How to Write a Personal Response

Summary

This video tutorial guides viewers on crafting a personal response essay, emphasizing a two-paragraph structure. The first paragraph requires understanding and referencing the original text, focusing on its theme or story. The second paragraph invites personal connections, drawing from one's own experiences or emotions. The essay should be written in the first person, using expressions like 'I think' or 'I feel.' The title should be formatted as 'Personal Response to [title of text]', and the essay should be concise, around 200 words, incorporating at least two prompts from the provided list in each paragraph.

Takeaways

• 📝 A personal response essay is a reaction to a text, video, or reading material, requiring the writer to understand and respond to the original content.
• 📖 The essay is structured in two paragraphs, each with a specific goal: the first to explore and understand the text, the second to make a personal connection.
• 🔍 In paragraph one, the writer should demonstrate comprehension of the original text by making references and noting elements such as theme, story, or events.
• 🌟 To show understanding, use expressions like 'I noticed that the author says' or 'I think the theme is' to highlight the writer's analysis.
• 💭 Paragraph two is for personal reflection, where the writer connects the text to their own life, experiences, or emotions.
• 🎶 Personal connections can be made using prior knowledge, family experiences, song lyrics, or even TV show characters that resonate with the text.
• 🗣️ Use first-person singular pronouns like 'I' and 'me' to emphasize that the essay is a personal response.
• 📑 The title of the essay should be in the format 'Personal Response to [Title of Text]', indicating the subject of the response.
• ✍️ Aim for a concise essay of about 200 words, which is roughly 10 to 16 sentences, ensuring clarity and brevity.
• 🔗 Incorporate at least two prompts from the provided list in each paragraph to effectively illustrate understanding and personal connection.
• 📚 A handout with further guidance is available on the class webpage for additional support in writing a personal response essay.

Q & A

What is a personal response essay?

A personal response essay is a type of writing where the author reacts to and reflects on a text, video, or any form of media they have read or watched.

How many paragraphs should a personal response essay have?

A personal response essay should be divided into two paragraphs, each with specific goals.

What is the main goal of the first paragraph in a personal response essay?

The main goal of the first paragraph is to explore the text and demonstrate an understanding of the original text's ideas, such as the theme, story, or events.

How can you show your reader that you understand the original text?

You can show your reader that you understand the original text by making references to it and using expressions like 'I noticed that the author says' or 'I think the theme is'.

What is the purpose of the second paragraph in a personal response essay?

The second paragraph is for making a personal connection with the story, sharing your life experiences, opinions, and feelings in relation to the text.

Can you use someone else's experience to make a personal connection in the essay?

Yes, you can use a family member's experience or even lyrics from a song to make a personal connection with the text.

What is an important quality of a personal response essay?

An important quality is the use of the first person singular, making it clear that the essay is about the author's personal thoughts and experiences.

What should the title of a personal response essay include?

The title should be 'Personal Response to' followed by the title of the story or text in quotations.

How many words should a personal response essay be?

A personal response essay should be around 200 words, which is approximately 10 to 16 sentences.

How many prompts should be used in each paragraph of the personal response essay?

At least two prompts should be used in each paragraph to illustrate that a personal connection is being made in the second paragraph and an understanding of the text in the first.

Where can you find a handout for writing a personal response essay?

A handout can be found on the dcte class page on the web.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Understanding Personal Response Essays

This paragraph introduces the concept of a personal response essay, which is a reaction to a text, video, or any form of media. It emphasizes the structure of the essay, which is divided into two paragraphs with distinct objectives. The first paragraph's goal is to demonstrate an understanding of the original text by referencing its elements such as theme, story, or events. The author suggests using phrases like 'I noticed' and 'the author says' to make these references. An example from a poem titled 'Egghead' is provided to illustrate this approach.

Keywords

💡Personal Response Essay

A personal response essay is a type of writing where the author reacts to a piece of media, such as a text, video, or poem. It involves two main paragraphs, each with a specific purpose. The first paragraph is about exploring and understanding the original text, while the second is about making a personal connection to it. The video tutorial focuses on guiding viewers on how to write such an essay effectively.

💡Paragraph One

In the context of a personal response essay, paragraph one is dedicated to exploring the text. The goal is to demonstrate comprehension of the original material's ideas, such as themes, stories, or events. For instance, the script mentions referring to the text by noting elements like the author's use of words or the theme of alienation.

💡Making Reference

Making reference in paragraph one involves citing specific parts of the original text to show understanding. The script gives an example of noting the author's word choices or themes, like using insect-related words to convey a sense of alienation.

💡Paragraph Two

Paragraph two of a personal response essay is where the writer connects the text to their own life. This is a crucial part of the essay where personal reactions, opinions, and feelings are shared. The script suggests using personal experiences or knowledge to establish this connection.

💡Personal Connection

A personal connection is the link the writer makes between the text and their own life experiences. The video emphasizes using first-person narratives and expressions to convey this connection, such as sharing feelings or drawing parallels with one's own life or experiences of others.

💡First Person Singular

Using the first person singular ('I', 'me', 'my') is essential in a personal response essay to emphasize the personal nature of the response. The script stresses that the essay is about the writer's perspective and opinion, making the narrative more intimate and direct.

💡Title

The title of a personal response essay should be formatted as 'Personal Response to [Title of the Work]'. It sets the expectation for the reader about the content and the personal nature of the essay, as illustrated in the script with the example 'Personal Response to the First Day from Egghead'.

💡Word Count

The script specifies that a personal response essay should be around 200 words, which is a concise format that requires the writer to be succinct and focused. This word count translates to approximately 10 to 16 sentences, demanding clarity and efficiency in communication.

💡Prompts

Prompts are guiding expressions or questions that help structure the essay. The video mentions using at least two prompts in each paragraph to ensure the essay meets its objectives, such as exploring the text in paragraph one and making a personal connection in paragraph two.

💡Expression

Expressions in the context of the video refer to phrases that help the writer articulate their thoughts and feelings. Examples from the script include 'I had the same experience' or 'This reminds me of', which are used to create a personal connection to the text.

💡Handout

A handout mentioned in the script is a supplementary material that viewers can print or access online for reference. It likely contains guidelines and examples to aid in writing a personal response essay, reinforcing the tutorial's instructions.

Highlights

A personal response essay is a reaction to a text, video, or reading material.

The essay is divided into two paragraphs, each with specific goals.

Paragraph one should explore and demonstrate understanding of the original text.

Use references to the text to show understanding, like mentioning themes or events.

Paragraph two is for making a personal connection with the story.

Use personal experiences or knowledge to react to the text.

Express personal opinions and feelings about the text.

Use first-person singular pronouns to make it about the writer.

The title should be 'Personal Response to' followed by the title of the text in quotes.

The essay should be around 200 words, or 10 to 15 sentences.

Use at least two prompts in each paragraph to illustrate understanding and connection.

Examples of expressions to use for making a personal connection are provided.

The tutorial provides a handout for reference on the class webpage.

The essay should include personal experiences, like family member's experiences or song lyrics.

Expressions like 'this reminds me of' can be used to make a link in the essay.

The essay should reflect the writer's unique perspective and thoughts.

The tutorial concludes with a summary of the key points for writing a personal response essay.

Transcripts

welcome to the video tutorial on how to

create a personal response essay so what

a personal response essay is is after

reading or watching a video or reading a

text you are basically responding so

reacting to that original

text the personal response essay is

always divided in two paragraphs one and

two they each have very specific goals

so in paragraph one your job again again

is to explore the text you really have

to show your reader that you understand

the ideas of the original text so things

like the

theme or story or really what happens in

that original text that you read or the

movie that you saw how how do you show

your reader that you understand well by

making reference to the text so you

include elements things that you notice

so you use expression that I noticed

that the author says if we use the

example uh of the poem the first day on

page nine of your book Egghead um we

could say for example I noticed that

will the author uses a lot of words that

describe

insects I think the theme is alienation

and that's it for paragraph 1 so in

paragraph

two um your job is to make a personal

connection with the story this is where

you get to talk about your life that is

actually the goal all right so what you

have to do is you use your prior

knowledge and experience and make a

personal connection so react to the text

your opinion tell me how it made you

feel if you're having a lot of trouble

can maybe use a family member's

experience or lyrics to a song that you

heard and that song made you think of

this story or this text um you can even

talk about what happened to a character

on a TV show here I'll give you some

more

clues you can use the following

Expressions to again help you create a

personal connection so I had the same

experience as will Reed in the poem the

first day on in Egghead

okay on the first day of school I felt

like I was alienated I felt like a small

little ant in a big Colony that is the

school or you can say things like and I

like this character because he is very

smart and he seems to have an original

way of thinking of

things here are some more Expressions

that can make you use that you can use

to uh make a link so this part makes me

feel this reminds me of and a very very

very important quality of a personal

response text is that you use the first

person singular this text this essay is

really about you you use words like me

and I I think my opinion

okay um and in terms of some structural

elements things that I want to see when

I ask you to write a personal response

essay um the title always has to be

personal response to and in quotations

you insert the title of the story or the

text here so for example personal

response to the first

day from Egghead okay I want you to have

about uh to 200 words in your personal

response essay that's really not a lot

it's about 10 10 to 15 16 sentences okay

and you need to use at least two of the

prompts that I gave you in each pack

paragraph So the prompts that we had

over here I need two of these or two of

these in your paragraph number two you

have to it really illustrates that

you're making a personal connection and

you do the same with the prompts that I

showed you for paragraph number one okay

so this completes the tutorial of our

personal response essay you can find the

handout a handout that you can print and

you can have on the web page uh on our

dcte class page thank you