. Understand the main goal

 

. Understand the main goal

Your teacher does not want random summary only.
Your teacher wants you to explain:

• what you believed or understood before this class
• what you understand now
• the 3 most important things you learned
• why those 3 things matter to you
• how you will use them after this class

So this is a reflection paper, but it must still use course concepts and readings.

2. What your paper must include

Your paper needs these parts:

• Introduction paragraph
• Body paragraph 1 = Important thing #1
• Body paragraph 2 = Important thing #2
• Body paragraph 3 = Important thing #3
• Conclusion paragraph
• Works Cited page

So the paper is basically 5 main paragraphs minimum, but you can write more if needed.

3. Choose your 3 important things

You need to pick three big lessons from the quarter.

Each one should show a real change in your thinking.

Good examples of “important things” could be:

• race is a social construct, not a biological truth
• racism is not only personal prejudice, but also structural/institutional
• BIPOC communities were not only victims; they also showed agency, resistance, survival, and activism
• colonization, white supremacy, and racial formation still shape life in the U.S.
• media, education, policing, immigration, or law can reproduce inequality
• solidarity and resistance movements matter today

But your 3 points must come from your course materials, not just your opinion.

4. Follow the 2 special rules very carefully

These are very important because your teacher clearly said them.

Rule 1:

At least one of your 3 important things must directly talk about:

• agency
• resistance
• one or more core BIPOC communities

This means you must show how BIPOC communities fought back, organized, survived, resisted oppression, or created change.

If you do not include this, your teacher says the paper can get an F.

Rule 2:

At least one of your 3 important things must use material from Weeks 8 through 11.

So when choosing your three lessons, make sure:

• one lesson = about BIPOC agency/resistance
• one lesson = from Weeks 8–11
• maybe one lesson can do both at the same time, which is even better

5. What each body paragraph should do

Each of the 3 body paragraphs should include 4 things:

A. State the important thing you learned

Start clearly.

Example:
“One of the most important things I learned in this course is that race is a social construct created through history and power.”

B. Explain why it matters

Say why this changed your thinking.

Example:
“Before this course, I thought race was mostly about physical differences. Now I understand that race was shaped by social and political systems.”

C. Use course concepts and evidence

You must connect to class ideas and readings.

Examples of key concepts:

• race as social construct
• racial formation
• white supremacy
• settler colonialism
• institutional racism
• resistance
• agency
• power
• solidarity

Then use evidence from the readings to support what you say.

D. Explain how you will carry it forward

Say how this learning will affect your life after this class.

Example:
“I will carry this forward by paying more attention to how racial inequality appears in news, education, and public policy.”

6. What to write in the introduction

Your introduction should do 3 jobs:

• say what the paper is about
• explain that your understanding changed during the course
• introduce your 3 important lessons

A simple introduction structure:

• Sentence 1: what you thought before the class
• Sentence 2: how the class changed your understanding
• Sentence 3: name the 3 important lessons
• Sentence 4: say why these lessons matter beyond the classroom

7. What to write in the conclusion

Your conclusion should not repeat everything word for word.

Instead, it should:

• briefly restate the 3 lessons
• explain why they still matter today in the U.S.
• say what kind of awareness or action is needed going forward

Your teacher wants you to connect your reflection to what is happening in the U.S. right now racially, so in the conclusion you can mention that these lessons help you better understand today’s racial problems and the need for justice, awareness, and solidarity.

8. Citation rules

This part is very important.

You need:

• at least 3 MLA in-text citations
• those citations must come from course readings
• not only films, podcasts, or lectures

So your safest choice is to use at least one reading in each body paragraph.

Example of MLA in-text citation:

• (Hodges 7.2) if your teacher wants chapter author + section number from the textbook
• (Author 45) for page number sources

You also need a Works Cited page with full MLA citations for every source you used.

9. Length and format

Your paper must be:

• 640 to 960 words
• double-spaced
• 12-point Times New Roman
• default margins
• MLA in-text citations
• Works Cited page

A good target is around 700–850 words. That is safer than writing too short.

10. Very important academic integrity rule

Your teacher says:

• write only in Rumi
• do not write in Word or Google Docs first
• do not copy and paste into Rumi

That means you should use help like brainstorming, outlining, understanding the prompt, and learning how to organize. But the actual writing process must happen in Rumi.

11. Easiest way to plan your paper

You can make a small plan like this before typing in Rumi:

Introduction

• what I thought before
• what changed
• my 3 important lessons

Body 1

• important lesson #1
• key concept
• evidence from reading
• why it matters
• how I will carry it forward

Body 2

• important lesson #2
• key concept
• evidence from reading
• why it matters
• how I will carry it forward

Body 3

• important lesson #3
• key concept
• evidence from reading
• why it matters
• how I will carry it forward

Conclusion

• why these lessons matter now
• how they will stay with me after the course

12. Checklist before submitting

Before you submit, check these carefully:

• Do I have 3 important things?
• Does at least one talk about BIPOC agency/resistance?
• Does at least one use Weeks 8–11?
• Does each body paragraph use a key concept?
• Do I have at least 3 reading citations?
• Do I have a Works Cited page?
• Is my paper at least 640 words?
• Did I write it in Rumi?

13. Simple formula for each body paragraph

You can follow this sentence pattern:

• One important thing I learned is...
• Before this class, I thought...
• Now I understand...
• This connects to the concept of...
• The reading shows that...
• This matters to me because...
• I will carry this forward by...

That formula can help you stay organized.