16.7 – Final Essay Composition, Editing, and Presentation
Using the knowledge and your notes from the previous activities in this module (notes on civic participation, the vocabulary/morphology review, and your civic goal paragraph), it is time to write your essay about civic participation and responsibilities.
- Write a “Draft”, or first version of your essay. Write your essay in your notebook or on a separate sheet of paper. Use the questions and organizer below to help with your writing.
Your essay should answer the following questions:
- What does it mean to be a citizen of a country, or a member of a community?
- What roles and responsibilities do citizens or community members have toward the larger community and that benefits the community?
- What is my background? What groups am I already a part of? What civic activities do I plan to participate in to support my community, state, and country?
Title: Hint: you may want to write this LAST. Part 1: Being a citizen or community member means ____________________________. Write at least 2-3 ideas. Part 2: To support other members of our community, we must ___________________. Write at least 2-3 ideas and explain WHY each one is important. Part 3: I am from _____________ and I live in _____________. As a community member, I already participate by _________________________. List some activities that you participate in or groups that you are a part of. Part 4: There are many ways that I can increase my civic participation in American society. In the coming weeks, months and years, my goal is to __________________________. Copy your civic goal(s) that you completed earlier.
2. Revise, or edit, your draft. In pairs or small groups, share your final essay drafts and rate each others’ writing using the questions below (or this Essay Rubric document).
Revise your pledge using the other students’ feedback.YES NO Questions 1. Does this essay include 2-3 ideas about what it means to be a citizen or community member? 2. Does this essay include 2-3 ideas about how to support other community members?
Does it give reasons why this is important?3. Does the essay share where the writer is from, where they live and how they already help their community? 4. Does the essay have a completed civic goal? 5. Do you see any grammar or spelling problems in this essay? If yes, explain:
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3. Share your completed essays with the whole class or present them to a partner or small group. Great work!
