Personal Narrative Rubric

Due: Session 3; Total Value: 20% 

Participants are expected to start their own examination of issues related to race and diversity by looking inward. In order to do this, they must first
unpack their own “story.” In this assignment, participants will investigate their own beliefs and how they manifest themselves in their daily lives
(words, actions, etc.). By examining themselves, participants will begin to facilitate an understanding of and grow their sensitivity to issues of race,
culture, diversity, and equity. 

Participants are required to write a narrative addressing their understanding of culture growing up. This assignment should contain two components.
The first should succinctly present your personal history. The second is a reflection that synthesizes your takeaways about your identity, making
relevant connections to course readings and offering insights into how your experiences will shape how you show up in the classroom.   

Questions to address in the personal history:  

 Personal History: Where were you born? What was it like growing up in your household? Who were the important people in your life?
Why were they significant to your upbringing?  
 Community/Neighborhood: What was your community like? What were the demographics? What languages were spoken in your
community?  What expectations were there of you and other children in your community? 
 Personal/Identity: What kinds of experiences in your childhood and adolescence shaped who you are today? What aspects of your identity
had the greatest salience for you growing up? Why? Which are the most important to you now? Why? How have your priorities, values,
beliefs changed? 
 Peers: Who were your peers? What were your peers like? What kinds of things were peers around you doing? What were they interested
in?  
 Teachers: What role/impact did teachers have in your life growing up? Why? How did teachers connect with you? In what ways did they
not connect? Did you have any memorable (or not so memorable) experiences with teachers? Explain. 
 Social Issues: What kinds of social issues did you encounter? What do you think other adolescents were struggling with these during this
time? How do you know? 

Questions to address in the reflection:  

 Collectively, how did these experiences shape your identity and support or hinder you in becoming the person you are today?  
 How do these experiences shape the teacher you aspire to become?  
 How will your identity—as shaped by your culture, lived experiences, and views about race—manifest itself in the classroom?  
 What did you learn from the reading(s) that connected, extended, or challenged your views of your own culture and it will impact your
classroom?  
 Assignment Beginning
Component
Personal Participant provides an
history incomplete examination of
questions in the
assignment description
50%
Reflection Effectively satisfies one
of the three criteria:
Participant offers
thoughtful reflections on
how their experiences
have shaped who they are.
AND
40% Participant offers
thoughtful reflections on
how their personal history
influences the type of
teacher they aspire to be.
AND
Participant provides a
meaningful analysis of how
their identity will manifest
itself in the classroom.
Reflection Participant makes
superficial linkages to
course readings.
10%
Emerging
Participant provides
surface-level answers to
questions from the
assignment description
Effectively satisfies two
of the three criteria:
Participant offers
thoughtful reflections on
how their experiences
have shaped who they are.
AND
Participant offers
thoughtful reflections on
how their personal history
influences the type of
teacher they aspire to be.
AND
Participant provides a
meaningful analysis of how
their identity will manifest
itself in the classroom.
Participant explains how
one course reading
extended or challenged
their views of their own
culture and how their
culture will influence their
classroom.  their classroom.  reflection.
Proficient
Participant
comprehensively and
thoroughly answers
questions from the
assignment description
Effectively satisfies all
three criteria:
Participant offers
thoughtful reflections on
how their experiences
have shaped who they are.
AND
Participant offers
thoughtful reflections on
how their personal history
influences the type of
teacher they aspire to be.
AND
Participant provides a
meaningful analysis of how
their identity will manifest
itself in the classroom.
Participant explains how
two or more course
readings extended or
challenged their views of
their own culture and how
their culture will influence
Mastering
Participant comprehensively and thoroughly
answers questions from the assignment
description
Personal history is concise, cohesive, and
thoughtfully organized.
Effectively satisfies all three criteria:
Participant offers thoughtful reflections on how
their experiences have shaped who they are.
AND
Participant offers thoughtful reflections on how
their personal history influences the type of
teacher they aspire to be.
AND
Participant provides a meaningful analysis of how
their identity will manifest itself in the classroom.
AND
Reflection is concise, cohesive, and thoughtfully
organized.
Participant explains how two or more course
readings extended or challenged their views of
their own culture and how their culture will
influence their classroom. 
Discussion of readings is woven into the