As the culminating assessment of this unit, students will write a “This I Believe” essay.

This essay will measure student achievement of objective 1, “Students will be able to write

narratives to relate experiences and events in a logical order.”

This I Believe, Inc. was founded in 2004 and was based on the 1950s radio series called

“This I Believe.” In this radio series, and in the essays that have been written for This I Believe,

Inc. since, people of all ages and backgrounds have share an important belief that they hold and

have related an experience that led them to develop that belief. Students will learn about this

genre through mentor texts by reading “This I Believe” essays and using them to identify key

characteristics of the genre in five different areas: main idea, evidence/details, organization,

conclusion, and conventions. Students will then write their own “This I Believe” essays in which

they identify an important belief and relate a personal, real-life experience that caused them to

believe what they do.

Before starting the unit, students will complete a writing pre-assessment to help me see

what they’re writing is like and to see what they remember from narrative writing in their 7th

grade class. During the unit, I will use formative assessments like exit tickets, thumbs up/thumbs

down, student-created rubrics based on mentor texts, and student annotations to identify

important genre characteristics in mentor texts to assess student progress and achievement. The

culminating assessment will be graded based on a rubric using the five different areas that

students studied for the genre: main idea, evidence/details, organization, conclusion, and

conventions. This rubric can be found at the end of this section.

This culminating assessment will be interesting to students as it will encourage them to

write about something that they personally care about. Adolescence is an important

developmental time when it comes to identity formation, and as developing adults, students need
to have their voices heard and their experiences validated. This essay will encourage them to

think abstractly about what they believe, why they believe that, and how they came to believe

that.

This assessment can be adapted in several ways for the ELL students in my classes or for

students who have IEPs. ELL students will be allowed to write their essay in Spanish first and

then use Google Translate to translate their essay into English. ELL students will work with a

student who speaks both English and Spanish in order to complete other important partner

assignments in this unit, like the peer review. Students who need IEP accommodations will

receive extra time to complete the assignment, a shortened length requirement, or any other

needs based on their IEP. The resource teachers for Reading and Writing are aware of this

assignment and because they co-teach in 8th grade English classrooms, they will be able to help

students who need more help or attention in their Resource Reading or Writing class. Students

will be able to come before or after school or during Plus time to get additional help from me as

well.
“This I Believe” essay rubric

CATEGORY 15 13 11 9 0

Main Ideas There is one clear, Main idea (I Believe Main idea (I The main idea (I Not
well-focused topic. statement) is Believe statement) Believe statement) there
Main idea (I Believe somewhat clear but is somewhat clear is not clear. There
statement) stands the supporting but there is a need is a seemingly
out & is supported information is for more supporting random collection
by detailed general. information. of information.
information.

Evidence and The author tells a Mentions a Mentions a There is no Not

Details story about a milestone but some milestone but it milestone there
milestone and how details are missing isn’t connected to mentioned, only a
the milestone to connect it to the the belief at all. belief.
developed a belief. belief. Supporting details Supporting details
Relevant, telling, Supporting details and information are and information
quality details give and information are relevant, but are typically
the reader relevant, but one several key issues unclear or not
important key issue or portion or portions of the related to the
information that of the storyline is storyline are topic.
goes beyond the unsupported. unsupported.
obvious or
predictable.

Organization Writer includes a There is a balance Organization is The beginning of Not

strong beginning or between somewhat clear, the essay is there
hook. Event experience and but experience and ineffective. Essay
sequences unfold belief, but one key belief are contains a
naturally and portion of the story unbalanced. confusing
logically. Essay is missing so that sequence of
includes a balance the sequence of events. It lacks
between events is unclear. either experiences
experience and or a belief
belief. statement or both.

Conclusion The conclusion is The conclusion is The conclusion is There is no clear Not
strong, reflective, recognizable and recognizable, but conclusion; the there
and ties the entire ties up almost all does not tie up paper just ends.
essay together. the loose ends. several loose ends.

5 4 3 2 0

Capitalization, Writer makes 1 or 2 Writer makes a few Writer makes Writer makes so Not
Punctuation, errors in errors in several errors in many errors that there
Spelling capitalization capitalization, capitalization, the essay is
(Conventions) punctuation, or punctuation, or punctuation, or unreadable.
spelling, but the spelling, that catch spelling, that catch
paper is still easy to the reader's the reader's
read. attention and attention and
interrupt the flow. greatly interrupt the
flow.

Length Length is 350-500 Length is 250-349 Length is 150-249 Length is less than No
words. words. words. 149 words. essay