How did you modify this unit for use in your own classroom?: I modified this unit for upper grade elementary students to have the opportunity to develop and express their opinions, experiences, and stories on a variety of topics in a personal essay. First, writing partners read various examples of student published personal essays and the class brainstormed what they noticed about this writing genre. I was sure to have a variety of topics of interest so students would be attracted to reading the pieces and would become engaged immediately in our study. Then students charted what they noticed about the essays and discussed how they would define a personal essay and what steps we should take to write our own personal essays. My mini lessons included how writers get ideas about what to write about for personal essays (own life, community, world), how to integrate your own personal experiences into a personal essay, and how to use a personal essay to persuade the reader. Students wrote their Big Idea (topic) followed by three Big Reasons to support their Big Idea. I taught students how to use their Big Reasons to prove and support their Big Idea and each day they wrote about one reason. At this time students also incorporated Internet research to find facts and information to support their personal opinions. Students wrote an introduction which included an interesting lead to get the reader's attention and a conclusion that was a summary of their writing piece and a final attempt to persuade the reader of their opinion. Students wrote a catchy title. Students worked with their writing partner to edit their writing with a writing checklist. Finally, after publishing, students assessed their work with a rubric designed specifically for this personal essay writing piece and completed a writing self-assessment to reflect on their learning.

List your primary instructional objectives for your students.

What role did technology play in this curriculum unit?: Technology was an integral part of this unit for me, as a teacher, as well as for my students. Personally, I used the Internet to search for examples or personal essays for me to read and use to plan my mini-lessons. I also used this web site , http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php to create a rubric for students to self-assess their published writing pieces. This webvsite is also an invaluable resource for creating and saving rubrics for other projects. Pre-made rubrics are also available. My students used the Internet to research various information and facts about their personal essay topics. They also practiced their word processing skills when they typed their published writing pieces. Web sites used by students in their research included: www.sciencenewsforkids.org www.epa.gov/climatechange/kids/index.html www.headlinespot.com

How did you assess and evaluate student performance?: During writing workshop, I conferred with students to assess their individual writing needs. I also planned my lessons according to student needs. Students used editing checklists with a partner and then with the teacher to assess editing skills and needs for additional lessons and support. At the conclusion of the unit, students self-assessed their work with a rubric and writer's self-evaluation to reflect on the process of their writing piece.

Please tell us briefly about your background & teaching experience: Dawn Panebianco has been a 5th grade teacher in the New York City Public School System for four years. Her prior teaching experience is with Pre-K and Kindergarten students in Baltimore. She currently teaches at P.S. 124 Yung Wing Elementary School, where she looks forward to many years of helping students find their voice to speak out, in their own way, about issues in their world.

What are your recommendations for other teachers interested in adapting this unit?: I suggest using the website, http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php, for creating your own rubric for this project or any other project. I also read personal essays on the NPR website, http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4538138, to broaden my own personal knowledge of personal essays and plan my mini-lessons. Some of my students had more adult topics like the unrest in Burma or terrorism and the assassination of Benazir Bhutto so I had to use adult newspapers and web sites and "translate" a bit for them to be able to understand.

Samples of Student Projects

	Students published their own personal essay with accompanying artwork for display on an interactive class bulletin board. This is one example of a student personal essay as it is displayed on the class bulletin board.
	Students used this editing checklist on their own, then with a partner, and finally with the teacher. They used it to check for specific grammar and punctuation issues in their writing. The editing checklist can also be differentiated to meet student's diverse needs and skills.
	writing piece checklist.doc
	This personal essay rubric was devised with this particular writing piece in mind. You can create your own rubric for any project at http://rubistar.4teachers.org/index.php. At the end of the publishing process, students were asked to reflect on their learning and complete this writer's self-evaluation form. It is a way of gaining further insight into their learning. Students completed a writer's self-evaluation at the conclusion of this writing piece as a way of assessing their own learning. As the teacher, I also gain insight into what the students gained from this experience.
	writerselfevaluation.doc
	Our class chose to display our personal essay writing on our bulletin board. We invited other classes to read our essays and write a response to the author. The author wrote back to any students who took the time to write a letter. It started a real dialogue!
	This photo shows part of our completed interactive bulletin board.
	personal essay letter to teachers.doc