Reflective Essays

Reflective Essays: Writing to Explore and Analyze

	Score Point 4 Exceeds	Score Point 3 Meets	Score Point 2 Approaching	Score Point 1 Not at Standard	Score Point .5 Little evidence
Purpose	-Memorably presents the occasion for reflection, often details with fine detail of the naturalist or autobiographer setting up a reflection that is exceptionally thoughtful and convincing.	-Presents occasion through the effective use of concrete details; sensory language; narrative accounts, using pacing , dialogue, action, and/or quotations. -Clearly establishes the background info (context). -Is thoughtful, convincing, insightful, exploratory. Reflection is firmly grounded in the text. -Focus is clear.	-Reflection may be brief, or the occasion may dominate the essay. -Contains context. -May be thoughtful but predictable, grounded in occasion rather than reflection. -Focus is evident	-May take the form of autobiographical illustrations or a single incident. -Reflection may be a simple statement of belief or may be implicitly embedded in the title or topic sentence. -Focus and context are unclear.	-Occasion fro reflection may be omitted or presented only in the title. -May be little or no reflection.
Organization	-The paper presents ideas in an original fashion. -In some notable papers, the writer’s presentation of the occasion is at the same time a reflection; here reflection is implicit, embedded in a way that leads the reader from the specific to the abstraction that underlies it.	-May recount single stimulus or a web of related experiences or observations. -Expresses integral connection between experience and ideas. -Uses effective transitions. -Achieves coherence through natural progression of ideas.	-May take the form of a preconceived generalization to be explained rather than explored. -Establishes a connection between experience and ideas. -Uses some transitions. -Coherent, often relying on external organizational patterns rather than lines of thought.	-Lacks connection between experience and ideas. -Omits transitions. -May have lapses in coherence.	-No connection between experience and ideas. -Lapses in coherence, lack of organization.
Voice/Tone	-Uses imaginative, yet precise language in its attention to subtleties of thought. -Shows metaphoric use of language.	-Is appropriate and engaging to audience. -Clear identity of narrator. -Sentence structure is varied. -Precise word choice--varied and imaginative -Language is powerful--use of strong verbs, sensory images, and figurative language.	-Generally uses predictable patterns, word choices, details. -Uses some sensory images and figurative language.	-Uses simple, generic language. -Little sense of audience. -Little sentence variety.	-Simple, generic language with no sentence variety. -Little sense of audience.
Details/ Elaboration	-Paper reveals a deepening insight. -Uses a variety of strategies both in the occasion and throughout the reflection. *Meets all criteria listed in score point 3.	-Analyzes ideas by looking at them from multiple angles and/or moving through successively deeper layers of meaning. -Explores an abstraction in both personal and general reflection. -Uses a variety of strategies both in the occasion and throughout the reflection. -Is attentive to the particulars of observation, recounting them effectively as a way of grounding the reflection.	-Generally takes the form of reasons or supporting statements for a preconceived generalization; may be convincing, but not exploratory. -Shows purposeful use of strategies for elaboration. -Focus on the observation rather than the reflection.	-May be limited to superficial generalizations. -Shows little purposeful use of strategies for elaboration. -May be limited to lists of details or generalizations.	-May be in the form of a simple, obvious statement. -No attempt to elaborate of may attempt to elaborate by repetition of initial statement.