Tribute Essay - Commack Schools



Tribute Essay

When you pay tribute to someone, you are recognizing them for being outstanding in some way. It is likely that the people you admire demonstrate many qualities from the IB Learner profile that you admire. Through these people, you have learned valuable life lessons that have shaped the way you think, act, or view the world around you. Choose ONE of the many people you admire and write an essay that pays tribute to them and the positive effect he/she has had on your life.

In your essay be sure to:

• explain the IB Learner Profile Trait this person exhibits through the re-telling of a real-life experience

• explain the life lesson that you learned from this person through this experience

• explain the impact this lesson/person has had on your life today.

• thank this person for being such a positive influence on your life

“Mrs. Dischner, HELP! I don’t know what to write about!”

Fear not! Consider some of these ideas to get you started:

1) Think about this person’s past. Has he/she ever been faced with a challenge that he/she had to overcome? What was it? Was he/she successful in getting through it? What did YOU learn from his/her experience? How has it shaped YOU?

2) Think about the inner character of this person. Does he/she live his/her life in an inspirational way? How? Can you think of a specific experience that you witnessed or heard about that demonstrates his/her character. Does his/her inner character inspire YOU in YOUR OWN life? How has his/her inner character shaped who YOU are today?

3) Did you have a specific personal experience that involved this person? What was it? Did this person teach YOU a valuable life lesson through this shared experience? How has this experience/lesson shaped/changed YOU?

4) Did this person ever do something for you that you would like to thank him/her for? What was it? What lesson did YOU learn through this experience? How did the experience/lesson change YOU?

5) Did you ever face a personal problem that you needed help with? Did this person ever come to your aid? What lesson did YOU learn through his/her involvement/help? How did this experience change YOU?

OUTLINE

This will be a five-paragraph essay (assuming that it will take you at least two paragraphs to re-tell the experience) following the format below:

I. Introduction

A. Attention Grabber (See sheet for suggestions)

B. Identify the IB Learner Profile Trait that this person exhibits. This trait/quality should relate to the “story” you’re about to tell. (For example, if I’m writing about how my dad built an extension onto our house so that my grandfather could live with us, I should probably discuss how CARING he is in my introduction.)

C. Transitional sentence about learning important lessons from this person

D. THESIS STATEMENT that identifies the influential person in your life, the IB Learner Profile Trait that he/she exhibits, and the life lesson you have learned because of him/her.

(Example: My mom is a reflective person who has taught me the importance of learning from my mistakes. OR My sister is a principled person who has taught me the importance of always doing the right thing. OR My friend John is an open-minded person who has taught me to always be accepting of others no matter how different they may seem.)

II. Body Paragraph(s)

A. Re-tell the experience/story related to your person (Be sure that this experience relates to the IB Learner Trait you selected)

III. Body Paragraph

1. Identify the LIFE LESSON you learned from this person/experience

2. Explain the IMPACT this lesson has had on your life (How has it changed/shaped you?)

a. supporting detail #1

b. supporting detail #2

IV. Conclusion

A. Give thanks to the person for being so influential in your life.

B. Clincher (A quote or powerful statement or bring your essay “full circle”)

Be sure you give an interesting title to your essay.

-DO NOT USE: “My Mom.”

-DO NOT underline the title!

How should I begin my Tribute Essay?

Well, how do you begin any essay?

1) Broad statement about the subject (ie. friends, family, teachers, coaches)

Example 1: Friendship is a gift.

Example 2: My mom is my greatest ally in life.

Example 3: If it is true that we are shaped by the people in our lives, then I owe everything I am to my dad.

Example: My Aunt Suzanne is an inspiration to everyone she meets.

2) Ask a question

Example 1: Why do certain people come into our lives?

Example 2: Do you ever stop to wonder…?

3) Use a famous quotation

Example: “A true friend is one who knows the song in your heart and sings it back to you when you’ve forgotten the words.”

Example: “Family is the link to our past and the bridge to our future.”

Example: A wise man once said, “Families are like fudge... mostly sweet with a few nuts.” There is no doubt this statement was inspired by my family.

4) Use a quote from the person you are writing about

Example: My grandpa always used to say, “…………………………”

Example: My fifth grade teacher always had a special way with words. I can still hear her now telling us, “………………………..”

Sample Tribute Essay

If it is true that we are shaped by the people in our lives, then I owe everything I am to my dad. My dad is my role model. There is no one in this world who I admire more for all of his amazing qualities. He is the hardest worker I know. He works two jobs to support me, my mom and my sister. He is a New York City fireman and an electrician. This keeps him very busy. Sometimes he has a really crazy schedule and I don’t get to see him as often as other kids see their dads, but it always amazes me that whenever I have a big tennis match or a recital, he’s always sitting there in the crowd with a smile that stretches from ear to ear. My sister and I have learned so many valuable lessons from our dad. Of all the lessons he has taught us, one stands out more than the others. My dad has taught me that family comes first and this lesson has greatly impacted my life.

My family is one of those families that is very close. I am so thankful for this because I see that it is very rare to have a family that actually gets along and likes spending time together. I think I have finally come to realize why this is the case; it’s because of my dad. He thinks family should be the number one priority in a person’s life and I agree. He himself has 6 other siblings, so he has grown up understanding the value of the family unit.

I think I started to truly understand the importance of family when my grandmother got sick two years ago and could no longer take care of herself. Who stepped up to help her? My dad, of course. He spent three months building an extension onto our house so that my grandma could come to live with us. I remember asking him if he felt annoyed by all of this extra work he had to do to the house. He looked at me straight in the eyes and told me something I will always remember. “Kel, your family takes care of you when you’re young, and so you return the favor later on. It is the least I can do for a woman who devoted her life to supporting and loving me unconditionally. If I could build her a brand new house, I would do it.” Those words really stuck with me. I heard them echoing again in my ears the day we walked my grandma through the newly completed extension that was made especially for her. I’ll never forget how her eyes welled up with tears as she looked around her new “home” inside my family’s house. She actually couldn’t get any words to come from her mouth because she was so overcome with emotion. My dad took her hand in his and then hugged her with a smile on his face that stretched ear to ear. “I love you, Mom” was all he said, but I don’t think he even needed to say those words. His love for her was in that room all around us. It was so alive, you could feel it just standing there. I remember how proud I felt at that moment to call him my dad.

Through my dad’s example, I have learned that family comes first and it has greatly impacted my life. I now realize that my family is made up of people who will love me no matter how much I screw things up in life and they will be the same people to cheer me on when I succeed. Knowing that, I have been much more reflective about my interactions with my family. I have made it a priority to attend my brother’s basketball games and cheer for him from the bleachers. I help my mom make dinner on the weekends which is something I never did before, and I actually really enjoy it. We have some really meaningful conversations during these moments. And mostly I’m just more aware of how lucky I am to be surrounded by a group of really great people. Every now and then I look around the dinner table and reflect about how I appreciate each and every one of them. I know that when I have a family of my own, I will continue this tradition and maybe my own kids will learn the importance of family through my example just like I did from my dad.

I really have to thank my dad more than anyone else for teaching me this lesson. He shows me that family is important through his actions, and I am grateful for this lesson. Dad, you have really influenced my life for the better. What would I do without you? I am happy to say that I think I have grown into a pretty good person and I have my dad to thank for it.

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