Personal Reflective Writing

What we are Looking ForContent should be relevant to the task. Suitable for the audience who will read it. Develop a number of different points or ideasStructure should be organised, straightforward and clear to followExpression choose suitable words and vary the types of sentences you useTechnical Accuracy how well you use the English language spelling, grammar and punctuation

Choosing What to Write AboutThis should not be too hard. You knowyourself better than anyone else does.Only you have lived your life. You arethe only person who has had yourexperiences. You are the only one tohold your set of memories, thoughtsand feelings.

Narrowing Your IdeasThink very quickly about a lot of differentexperience you may have had.Write a short paragraph about each ofthese experiences:Your worstYour hardestYour happiestYour saddestMost frightening

Think about some ways a person couldmake an impact on your life. Write onesmall paragraph for each option below:Who has most influenced youWho has most helped youWho has most hurt youWho do you miss the mostWho are you most glad to be rid of

Trial RunWrite about 150 words on one of thefollowing:A person who has had a great impact on your lifeA time you felt isolatedA time you were in conflict with someoneA time when you lost something or someone specialA time when you had personal successA time when you were given responsibility

Thoughts and FeelingsYour personal writing will really come tolife when you include your thoughts andfeelings. Look at your extract written by OscarMoore. Pick out his emotions andrecord on a table like this:

EmotionEvidence Positive/NegativeFearFear rose like ice in my veinsNegative

Being ReflectiveExamining yourself, question, criticise, handling situations well, experiences that have shaped youLooking back events make sense now, benefit from experiences, why people behave the way they do or acceptance of a situation.

Reflective PhrasesLooking backOn reflectionWith hindsightIn retrospectI learnedI realiseI understandI should haveI could haveI wish I hadBecause of this I amSince this happened, IAt the timeWhen I think back on thisThinking about it now, I feelNow that I have been through thisThis experience has shaped me byI am glad this happened because

Looking at ExamplesYou are going to see two pieces ofreflective writing. Both writers wereaged sixteen when they wrote theseessays. Read through the two pieces of writingand mark the following: Writer sharing thoughts and feelingsWriter using detail and descriptionWriter being reflective

Writing Your Own PieceTake a new sheet of paper. At the top writethe task you have chosen. Divide the rest ofthe page into four quarters with theseheadings:

Basic StoryThoughts and Feelings

ReflectionDetail and Description

With your plan beside you, now writeyour piece.When you have finished, check thesepoints:Have I stuck to the task?Have I developed my ideas?Is my work organised and clear to follow?Have I used good vocabulary and different sorts of sentences?Are my spelling, grammar and punctuation correct?