Date:_________________ Name:_____________________

Personal Essay Template

Introduction

Statement of belief: should try to be original, at the very least not a cliché
(what goes around comes around) ______________________________
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Explain why this belief is important to you, or how you’ve come to develop
this belief:___________________________________________________
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Body
Story that you plan to use to illustrate your belief: Make sure you focus on
the elements of the story that support your belief.

Beginning: _________________________________________________
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Middle: ____________________________________________________
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End: ______________________________________________________
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(continues on back)
Conclusion

Remind the reader how your story supports the personal belief you’ve
developed and restate that belief. End with “For ‘This I Believe’ I’m
___________ (Just your first name).

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Ideas:
Record any ideas you have that will make your essay stronger eg/
quotation you’d like to use, an analogy you can use to explain your belief,
a rhetorical question that draws your reader in, etc.

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