Reflection paper guidelines ● 250-500 words ● Please focus on ONE topic that you learned about in class. This is your opportunity to practice written communication ● Discuss how the topic you learned about changed your understanding of child development ● Provide support for your arguments using examples from the research studies covered in the course ● Analysis of course content: Was the topic/study appropriately and accurately described? (10 points) ● Clarity: Was the writing clear and easy to follow? (7 points) ● Format: Were the topic and length guidelines followed? (5 points) ● Structure: Were your arguments well-structured and supported with relevant examples? (8 points)
Reflection Paper Rubric
Analysis of course content: Was the topic appropriately and accurately
described? (10 points)
• Reflection identifies and describes a specific topic that was covered in the course (+3)
o +1 topic is identified and is related to course content
o +2 topic is described clearly
• Reflection describes a reaction the student had to their chosen topic (i.e., how their
understanding of child development changed) (+4)
o +2 reaction is stated
o +2 reaction is described clearly
• Reflection is thoughtful about (i.e., showed some engagement with) the chosen topic (+3)
Clarity: Was the writing clear and easy to follow? (7 points)
• Writing is coherent – in other words, the reader can easily follow the writer’s thought
process (+3)
• Writing is mostly free of spelling errors (+2)
• Writing is free of grammatical errors (+2)
Format: Was the topic and length guideline followed (250-500 words)? (5 points)
• Reflection is long enough (at least 250 words) (+2)
• Reflection is not too long (maximum 500 words) (+2)
• Reflection paper stays on topic (i.e., describes a reaction to a topic covered in class
without going onto an unrelated tangent) (+1)
Structure: Were your arguments well-structured and supported with relevant
examples? (8 points)
• Paper is well structured (+ 2)
o Each main point has its own paragraph (+1)
o The ordering of the paragraphs makes sense (+1)
• Paragraphs include topic sentences (+1)
• Paper has an introduction and a conclusion sentence (+2)
• References at least one example from the research studies/lecture material covered in the
course or textbook (+ 3)
o Note: lecture material, including summarized theories, concept summaries,
explanations, and/or working examples that you found helpful or illuminating, can
be included instead of a research study or studies if your chosen topic does not
have any research studies associated with it in the lecture or textbook