Over the course of this semester I have learned many different things in English 101 with Dr. Mary Bell. I have learned about four main things that have helped transform my writing immensely. These four things are: rhetorical awareness, critical thinking, reflection and revision, and conventions. Each of these four things I have learned this year have changed my writing for the better in their own unique way. Through the usage of these different techniques I believe I have grown as a writer.
I learned that the audience and the context really matter when you are writing your essay. The audiences and the context of the essays completely changed when the writing prompt was changed. For example, in my literacy narrative I focused on my audience who was women battling with Breast Cancer. However, in my aspirational essay I had another audience, this audience was college students who were involved with fraternities. By writing to a specific audience you able to know that the readers are looking to learn about your writings. Considering the audience and the context of the essay was something I had never thought about before, but by really thinking and considering about who my audience was and what the context was it made the essays easier to write. When you are considering things such as the audience and the context you are able to focus on things you think would be effective in your writing.
By critically thinking I was able to create a better structure
When I first got accepted into Stuyvesant High School, I heard countless of rumors stating: “Oh the workload is terrible”, “The competition is so fierce” or “Out of schoolwork, extracurriculars, or sleep: you can only pick two.” I found it hard to let it faze me, since I graduated from one of the most prestigious middle schools. However, the rumors transformed into reality when I stepped into Mr. Nieves’ Freshman Composition Class. The workload at the beginning of the year was brutal, coupled with assignments from other core classes that seem unaware of the workload of other teachers. Reading assignments were a regular, and there were journal entries and occasional quizzes to keep us in line. What made it bearable was the friends I made in that class; everyone had their own opinion about the topic we were talking about, and listening to other perspectives really broadened my horizon and enriched my learning experience in Stuy. Another thing that this class has taught me is the importance of time management, a skill that I will carry on for the rest of my high school career and life. When I choose to sign up for Mr. Nieves’ AP American Literature class in my Junior Year, I was hoping to relive the discussion-based lesson plans and meet more outstanding peers. I was not disappointed, to say the least, reflecting through all the experiences at the end of the course. The lesson plans he laid out for us were an interesting mix between small lectures and class output, and what I
It is still so surreal to reflect back on my first semester as an incoming college student in the ENC1101 course, analyzing at my progression as a reader and writer in literacy. Since the first day of class I set in stone my goals for this class: receive a 4.0 GPA, develop my connecting theories skills in writing, and become more aware of objectives for each Unit throughout the course. All of these goals became achievements that not only make others proud but most importantly give me self pride. In order to earn the grades and achieve these goals, I went after every opportunity that I was given as an incoming college student, such as office hours and extra credit. By taking this course I have gained confidence with the utilization of literacy, and made an addition to my group of impactful literacy sponsors. Once students are finished with high school they assume that there is nothing else to learn beyond the stereotypical five paragraph essay, but they are so wrong. I was able to obtain so much knowledge about numerous course concepts from Writing about Writing, articles, and my professor. These concepts will carry on with me throughout a bright future of writing courses, job interviews, and any other skills that require literacy. The four outcomes listed below will help illuminate how I improved as a writer, by being a driven college student and going out of the way to earn my achievements in this course. In the first outcome I improved comprehending scholar texts,
Many people experience exclusion in their lives; yet, when they feel included, they experience the process of healing. In the memoir Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Power of Adversity, Dw Brees’ journey to healing is explored. This experience of exclusion to inclusion is also discussed in Becoming Human by Jean Vanier. The New Orleans Saints accepted Drew, a severely injured quarterback at the time, just as Jean Vanier accepted people with intellectual disabilities into L’Arche. Withal, Drew is given the opportunity to motivate and inspire his team, and those people included in the L’Arche community are given the opportunity to develop new, meaningful relationships. For Drew, having this opportunity results in a milestone for the whole team that represents hope for New Orleans, while the people with intellectual disabilities being able to be in an inclusive community result in the maturity of the heart. Both works suggest that being inclusive towards other people, especially those excluded in society, by welcoming them into a particular community result in a person’s internal and external healing.
My overall experience in English 101 has definitely changed the style in which I read and write. This online English 101 course has introduced me to many different types of writing that I did not know even existed. From weekly discussion boards, to the interview college, to the rhetorical analysis and research essay, I have learned how to properly and effectively write with many different tones and attitudes. Not only have I learned how to write with many tones and attitudes but I have also strongly caught onto the concept of how to address multiple audience groups in the most appropriate way possible. After reflecting on all of the concepts I have discovered in English 101 this semester, I have realized that I have not only grown tremendously
English IV is the last English you have to have before you graduate. It focuses on reading and writing. It also implements listening and multitasking a little. You have to read several thrilling books and write an essay every other week or so. It also teaches public speaking. There are several projects that include presenting at the front of the class. This class will help tremendously with future endeavors as well. Whether you come to school everyday or not, this class teaches you alot.
The Fall Quarter here at Bellevue College has helped me increase and further enhance my writing capabilities. Having to forget all my past knowledge in high school level writing was challenging but necessary. In the past, my writing never had the opportunity to progress. My high school essays were all carbon copies of each other. I would do the bare minimum and not put any effort into my writing, but still I would somehow receive a passing grade. The majority of the time I would wait until the night before the essay was due to start it. It would usually take me less than three hours to complete a paper. I became more focused on doing exactly what the teacher wanted than working on developing my style and enhancing my writing skills. After taking English 101, I have learned that writing is a process and I can’t write an essay the night before it’s due and expect a satisfactory grade. Taking English 101 has led me to think more critically towards my writing and others, develop style and tone, and learn how to use collaboration to my benefit.
In this memo, I have chosen three topics to submit for my research project this semester in English 210.
Reflecting on my english career on all of my english classes as a whole one of the areas of habits of mind that I have not only felt that I am drastically improved, but also believe that is one of my strengths as not only an english student, but a student in general is my strong ability with analyzing situations and responding with high level critical thinking. I have prided myself and also been told by almost every english teacher that I have had that my ability to articulate what I am thinking in a presentation and be able to analyze text, images and people is on a very high level. I am comfortable when speaking in front of people and I believe that some of my best work in High School have been presentations. As I discussed this year with my teacher where I fall short is the ability to translate what I am thinking and how exactly I say it and translate that into writing. This has something that I have struggles with not only this year but most of my life writing essays. I don;t believe that I write poorly, but can very easily recognize that my writing is not at the
This semester, we have practiced several reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Many of these that have helped me become a better writer this past semester. The readings, writings, and critical thinkings were not the only things that helped me become a better writer. I highly believe that the constructive criticism from yourself Professor Freeman is what helped the most. Every Time you graded a paper and left comments it pushed me to do better and improve on the next. So if I was to take anything to English 101/Composition 2 it would be a combination of determination to be better and all of my skills i’ve learned over this semester, such as outlines, organization, analyzing, and how to write a working thesis.
This year, we have written several essays; all of which I have learned something new to help improve my writing. Looking back at my writing from the start of the year to now, I have encountered substantial improvements in my ability to form an effective introductory paragraph, my ability to use different types of phrases and my development of examples. “My Summer Reading Essay,” written earlier in the year, demonstrates my lack of knowledge on writing an introductory paragraph, using topic sentences and developing examples. However, since the beginning of the year, I have begun to see improvements in essays like “Major Works I” and the “Joe and Claire Narrative” that include more effective introductory paragraphs, the use of different types
So far, taking this English course has impacted my writing skills in a good way. This class has helped me to acquire skills to become a better writer in college and for my future. In this class I have had the chance to make important revisions to my papers when needed. I learned how to use the writing process effectively so far by brainstorming ideas for my topic, making multiple drafts, getting in groups for peer editing, and revising my paper into a final draft. By following this writing process it makes me look deeper into my essay and explore all the ways I can make revisions until it’s perfect. By using that writing process it has changed my writing and the way I look at “writing papers” as a whole. Although, there are some challenges that I still face with my writing that I will have fixed by the end of this course.
The flow, that is crucial to any writing, becomes more palpable and accessible to me. Moreover, I have been given feedback in-between drafts that helps me correct mistakes and step-by-step improves my writing style. Gradually, I become more confident in my writing and grow to love the activity. One of the most significant lessons I have learned is how to use appropriate language to fit the purpose of a writing. In order to write an appealing piece, a writer has to understand who he/she is writing for and what the purpose is. For example, while my audience did not change for the Narrative Essay and the Research Paper, my style of writing was opposite in those papers. In the Narrative Essay, I attempted to engage with my readers emotionally by using personal anecdote and thought-provoking phrases. As for the Research Paper, I used facts and verified research to persuade readers. After this class, I feel I have made some great progress and am no longer afraid of writing assignments as I did just six months
When I was signing up for my classes for my senior year, I decided to take English Composition 1 for my final English credit for the sole reason that it takes only half a year to complete. I had been warned by veterans of the course that the class would be difficult. This did not bother me too much, as taking AP Physics my junior year taught me that I work harder in an environment with rigorous work. During the course, I was delighted when I discovered that the class has heavily improved my essay writing skills throughout the year. Each consecutive essay had improved my writing for the better.
Although my writing has made some good progress during the course of this semester, I still some things I need to learn in order to keep improving my writing. Grammar, writing in an active voice, and building my rewrite skills are three examples of skills I need to build upon to continue to improve me writing.
Ms. Sullivan is a third grade teacher at an elementary school where English language learners (ELLs) make up approximately 85 percent of the student population. The majority of the third graders she teaches are of Asian, African American, and Hispanic ethnicities and seem to be within the intermediate stages of English language proficiency. In the video lesson, Ms. Sullivan presents a whole group math lesson measuring temperature using a thermometer. In this lesson, Ms. Sullivan utilizes a wide variety of sheltered instructional strategies to improve her ELLs’ language development.