This assignment is to tell a little bit about yourself--your good points OR your bad points (choose one rather than discussing good and bad points). I am not looking for a deep psychological study, and I do not want you to tell me anything that should be kept personal. Just think of some of your best qualities or some of the things you ought to work on. Below are the considerations:

Subject: Select three positive qualities you possess OR select three negative qualities of yours that you need to improve. Show the audience what your qualities are by including specific stories where you demonstrated these traits. Audience: Keep in mind those people who are reading your paper. Who are they? Are they like you in any way? Will they be shocked? Amused? Confused? Sympathetic? Pleased? Anticipate the questions that they would ask if they were standing there listening to you talk about yourself. Make sure you offer a specific example (story) that proves that you have the quality that you say you have. Not having specific stories will bring down your score. Purpose: Your overall purpose should be to explain something about yourself to the readers. You want them to see you as you see you. Strategy: When choosing which qualities to discuss, remember that you must choose either three good qualities or three bad qualities. Do not do several of each. Also, make sure the qualities you choose do not overlap. For instance, if you chose friendliness and warmth, they would be much the same thing. If you said you were a procrastinator and were often late, those qualities would also overlap. You will plan your essay using an outline to indicate your claim about your qualities, your topic sentences, supporting examples, and a conclusion. Design: Five-Paragraph, Three-Point Structure Introductory paragraph with thesis statement (also known as a claim or a controlling idea): Your introduction serves to introduce your topic with words that draw in the reader. The introduction will begin with a statement about the way we may be defined by our qualities or some similar statement. Your Thesis statement tells the readers the subject and states an opinion about that subject. Do not use a question for this. Body: The body of this paper must have a specific structure. Each

Adapted from MWA #1 assignment courtesy of Dr. Holly Finnegan. paragraph will begin with a topic sentence using a transition and then you will name a quality. After that, you will explain what you mean and give at least one specific example (story). You will repeat this structure two more times for a total of three body paragraphs. Conclusion: The paper will end with your final comment on the subject. The conclusion may reiterate the thesis statement, or it may go beyond to reflect on what you've said, speculate on how you might improve, or explain how you learned these qualities or how they will help you in life.