Public Figure Profile Summary
Choose a person, someone who arouses your curiosity and that you are not too familiar with, and Think/Read – Order/Outline – Write/Revise a 1500 word profile of your subject. You might choose an environmental activist, a public servant, a writer, a poet, an astronaut, a law enforcement official, a doctor, or a scientist. Using our library resources and on-line research, find details that bring your subject to life. Choose details that show rather than tell. Remember, this is a short summary, so focus on important or significant parts of the person’s biography. Your writing should show evidence that you’ve considered the subject thoughtfully. Be sure and use proper MLA Style.
Your summary will be graded based on the following rubric:
Category | Unacceptable (0-1) | Needs Improvement (2-3) | Good (4) | Excellent (5) | Total Possible Points |
Organization (x3) | There is no apparent organization to the summary. It shows some coherence but ideas lack unity. | There is some level of organization though digressions, ambiguities, irrelevance are too many. Transition evident but not used throughout summary. | Summary is coherent and logically organized with transitions used between ideas and paragraphs to create coherence. Overall unity of ideas is present. | Summary shows high degree of attention to logic and reasoning of points. Unity clearly leads the reader to the conclusion and stirs thought regarding the topic. | 15 |
Content (x3) | Summary lacks evidence of critical thinking. Uses superficial, simplistic, or irrelevant reasons and unjustifiable claims. Makes illogical, inconsistent inference. | Summary is primarily opinion without valid support. Little critical thinking is evident. Follows existing evidence to obtain conclusions. | Ideas are logical and reasoned, but demonstrate lesser degree of originality. Follows evidence and reason lead to obtain justifiable, logical conclusion. | Writer develops logical and reasoned independent ideas that go beyond predictable outcomes or the conclusions of researched materials. Follows where evidence and reason lead in order to obtain defensible, thoughtful, logical conclusions or solutions. | 15 |
Grammar & Mechanics(x2) | Sentences are unclear and many grammatical errors in structure make summary virtually unreadable. Spelling, punctuation, capitalization, and vocabulary usage contain major flaws that impede readability. | Most spelling, punctuation, and grammar correct allowing reader to progress through summary. Some errors remain. | Summary has few spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors allowing reader to follow ideas clearly. Very few fragments or run-ons. | Summary is free of distracting spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors; absent of fragments, comma splices, and run-ons. | 5 |
Public Figure Profile Summary