Family Tradition Written Assignment:



Family Tradition Written Assignment:

The winter holidays are upon us! Many of our families have cultural celebrations or smaller, special traditions during this season. In this personal narrative, I would like you to explain what your family does to celebrate the season. The final draft of your essay should be a typed or neatly written 5 paragraph essay with an introduction and a conclusion.  Use the information in your web to write your essay.  The essay is due Friday, January 6.

You can focus on an ethnic, cultural, or religious traditions; it can also be something that is important to your family, something that your family does ritualistically and thus has become a tradition.  It can be a tradition that relates to an important holiday, like Christmas, Hanukkah or another holiday.  For example, you can write a great essay about the way you celebrate a particular holiday each year at your Grandmother’s home or how you always set up the Christmas tree the same way.  There might be some food or meal that is an important tradition for your family.  Of course, I would love this essay to be an opportunity for you to talk with your family about your traditions and to feel some pride in them. 

OTHER POSSIBLE TRADITIONS:

- a food your family prepares a special way or for a special occasion

- a religious celebration or holiday you observe in a special way

- a special article of clothing you wear or that is always given to you

- the way you celebrate certain birthdays, holidays, or weddings

- a way you recognize special times of year: marking the beginning of Summer, etc.

- songs that are special in your family

- a place you regularly go

Your final draft might answer or consider the following questions:

What family tradition are you writing about?

Why did you choose to write about this particular tradition?

How did this tradition begin?

Describe your family tradition in detail. (What do you do? Who participates? When does it occur?)

Why is this tradition practiced?

What do you think about this tradition? Explain.

Do you value it? Explain.

Is it something you would like to continue practicing when you have a family of your own? Explain.

Do you feel that family traditions in general are important? Explain.

Name___________________________________________

Family Tradition

Composition

______ / 2 points – My piece has a strong introduction-an interesting hook. It does NOT start with “Hello my name is ___” or “This is an essay about my family’s tradition of ___.”

______/ 6 points – My piece includes a strong central idea supported by appropriate details.

______/ 10 points – My piece has 5 paragraphs (including the introduction and concluding paragraphs. Each of the body paragraphs is organized and has 1 main idea that is supported with details.

______/ 5 I have used transition words to link ideas. Refer to the list of transition words for help.

______/ 5 – My piece meets all requirements stated in the directions

______/ 2 points – My piece has a strong conclusion. It does not end with “The End” or “Thank you” The conclusion should not have any new information, but should “wrap up” your central idea. This is your time to show your last words of appreciation for your family traditions.

Written Expression

______ / 3 points – The information is presented in an interesting way

______/ 4 points – My piece has sophisticated use of vocabulary. It may even include figurative language such as metaphors or similes. Avoid descriptors like ‘good’, that doesn’t tell me anything!

_____/ 2 points – My piece has sentences that start with a variety words and phrases. Sentence structures are varied throughout. Make sure your sentences do not start with the same word.

Mechanics

_____/ 1 point – My paragraphs are indented.

_____/ 4 points - Fragments and Run-ons. My sentences all have a subject and a predicate. My sentences have one main idea and don’t “run-on” too long. (Reread your sentences aloud. If you have to take a breath, they are too long! Split them up.)

_____/ 3 points – Capitalization (pronoun “I”, proper names and first letter of sentence), end punctuation and spelling are correct.

_____/ 3 points – Essay is neatly written or typed in a reasonable font (using only one text color) with standard margins and turned in on time. Rubric is included. Name is on rubric and on essay

_____/ 50 points

To Grandmother’s House for the Holidays

By Ms. Campbell

Over the river and through the woods to Grandmother’s house we go! Ever since I was very little, just like the song, going to my grandparent’s house in Chicago was always one of our Christmas holiday traditions. When my own kids were small, off we went to their grandparent’s homes as well. Sometimes this was to my parents’ home in Austin, Texas, or to my husband’s parents in Vermont. Each one of those homes had their own family traditions to celebrate the season. All those different traditions have now mixed together to become our own family traditions now that my own children are adults.

When I was small, it seemed that Christmas would never come! We would write Santa asking him for special toys. To make sure that Santa was well fed and happy while he slid down each chimney across the world, we would always leave him 3 cookies and a glass of milk. Grandma would read us the story “Twas the Night Before Christmas.” Even before we could read, we knew those words of the pages, and my little brother, sister and I would chime in as my Grandmother read the story. Into the early morning, we had to stay nestled snug in our beds until Grandpa let us come down in the morning. We had a musical Christmas tree stand that he would wind up and play “Jingle Bells.” Then we would rip open the gifts as fast as we could, looking for the special gift that we had asked Santa for that year. Inevitably, there would be a new pair of pajamas. That was a tradition too. I would get blue and my little sister would get pink. I became a little resentful about that over the years, I wondered if I would ever get pink.

Over the river and onto a plane is how we would travel to see my parents in Texas when my kids were small. The weather was not warm, but it never snowed, so this winter weather always felt a little strange to me. When we arrived, we never decorated, my mom and dad had done all that. The night before Christmas we would always go to church where we would sing Christmas carols and then go to see the Christmas lights in the city. Once we got home, we kept the tradition of reading the “Night before Christmas.” Just like I did when I was small, my own children could recite the words. However, one book would never do! We read at least 5 books that night including “Merry Christmas Strega Nona” and the “Polar Express.” We too would put out cookies and milk for our weary Santa. But Santa must have been on a diet because he never ate all the cookies, only one and then he’d leave a bite out of another. At my parents’ home we adopted a funny tradition of putting on all of the clothes that we got on Christmas at once. We had some crazy Christmas outfits with slippers and fancy clothes bunched up over pajamas!

Through the woods of Vermont we would go every other Christmas to my husband’s parents’ home. Some years there would be lots of snow and that really was fun for the holiday. While the tree was always up in the bay window, the decorating had to be done by all of the family that were home for Christmas Eve. Every year we would hear stories about each of the ornaments collected and made by young Campbell’s over the years. The kid’s Aunt Sarah would always bake Christmas cookies with them. Sledding and hot cocoa were also part of that holiday tradition of getting very tired the night before Christmas so it was easier to go to sleep!. On Christmas Eve there were always lots of books to read. Aunt Sarah loved to read to Caitlyn and Luke doing the voices of the characters. Christmas stockings were a big deal in this home. Your stocking was placed at the foot of your bed by Santa for your first gifts on Christmas morning. The stocking always had an orange, chocolate money, a toothbrush and a little game or toy to play with until the adults woke up. Then the tradition continued that early morning as the children lined up like nesting dolls, youngest to oldest on the stairs leading to the living room. Only after Granddaddy first turned on the Christmas tree lights were we able to enter the living room to the giant mountain of colorfully wrapped presents. In this house presents were opened up one at a time so everyone could see what others had received. Often the gifts were passed around so everyone could appreciate the gifts more! With a big family, that meant Christmas morning could take hours! We even had to take a break to refuel with breakfast! There was another break mid-day for playing with gifts, reading books, baking and more sledding or making snowmen. In the evening, the fun started again with more brothers and sisters and their children when they all arrived for Christmas dinner and more serious and funny gifts, still opened one at a time for many more hours of laughter!

It is funny how holiday traditions can seem so similar, but still have their unique differences. I look forward to making traditions that I love part of my children’s children’s family traditions when I am a grandma someday. I will definitely keep reading stories, making Santa cookies, and opening gifts with more care and appreciation, one at a time. I feel lucky to be able to make traditions and memories with the people I love.

Sample:

Winter is known for being cold, but it also makes me feel warm in many ways. I despise cold weather. Shivering skin, blue lips, layers of clothing, and early sunsets are not for me. Luckily for me, with the cold weather comes winter holidays which I look forward to tremendously. As Christmas approaches my excitement builds and builds, making the cold easier to bear. My family’s ritual of decorating the Christmas tree together is one of the many things I look forward to each year.

My family has many traditions that make us special, unique, and fun! Some traditions are small and don’t take much effort or preparation. For example, the first thing my dad says to you on your birthday is “Do you feel older today?” Other traditions, such as our Easter Egg Fight are much more elaborate. This particular tradition has grown larger into a tournament over the years and involves a bracket, a trophy, and dozens of hardboiled eggs. Although I enjoy all of my family’s traditions, my favorite is the way we decorate our Christmas tree together.

The tradition starts well before we even have our Christmas tree. My dad wakes up super early and makes pancakes and bacon for the family. Next we pile in the car and endure the long and arduous drive to the Christmas Tree Farm. When we arrive, we get a cup of cocoa and set out to find the perfect tree. When we find it my dad (and my brother once he got old enough) cut down the tree and we take it home. Next is my absolute favorite part.

Once we have the tree set up in the sunroom of our house, we put on Beach Boys Christmas Album. This is the only time we listen to this CD, and we do it every year as we decorate. We all sing along and laugh at the silly lyrics. When I ever hear any of the songs from the CD on the radio, I am instantly elated with joy. My brother(Ben), sister (Meghan) and I each get to place the ornaments that we’d made. We split the other generic or store-bought ornaments among the five of us. Once all of the lights and ornaments are hung on the tree, it is time for the angel. Before we grew up, we’d sit on our dad’s shoulders to place the angel at the top of the tree. Now, we stand on a chair or on our tippy toes. The plan long ago was to rotate the angel topper among the 3 of us. Ben and Meghan say that every single year I claim it is MY turn. This happened so many times that it became a running joke in our house. Eventually they folded and now let me do the angel all the time.

Although my brother, sister, and I have grown up to adults with our own homes, we still love to participate in the tradition of decorating the tree at our childhood home. It has changed slightly over time, but the backbone of the tradition is still there. When I have a family of my own, I will continue to have this tradition. The many traditions my family has, including how we decorate our tree, makes for good memories and a strong bond.

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