Oral History Essay
2.0 Writing Applications (Genres and Their Characteristics)
2.1 Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives:
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, or the writer’s attitude about, the subject.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).
Using your interview as your source material, write a 2-3 page essay that describes significant events in your subject’s life. Your paper should have a clear theme or focus that you develop throughout your paper. In the example that we read in class, the focus was reflected in the title, “An Enormous Appetite…For Life” and was made explicit in this sentence from the opening paragraph, “…my grandpa has done all of these things and much more in his 77 years of life, mainly because of his need to keep busy, his thirst for adventure and knowledge, and his love of nature.” The body of your paper should reflect and develop this focus, as it did in the example piece.
Your paper should be structured as follows:
Paragraph # 1 (Introduction)
· A clear, main idea/focus
· Clear description of physical characteristics (appearance, speech, mannerisms, attire, and surroundings)
Paragraph #2 (Background Info/Childhood)
· Sufficient background information (place of birth, childhood, parents, parents’ occupation(s). Historical context for their life (WWII, Great Depression, Vietnam War, etc.) is included.
Paragraph #3 (Teenage years)/ #4(Young Adult)/ #5(Adulthood)
· Description of your subject’s personality/goals/accomplishments. Anecdotes and quotes need to be present: these are the most important aspect of your paper as they allow your subject to tell the story while giving us insights about their personality. Historical context for their life (WWII, Great Depression, Vietnam War, etc.) is included.
Paragraph #6 (Influences)
· What was influential in shaping their life (events, experiences, teachers, travel, etc.). Historical context for their life (WWII, Great Depression, Vietnam War, etc.) is included. Include interesting facts that would not otherwise fit, in this paragraph.
Paragraph #7 (Current Activities/Retirement)
· What do they do now?
· What advice did they share with you?
Paragraph #8
· What you learned from this process
· What surprised you? What did you find most valuable?
This is not a standard five-paragraph essay. You will probably have much more to say. If you would like to use a different format please come see me. You are responsible for telling someone else’s story, make sure the final product is something you would be proud to show them.
Rough Draft Due/In class edit: Jan. 22 (Blue)/ Jan. 23 (Gold)
Final Draft Due: Jan. 24 (Blue)/ Jan. 25 (Gold)
Oral History Essay Grading Rubric
“A” paper contains all of the following and fully addresses each sub standard in an exceptional manner. The writer is advanced (4).
Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives:
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, or the writer’s attitude about, the subject.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).
“B” paper contains Most of the following and/or meets the expectations of each sub standard proficiently. The writer is proficient (3).
Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives:
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, or the writer’s attitude about, the subject.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).
“C” paper meets the BASIC expectations of each of the following sub standards. The writer is developing (2).
Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives:
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, or the writer’s attitude about, the subject.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).
·
“I” paper contains one of the following or NONE of the following sub standard. The paper will need to be rewritten (1).
Write biographies, autobiographies, short stories, or narratives:
a. Relate a clear, coherent incident, event, or situation by using well-chosen details.
b. Reveal the significance of, or the writer’s attitude about, the subject.
c. Employ narrative and descriptive strategies (e.g., relevant dialogue, specific action, physical description, background description, comparison or contrast of characters).