AP English Lang/Comp: Ms. Harris/Mrs.

Schenkkan
Autobiographical Sketch - Remembering an Event
Due on TurnItIn.com by Wednesday, November 18, 2015. Please do NOT put a name or heading on your
paper when you submit it to TurnItIn.com.
Write an essay about an event in your life that will engage readers and that will, at the same time, help
them understand the significance of the event. Tell your story dramatically and vividly.
Choose an event, situation, or experience that has had a significant impact on your life. Describe the
event and them tell how the event has changed you. The experience which you describe may be a huge
event such as the death of a loved one, or it may be a simple event such as a childhood play experience.
Concentrate on events from your sixth grade year forward to now. Keep in mind that the event must
have changed you or changed your view of life in some way. This paper should be written in first person
point-of-view. The paper should be no longer than four pages (double-spaced with 12-point font). You
should title your paper--also in 12 point font, correctly capitalized, not bold, not in quotation marks or
italics.
The tone of your paper may be serious, poignant, humorous, angry, etc. The event or experience and
what you learned from it should dictate the tone of your paper.
Please note that the event may have happened in one hour, or may have been an experience that
occurred in an afternoon or over the course of a day.
Organization and Guiding Questions

Explore the prewriting materials in St. Martin's, pg. 40-53 in class as directed.
Although you may organize your paper in many ways, all papers should answer these
fundamental questions:
a. What is the event, incident, or experience?
b. How did the experience take place?
c. Who was with you at the time, and what did these people add to your experience?
d. What were your initial feelings, emotions, and beliefs?
e. How did you react or change immediately because of this experience?
f. Looking back on the experience now, how did the event change you fundamentally?
Have your feelings changed over time?
g. Why is this event so memorable today?
Remember to use sensory and concrete details to describe your experience. Use descriptive
language and dialogue which will allow your reader to feel as though he or she was there with
you. Consider a framing device.

Grading Criteria: Exposition (10%), Rising Action (20%), Climax (10%), Resolution (10%), Lesson
learned/Significance (10%), Mechanics - Do/Don't List (20%), Formatting/Guidelines (20%)

Name: ________________________

Date: ________________________

Block: _________

The Writing Assignment: Write an essay about an event in your life that will engage readers and that
will, at the same time, help them understand the significance of the event. Tell your story dramatically
and vividly.
Invention and Research
Finding an Event to Write About
Listing Remembered Events (p. 43-44)
List at least 4 viable events below. Include at least one event relating to identity or community and at
least one event relating to school/work or career aspirations.
1.

2.

3.

4.

*Listen to an example of a autobiographical sketch and add to your list of possibilities any events
suggested by the example.
Choosing an Event

Your event should make an interesting story.

Your event should be limited to one day or part of a day.
You should be eager to explore tis significance and comfortable about sharing it.
Make the best choice now. If it does not work out, you can try a different one later.

Describing the Place & Recalling Key People (p. 46)

Complete the activities ("Listing Key Places," "Describing Key Places," "Listing Key People," "Describing a
Key Person," "Re-Creating a Conversation") on a separate sheet of paper. Be sure to read the guidelines
carefully and follow directions.