strong communication skills across various mediums. Throughout the activity, students are able to enhance their interpersonal skills when they have to interact with the teacher and students to ask for their opinions. (Hirsh-Pasek et al., 2020)

6C’s Components

• Critical Thinking - The teacher's oral presentation of personal experiences and the subsequent assignment for students to write about their own sad experiences encourage critical thinking. Students are prompted to reflect on their emotions, analyse their reactions, and consider potential actions in response to challenging situations. Critical thinking involves the ability to analyse and understand one's emotions, considering the factors that contribute to those feelings. Students may consider the impact of specific events on their emotions, relationships, or personal growth. This evaluative process contributes to a deeper understanding of oneself and the ability to make informed judgments about personal experiences. 

• Creativity - The activity of writing a personal essay about a sad experience encourages creativity as students are prompted to convey their emotions in a unique and engaging manner. They have the opportunity to explore different writing styles, use vivid language, and foster an imaginative approach to expressing their feelings. 

References

Hirsh-Pasek, K., Hadani, H., & Blinkoff, E. (2020). A new path to education reform: Playful learning promotes 21st-century skills in schools and beyond POLICY BIG IDEAS About the Authors. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Big-Ideas_Hirsh-Pasek_PlayfulLearning.pdf 

Silalahi, R. M. (2019). Understanding vygotsky’s zone of proximal development for learning. Polyglot: Jurnal Ilmiah, 15(2), 169. https://doi.org/10.19166/pji.v15i2.1544 

Western Governors University. (2020, May 27). What is constructivism? Western Governors University. https://www.wgu.edu/blog/what-constructivism2005.html