Assignment: Personal Narrative
Due Date: Rough draft due Wednesday, April 22nd; Final draft due Thursday, April 30th
Page Requirements: 4-7 pages, double-spaced; MLA format; 12 point font, Times New Roman; Include page numbers in the right header; 1” margins.
Assignment Description: Write a personal narrative based on one of the prompts assigned in class. You can choose to write about a subject we’ve discussed from the readings—the most interesting person you know, the worst job you’ve ever worked, or the worst teacher you’ve ever had. You can also choose to write about an event based on any of the blog post prompts—summary responses, Good Thunder writers, your research topic, etc.—from this semester. If you’d like to write a personal narrative on some other event or idea, please let me know before you turn in your first draft.
Rough Drafts: You will be required to write at least one rough draft of the essay and submit it to the D2L dropbox—Personal Narrative—by 2:00pm on April 22nd. I will be conducting conferences from the 23rd till the 28th to go over your rough drafts, provide suggestions, and answer any questions you may have about the assignment.
Late Papers: The last day I will accept late papers is on our finals day—May 5th—with a penalty of 10% reduced from your paper’s final grade. If you turn in your paper late, I will most likely not have it graded by our finals day. You will be required to turn in a final draft via the D2L dropbox marked, Personal Narrative—Final Draft, and you will be required to turn in a hardcopy in class on the due date. This assignment counts for 15% of your overall grade, so it would be to your benefit to turn it in on time.
Plagiarism: If you decide you want to imitate the style or sentence structure of a writer whose work we have read, remember to replace their content with your own. MSU has a zero tolerance policy on plagiarism. Also, if you decide to incorporate newspaper articles or research, make sure to give credit where credit is due. If you feel unsure about whether you’re plagiarizing, feel free to ask for some assistance. I’m available to look over your work during my office hours.
If you have any questions regarding the assignment requirements, grading criteria (provided as a supplement to this sheet), or policies, please contact me via email, my office phone, or stop by during office hours. Please refer to your syllabus for contact information.
