Critical Reading And Writing Course

When I first started this course I didn’t know what to expect. I really enjoyed writing but there was a lot of areas that I needed to work on. When I first started to review the modules I was blown away by all the helpful sites that were at my disposition. The Power points and different sites completely changed my whole perspective of writing to a whole new dimension. Thanks to the modules I am more confident right now before I even begin an essay. I remember in the past how beginning an essay was so difficult for me because I didn’t know how to even start. In this course I have learned how to begin an essay, how to manipulate information, and how to use in-text documentation properly. These are just some of the few things that I will definitely be taking with me in the future for my courses and personal growth.

Throughout this course, I was able to assess and evaluate my weaknesses and strengths in writing. This class has truly brought out my ability to write, a skill I did not believe I had. I now know what it takes to become a college-level writer. Also, at the beginning of the course I did not particularly enjoy writing. Now, however, I have a greater respect for

The most important improvement for me in this course was on my grammar. I was not aware of the comma rules before. It was shocking to see where commas are to be put and the places that I usually miss. The Hacker lessons we did in and out of class on commas have improved my grammar significantly. Looking back through all of my graded essays it is unbelievable how many commas I have actually missed. Also, writing the essays in MLA format and including work cited entries and quotations, has helped me become more comfortable with it. When I write essays now, I do not hesitate or get anxious if I have to add a work cited entry. However, even though I have know a little bit more of when to use commas and have a little bit more knowledge about grammar there is still a lot of room for improvement.

Reading Strategy Note: Unlike summary and paraphrase, which require close reading, for this discussion use the reading strategy of

When it comes to evaluating myself and if I am prepared for my first college writing course I believe that I am prepared to take my first college writing course. Before joining my ESC 021 class with Professor Kraft I felt that I was prepared and that I would be able to complete assignments without difficulty, but I was so used to the one on one sessions where I would go over the little mistakes or find ways to produce an exceptional essay that I forgot that I was own my own now. Through the short time in ESC 021 I learned my weaknesses and strengths as a writer. I now have the ability to receive feedback and effectively use my feedback to better my assignments.

In assignment number three, I was instructed to write a short summary about an article titled Hidden Intellectualism by Gerald Graff. Learning goal number two is being able to write in various academic genres. I demonstrated that I understood this learning goal because I was never able to write in any other genre then free writing. This assignment helped me perfect my skills in writing short summaries about an article because it broadened my expertise in writing. Thinking of summarizing, you’d incorporate it as an easy task but for me it really wasn't. Writing a short summary on an interesting article was not easy. I started off by using the skills of learning goal number one and annotated the article throughout my reading. Writing in different

This course was comprised of many learning activities; each was designed to help me achieve the course learning outcomes. I have taken two college English classes in the past; however, it has been several years since my last college class. I have some experience in writing and this class definitely helped me get back into writing. I often have trouble brainstorming and capturing the subject I need to write about. This class definitely helped me overcome the challenges I faced in writing and being able to effectively express my ideas in a clear and concise manner. Not to mention, it definitely helped build my writing foundation through a step by step approach to each assignment. Therefore, this class bolstered my writing and communication skills.

This class aims to address public speaking and I definitely feel more confident when speaking in front of audiences, especially since I now know the #1 rule of public speaking - KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE. I learned about topics in writing and speaking that I did not even know existed even though i saw and heard them everyday. Rhetorical Devices such as Anaphora and Chiasmus are perfect examples of this. Incorporating story into speaking and writing is something that is crucial and I really realized this throughout the semester. This helped me improve my speaking and writing abilities. Even though I despised waking up early for this class, I definitely feel like I gained vast knowledge on speaking and writing. I learned the importance of giving readers a roadmap for them to follow. I noticed a big difference which was also reflected in my grade from my informative speech to my persuasive speech. I was definitely more clear and confident by my second speech. I learned how to make eye contact with my audience while speaking. This class helped me gain valuable insight into my topic - Poverty In India. I found that there was so much more to my topic than just plain facts. In terms of the learning outcomes for this class, I feel i managed to achieve the vast majority of

Summarizing – putting a text’s main ideas and main supporting points into one’s own words.

Beginning with the literary context to the different themes; which happened to be one of my favorites, the class was informative and instructive. I have found that journaling what I am reading about has come to a new level. For example, I have been reading the book of Job and for each chapter I am breaking down what is happening, and putting it more as a bullet point process rather than a writing out every detail process. I have found that it actually helps me remember what was said in each chapter, and that it is easier to repeat back what I have read. My next step is to break it down even more to the knowing what audience it was for, and what were the key things that I can pull from the book and any themes it may have. And although I did not get to read the text book word for word, I am going to enjoy going back and studying it more in dept. This was a great class and I greatly enjoyed

The three courses I took this semester have all gave me insight to important information I have been able to apply at my work and will be able to continue applying in my future jobs. My business and professional writing class has shown me how correctly structuring work documents, letters, resumes, policies can demonstrate the professionalism of an employee or organization. Since this course when directing information through my supervisors I try to make sure my letters or any other documents are well written and formatted. I have received complements on my current job for doing this also.

In the 4th chapter of Writing Today, titled Summaries, it teaches the reader how to properly summarize a topic. Knowing the main points of the topic will help you, the writer, to better convey the main points of your summary. In this chapter, it explains the steps of how to analyze a topic and rewrite it in your own thoughts. Reading the text multiple times will help you get a better understanding, taking notes of key topics or words will help when you are writing the summary. (P44-45) Doing so will help with accuracy and keep the summary focused on the topics of significance. Fully understanding the original writing will give you an idea on more than just the author’s main argument, but also on the tone and how the text is structured. There

You have written numerous essays and research papers throughout your academic career and will continue to write more in the future. You feel like you know all the rules to read and write a good paper, but you can always improve more right? Well, I am here today reading my Bedford Handbook and reminding you, once again, on how to read and write critically.

I have gained a vast amount of knowledge and other skills during my semester in “Writing as an inquiry”. Not only were my writing skills improved, my understanding of rhetoric increased as well. This was done through teacher instruction, class participation, and assignments. Up to this point, I completed four projects in the semester. Each project being very different and improving my writing, rhetoric, communication skills, and testing my creativity.

According to (Critical literacy practices, 2011) “critical reading” is a type of literacy practice that is learning practice in which students analyze and critique language and power relationships within written texts. Many college freshmen are not prepared for critical reading, yet a lot of higher education organizations and levels do not require individual critical reading courses. Even though critical reading is an often-cited neutral topic in some different colleges structured reading courses. In many different colleges, at times, there is little to no research that exists that may also describe how composition instructors teach critical reading strategies. No matter the subject or the age of the reader. An overall reading goal for critical readers includes reading an article to comprehend information based on what was stated within the text. While readers read to gain understanding from the text, the readers also use additional information at times such as factual ideas, prior knowledge, and also context clues to understand the difficult text. There are many ways to become a “critical reader” which includes different types of reading strategies.