Esl 33b Reflection

Writing used to be one of my strengths, but throughout my coursework in this semester, it was challenging to take the first step to approach my first draft. I was always taken a long time to think about the thesis and introduction because I personally felt both were very important for the entire essay in order to attract readers. Merely, I could not make my thesis clear and good as always. Therefore, I would get some inspiration from my friends or tutors, or watched drama and news; this would be my first step to write a first draft. Unlike in High School, we have assigned at least 1200 words essay, and greatly opened my mind to develop a deeper understanding of each topic. For my writing habit, when I first look at the topic, I would think about what professor taught us in class or search some websites for stimulating more inspiration. Especially working on critical response essay or opinion essay, these two types of essays were required to write an argument and to be more thoughtful. It is difficult to identity some controversy topics in my knowledge as an English learner. Although I have always been a thinker and I

In the beginning of the semester, everyone was write down two goals that would be accomplished in the semester. Experience in writing papers showed me that I was weak in writing any type of papers. However, I was determined to stop repeating idea by rewording as well as writing information that is unnecessary. Also, I knew I had to improve on writing essays with no to very few mistakes, whether it is structurally or punctually. I am pleased with discontinuing any repetitions while writing, but am not so pleased about structuring and punctuating my sentences.

English Composition I has developed my style of writing and my skills analyzing and researching topics to write a piece about a topic. Throughout the course, I got better at analyzing articles and pieces to get the meaning of the topic. With that improved skill I was more able to use the information given from the text and install it into my essays, with proper citation if needed. Before taking the English Composition course, I was not one to organize my essays in an ordeal order to clearly state the point of the work. Now with taking the course, I have learned to organize my essays, examine research for a topic, and develop an essay with proper mechanics, and revising skills. In writing my personal, review, analytical, and cultural

Personally, from the class of English 1101, I have learned on how to use the writing processes effectively, where the first step is to have a pre-write, which focuses on brainstorming ideas form either the group or from individuals’ brain for the required topic. The second phase of the process is the thesis statement, which is the primary idea of the entire essay. I discovered that the thesis statement should be persuasive and truthful. The third step is on developing drafts, where it showed me on how to focus on content, organization, and style. Again, I noted that I must ask myself who is my audience, and what do they want or need to hear.

Initially, a writer should do an outline before starting any essay. An outline can help to organize his or her main points in order to build an introduction, body and conclusion. This method of pre writing was something that I had never been exposed to prior to receiving an example outline from Professor Vilceus. By studying the example, I went from zero knowledge about an outline to creating ones that made arranging essay material uncomplicated.

Outline, planning, revising, rough and final draft, grading. This is the typical process for writing an essay, I however as a young high school student never followed this. I started with an idea in my head and go on from there. I never considered a need to plan and prepare an outline, just to write a rough draft that I would have to revise, draft, and draft again. It would just be easier to start writing the final draft first right? No. This class has taught me many strategies on how to accustom my writing to a college level. Over the semester in this class I have grown, learned how to effectively draft, and experienced argumentative writing first hand.

Taking a look back at my past writing assignments and drafts for each one, I can clearly see the improvement in how they are organized. My first draft for writing assignment 1 was basically one long paragraph. I clearly remember Mr. Bogdaniec’s advice on how to separate and create individual paragraphs that only contain one topic or main idea. Also with his handouts on writing an introductory paragraph and how to write the conclusion paragraph were extremely helpful in putting together my first writing assignment in this class. I followed the steps on brainstorming and then steps for creating a plot, and didn’t feel overwhelmed and confused as I had

The assessment evaluated above was used in a 5th grade language arts class where students were assessed on their understanding and application of the eight parts of speech. The students had to know the eight parts of speech to answer every question correctly. The assessment was taken by 17 regular 5th grader students, 2 ESOL and one ESE. Proper accommodation was given for ESOL students and ESE student, such as extended time to complete the test. From the 20 students taking the assessment, 9 students were girls and 11 students were boys. The assessment has a high validity, for the questions are intended for students to identify the proper part of speech in each sentence.

When I watched my own video I realized a lot of things that I did well. One of thing,that

There are many components involved in the writing process that are important to incorporate in your essay to make it a strong well constructed piece. Knowledge about the writing process is needed in order to succeed. Without the proper the knowledge there will be no direction throughout the paper. There are many different ways to write, but it is necessary to include in depth research, a strong thesis that pulls your audience into the paper, and organizational skills to create a backbone for a strong complete essay.

Looking back at project 3, I felt very happy with the essay I produced. I am not one to enjoy writing since I usually do not feel very confident in my writing. I felt the work I produced through project 3 was one of my best. I put a lot of effort into this essay and it showed in my final draft. With this being said, after comparing my essay to the rubric I gave myself a 3.64 overall on this project for many reasons. This essay in no means was perfect, but I learned from my strengths and weaknesses.

The process I used when writing previously changed during the first few weeks of this class. Already I have altered the way I write my drafts, and the way I read other people’s work. Lamott’s “Shitty First Draft” made me come to the realization that one draft isn’t always the best approach. Therefore, I took multiple steps in examining my draft and critiquing it accordingly. Additionally, I started brainstorming topics, and this led me to create a roadmap for the list of destinations and topics I wanted to touch on and the message I wanted the reader to take away. This is just the beginning of the year and I already have a sense that as I progress through the semester my work will be continually get better.

Within English 219, we have already learned a vital set of writing skills, that will allow for the improvement of essays, and summaries that must be written for future assessments. Some of these skills that would be relevant for achieving general writing improvement could be ideas such as thesis development, structuring and planning, or more specific examples when actually fleshing out the essay such as elements of grammar and style. Thesis development which is crucial so that ideas can be fully explained and related back to a point which can be interpreted as an overarching theme for the entire paper, and allows the reader to interpret the topic of not only the essay but of each paragraph. Taking a step back we looked in class at the subject

Before starting to write, sketch out the essay instead of straightway writing it out. Make sure each paragraph is unified, and elaborate paragraphs using strong transition words to captivate the readers attention, this will allow the essay to flow more smoothly. In addition, it is important to note that the introduction is the most important paragraph in the essay to either hook the readers attention or loose it. Therefore, each individual paragraph should be focused on the idea of supporting the thesis statement

A major area for development and improvement revolves around effective note taking and essay planning/writing. As a Higher Education student you will be required to plan and produce countless essays in relation to the course you are studying, and a key point of reference to help with this would come from “The Guide to Learning and Study Skills for Higher Education and at Work” who give the following advice and tips: ‘Identify the purpose of the essay and who the audience (reader) is and what is required for both – structure your work and develop your arguments/main points – proof read your work and improve language, spelling, punctuation, grammar and style – review what you did and use feedback to improve your essay writing for the future’ (Bingham, R. and Drew, S. 2012 The guide to learning and study skills: For higher Education and at work).