English 1302 Reflection

When a topic is under discussion, there are many strategies that can be implemented in order to communicate and transmit a point of view. First of all I analyze the audience, a correct study of the audience can give us the chance to choose the right approach. Then, I try to be specific and confident when I present my opinion, and use pathos, logos and ethos. Pathos are required to connect with the audience and give them the possibility to relate with the theme. Logos are a strong resource that supports the ideas that are under discussion, always a serious source is a perfect reference.

So far, the biggest thing that I have learned in English 1101 is the small things that I can do to improve my writing. Fixing small grammatical errors, such as a misplaced comma, can really improve the way that my writing looks and improve it. When it comes to learning about myself and what works best for me when writing, I’ve found that I do my best writing when I have facts and examples I can use to back up what I am saying. While I did well on the Literacy Narrative, I felt like my writing was actually better on the Evaluation Essay that we did. For the Literacy Narrative I was trying to think of exact quotes and paraphrase a situation that happened to me years ago, so the details may have been fuzzy to me.

Have you ever noticed that the voices of others build up your own response? Gaining a perspective on this question is not an easy task to reflect on especially when people’s arguments determines your own. Gerald Graff’s and Cathy Birkenstein’s book, “THEY SAY, I SAY”, abridges their perspective on difficulties students face with persuasive writing. By deliberately including academic templates, the book assists students to overcome their inability of constructing their own arguments, based on what others have said. Covering the first four chapters; “they say”, “I say”, “trying is all together”, and “In specific academic context” I will showcase how Graff and Birkenstein’s book aid students to better express their personal thoughts.

The advice from this week’s reading from the book They say/ I say, is very similar to what most professors suggest to their students, and that is to create the argument as if you are having a conversation. The book states, and I agree that there is value and importance in clearly explaining and repeating throughout your work that the argument you are stating belongs to someone else. This will also make your work easier. For example, if you say Wallace states that language can be used to manipulate emotions, however I believe this is not true. This would make it very clear to your audience, what the author’s thesis is, and what your thoughts are.

This semester was filled with many bumpy roads. I struggled in the beginning of the semester with my writings , as I didn 't feel confident enough to write a well developed writing. I seemed to find myself struggling whereas writing was not my favorable subject. The major errors I had in my writings this semester would be , grammatical errors,work citations, transition words, formatting ,paragraph development, sentence structure , and sentence level issue. Therefore I have set goals to improve my writing in the future.

Throughout my time in Writing 101, the learning outcome to which I directed my focus is Exploration and Argumentation: Students will use writing and other modes to analyze text, explore unfamiliar ideas, engage with thinking different from their own, develop sound arguments, and reflect. I consider this outcome to be the most significant in my learning experience because of how it has led me to become a more enlightened and open-minded writer, rather than one that dives directly into flaunting my own opinion. Although I still occasionally find myself oblivious to alternate viewpoints, working towards this learning outcome taught me how to familiarize myself with a topic before forming an opinion, be more accommodating to alternate opinions, and to be a more considerate writer overall. Out of the three writing assignments, my argument paper, Paying Tuition One Grant at a Time, was the most related to my learning outcome. The argument assignment was most significantly related to the

When making an argument, it is important to make proper claims. In the book, “The Craft of Research” Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph M. Williams mention two specific types of claims: conceptual claims, and practical claims. A practical claim has to do with assessing and solving a physical problem. Conceptual claims on the other hand, have to do with understanding that there is a problem, rather than convincing them to go out and fix it.

The second thing I learned in English 1301 is how to make a Works Cites page. I use to tell myself before taking this class needing a Works Cites wasn’t necessary, but it actually was. This page is included in essays to prevent from plagiarism. For example, Works Cited pages are used for the readers to find out more information or resources about the student’s essay. Believe it or not creating a Works Cited page is not as tricky as it seems…or maybe my teacher made it simple to understand.

Writing has always been an issue but yet interesting subject of mine. As hard as I try and write essays, and papers I just can’t get the hang of writing. But after taking this class, I did learn different writing technique and improved my writing proficiency, material body of formatting, and how to uncovering and properly use sources. Through class exams, essays, and a research paper, I was able to learn new writing skills. Although I have learned a variety of things, my writing still needs improvement.

My Writing Struggles After taking AP English III, I became better at organizing my papers, but realizing I need to improve my grammar skills and staying focused on my supporting points. All throughout my writing career, I was always thought to be an outstanding writer, especially using vocabulary above my grade range. Naturally, I would see myself as an excellent writer as well until I took Mrs. Bingham’s AP English II course. Mrs. Bingham always gave pointers, tips, and work to improve my class’s writing skills as a whole.

My Writing Experience In previous courses, my writing skills have been mediocre or just enough to pass the class. Throughout the duration of this course, I have written a variety of papers using different techniques and skills. Previously I would write assuming that the only audience would be my instructor. This course has helped me realize that there are many steps and skills involved with writing a well-organized and easy to comprehend essay.

Each essay I wrote took me several time to write, several drafts which show that I have improve every time I do the drafts to write a perfect masterpiece. I learned a lot of skills and techniques this quarter, which has helped me to improve and progress my writing skills for the future. I will remember the skills, techniques, and tips that professor gave us in this English class for my higher education. For example, all the time that I went to visit professor Sapozhnikov office hours to receive help on my out-of -class essays has helped me to improve, grow, and progress in my writing skills as a writer. Some of the significant changes I have made as I was progressing and growing were to develop a strong thesis to help support my claims as I write my essays, such as facts, observations, illustration, and examples.

In my high school career, I have taken advanced English courses. The most notable class I took was AP English Language and Composition my junior year. This is where I got a taste of what college composition and drafting research arguments were like. A challenge I faced when writing researched arguments in high school was finding reputable sources to support my claims. When I took your class here at SLU, I had another chance to face this challenge again.

a) It is important to use source materials to support viewpoints mainly to avoid plagiarism. Plagiariam occurs when a person use another words or ideas and does and do not acknowlefe that you have done so. It is important to cite your sources in your research for many reasons. To show that the writer has done the proper research by listing the sources they used to get the information. As a student, it is their responsibility to give credit to other students and researchers by acknowledging their ideas.

The method of research, citing facts, and brainstorming ideas was very intense in this class. Reading various arguments debating the topic I want to write on, was very challenging and time consuming. In this reflection essay I want to show how researching process was vital on changing my writing style. Also, what I’ve learned in English 105 class after a great summer semester with lots of material to learn from. Researching was drastically important, making every paper I made heavily based on research.