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College Preparation 101 - Essay Writing

Description: 

This is a blended college essay writing unit taught during a College Preparation course. It can be a stand alone unit, or used within the context of the mock-application unit, or throughout the entire College Preparation course itself. Students will be looking at common prompts, brainstorming ideas, free writing, peer-reviewing, and polishing an essay that will end up being college application ready. 

Learning Targets: 
Select essay prompts or topics that fits him/her experiences best.
Be able to utilize different brainstorming tools.
Demonstrate understanding of the creative writing process and how to apply that to a college essay.
Be able to peer-review others essays from a college admissions framework.
Link: 
College Essay Tips
https://www.youtube.com/watch
AttachmentSize
PDF icon What To Put In Your College Application Essay.pdf318.16 KB
PDF icon College Essay Scoring Rubric.pdf19.02 KB
PDF icon Brainstorming Worksheet.pdf8.37 KB
File Planning Document.docx19.75 KB
Author: 
hahenry13
Content Area: 
Other
Career Readiness
Language: 
English
Resource Type: 
Lesson
Licensing: 
Creative Commons Licence
Grade: 
9-12
Tags: 
college prep
college preparation
college
college essay
cohort12-12-16

Student prerequisite skills and knowledge

Students will need a working understanding of the English language and how to write an essay.

 

How is the concept or procedure explained or demonstrated?

Concept:

  • I will be explaining the concept via a F2F lesson. This can also be explained via video in an online platform.

Procedure:

  • Daily explanations of lessons will be given through a variety of mediums: PowToons, Prezi, Youtube, and F2F. 

What concepts or procedures are being explained or demonstrated in this lesson object?

Concepts:

  • College essay writing
  • Prompt selection
  • Brainstorming

Procedures:

  • An overview of what admissions is looking for is given
  • Prompts are discussed and researched online
  • Brainstorming worksheets are located online - students will complete these
  • Free writing time is given
  • Peer-Review begins
  • Teacher-Editing 
  • Final submission of completed and polished essay

What was your experience, both successes and challenges, using this lesson object with your students?

I have taught this blended lesson twice, and it worked very differently with both classes. If you have a very tight knit group of students, group brainstorming is a great way to get them started. My advice would be to make sure you completely understand the COLLEGE essay writing process. It is very different than any other type of essay writing.