Plain English Writing Class

Chapter 2 of Successful College Writing written by Kathleen McWhorter focused on several different points. However, the main core of the chapter is mostly focused* on college writing and what is expected of it. It mentions* how college introduces you to new forms of writing, and also using sources to support your information and arguments in your essays. This chapter not only mentions the new writing styles you will experience, but also how to be successful in them by giving you helpful tips and aiding you in figuring out your learning style.

In Dan Berrett’s article, “Students Come to College Thinking They’ve Mastered Writing,” the idea of freshman thinking they are or must be a refined writer is discussed. Students may think this way coming into college, but their teachers do not. While students might feel satisfied and think that they are prepared with their writing skills, professors found that these students did not necessarily meet the expected level (Berrett 1). Many students reported that they would normally write around 25 hours every week. They said that most of those hours of writing was for more formal purposes like passages to make changes in society (Berrett 1). It was found that one reason the new students might feel this way is that their assumptions about writing differed greatly from those of faculty members and their expectations. One big thing that students will not get for a while, is that good writing is not just listed as a bunch of steps one is to follow that automatically make one’s writing good. Good writing requires one to be in different mental states; it requires the understanding of how to write for different audiences and different reasons (Berrett 2). Berrett includes in the article that writing is not just universal and that in order to do very well, writers must use different forms of writing specifically for their purpose (2). It seems as though students think that, before they even take a class, they are supposed to know everything about writing; in reality, they are supposed to learn new skills and enhance others (Berrett 2). Berrett says that many believe the schools these students previously attended with their test focus might cause these feelings about writing (2). Berrett ends his article by saying that students these days do not think that informal writing actually counts as writing, and that students should practice writing for informal purposes because it can help them (2). Even if they feel like it, students are not fully prepared to write in all contexts when they arrive at college.

Students are subjected to write an array of essays, but they lack the required tools needed to effectively deliver a great paper. They are struggling to write and teachers are needing to design and conform to their current student’s needs. New methods are created and implemented in order to execute the daunting task of learning how to write a well-developed paper. Practical recommendations are brought forth for teachers to use and good teachers will learn to design instruction and activities based on suitable references. Teachers must set goals and deliver their lesson with specific strategies to meet their objectives. They must learn to improve skills dramatically by observing and modifying the students. Teachers must plan strategies in order to help the struggling students catch up or exceed in their writing skills. They must learn to motivate their students by keeping them engaged throughout the writing process if not they risk losing the student’s ability and focus to do better.

“The Novice as Expert: Writing the Freshman Year” reflected my writing experience while I transitioned from elementary writer to a critical writer. Sommers and Saltz write, “freshmen need to see themselves as novice in a world that demands ‘something more and deeper’ from their writing than high school” (Sommers and Saltz 134). This line highlights the hardship that most students face when trying to write successfully. My earlier written works were much weaker than my current pieces because I often wrote for the sake of passing the class. While developing my writing, I focused on the new ideas that were introduced rather than limiting my argument to familiar techniques and ideas. Because of my new attitude towards writing, I began to demand

Instead of focusing on the different types of writing styles they will encounter in college and the workforce, most of the writing instruction students receive in their underclassman English courses at Carrizo Springs High School is primarily focused on preparation for the English Language Arts Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills Written Composition test, which has standards that are different than the outcomes they will be expected to accomplish in their dual credit English class and future college writing courses. Therefore, there must be a method implemented at Carrizo Springs High School and Southwest Texas Junior College to help students become more successful in dual credit English before they even step foot in that class. Students must understand that how they perform in that class will have an effect on their

As seniors about to embark on a journey into the adult world, it’s important to be prepared for what college professors expect in an essay. The article, What do College Professors Want from Incoming High School Graduates, was very insightful on how different the rules are. It states the different skills and mindsets an incoming freshmen must have to succeed in more advanced writing classes. It explains how high school and college writing differ, also how the two are similar. In order to be successful in school and in life one must become independent and open to change.

According to employers interviewed by the NCW, students writing skills are possibly less effective now than they were 15 to 20 years ago. This drives me to conclude that the context based approach alone is not an effective way to teach grammar and punctuation. Perhaps the modified sentence combining approach as suggested by Quible & Griffin (p.34) will improve students writing skills. For an approach to be effective, it must address teaching grammar in two folds. Firstly, the rules of punctuation and instruction on grammar must be introduced. Once the student has that basic understanding, an approach such as in-context writing, sentence combining, glossing or error labeling can be presented to help students learn to eliminate sentence level errors. It is absolutely imperative for educators to adopt a new direction in order to resolve the current dilemma Employers are facing.

Connell, C. M., & Sole, K. (2013). Essentials of college writing (2nd ed.). San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education,

Undergraduate programs in recent years have become more and more specialized and there is a lack of diversity in the writing styles taught in writing classes. This has led to students being less prepared to enter the workplace and less qualified than the people who know the writing style of the specific job.

Lewis notes that, “The incoming freshman have very poor skills to begin with, and that sets a new set of goals for the instructors on the basic courses.” As Nevarez mentions, he believes dual credit courses are conditioning students to think that they are good writers, without knowing exactly how to become a good writer. Nevarez offers a solution to this problem by explaining that, “Dual-credit courses are conditioning students to think they are good writers, through contextual writing assignments and syntactical lesson plans. However, they do not teach them to think and write critically in any subject or area. Looking into dual-credit classes being offered at different schools, the instructional methods seem to rely on the basis that expertise in syntax is essential for college education. This ideology does not mirror the expectations of university instructors, as noted by Lewis. Their biggest concern is for students to be able to think and write critically. We need a shift from the traditional contextual writing curriculum in dual-credit courses, to a grounded theoretical and pragmatic writing curriculum. With this new implementation, the curriculum will have to be structured in a reading- and

The book How to Not Write Bad: The Most Common Writing Problems and the Best Ways to Avoid Them, by Ben Yagoda, focuses on teaching readers how to eliminate errors in their writing. To engage the readers, the author uses examples from his own students’ writing. By showing other students’ mistakes, Yagoda creates a mood of reassurance for the readers and tells his audience that everyone can make grammatical errors. This allows him to easily touch on a range of areas with an attentive audience. The topics are diverse with interesting topic titles, which help spark the reader’s interest. For example, Yagoda titles the section “,” rather than spelling “comma” in Punctuation (40). Using the punctuation symbol instead of the name is unusual and therefore

Freshman Composition (EN101) is the first college course I have taken, it has certainly been one of the most challenging courses I have encountered. Initially, I was not going to enroll in EN101, figuring I did not have the skill set for this course; in fact, I was surprised by my growth and accomplishments in this course. While this course focuses on the transition from high school level writing to college level writing, my goal was to enhance the quality of my writing and to prepare myself for future courses. I can take the knowledge and skills I have obtained and use it for all my future courses as well. Also, these are life long skills that I will be able to utilize for any occasion in my future.

English is an international language and it is almost compulsory in many countries. In my eight week of English 151B class, I have learned that how important it is for a college student to write effectively while arranging proper thoughts in a paragraph. It is very important to focus yourself while writing about a topic. I have learned about the importance of writing in a good organized way with proper punctuation.

The National Commission on Writing (NCW) conducted in 2006, reports, “writing is a ticket to professional opportunity, while poorly written applications are a figurative kiss of death for job seekers” (7). In their research, NWC surveyed 64 of the largest corporations across the country,with an average of over 65,00 employees at each firm, totalling a representation of over 3.7 million employees. The report indicated 58.7% of survey employers narrowed downs specific writing skills to grammar, spelling, and punctuation, deemed those skills as extremely important, while 36.5% measured it as important, leaving only 4.8% of survey employers to not identify such skills as important (NWC, 28). With numbers like these, it is evident that grammar matters to employers.

I believe I have achieved most of the course learning objectives as I pass this class with a c or higher. I undertook the writing process we learned in class and it has helped me become a better writer. Before I entered my freshman year of college I didn’t know how to write. But as I undertook the writing process I was taught in class I now know how to write. First when it came to writing my assignment papers for my class I grabbed a notebook and did prewriting . I brainstormed a list of ideas for my papers. I then had a plan on everything I was going to write about. I then sit down and write my first draft. I make sure my first paragraph is a strong