I have learned numerous things after taking English 1010 this year. One major thing that I learned was time management. Instead of cramming to write my paper the night before it was due, I learned to start writing it days in advance. Another skill that I acquired was how to learn from my mistakes. At the beginning of the semester, comma splices were very common in my works. I also had trouble with putting commas in the correct place at the correct time. A common mistake that I always used to make was using contractions such as can’t and won’t. Smarthinking explained to me that contractions should not be used in a formal essay; they are only used for speaking. Professor Brand’s comments helped me to organize my papers better. Before, I would get carried away in my writing and my sentences would become out of order. From time to time, my paragraphs would become scrambled as well. As time went on, I gradually became more aware of my typical errors.
Peer revisions helped me to realize that I used a lot of repeated words in each of my papers. I used to start many of my sentences with the word “the”. However, after one of my classmates highlighted all of my repeated words in one of my papers I became more aware of all of the words that I was actually duplicating. I was then alert of repeated words on my following papers. I also learned whether or not my sentences made sense in other people’s eyes. Reading my essays out loud to a group of peer editors was also a helpful strategy. When I would read my works out loud it would help me and my classmates to realize and correct some of my mistakes.
Using resources such as the Writing Center, Smarthinking, and Blackboard helped me become a successful writer during this course. The Writing Center and Smarthinking helped me to revise my compositions. Wordle and Weebly are websites that I never would have found out about without this class. They help me organize my writing in creative ways. Google Scholar is a web engine that helped me to find articles to support my writing. I am sure that I will be using all of these resources in the future.
I have grown as a writer during English 1010 this semester. The group project on the rhetorical analysis educated me on how to cooperate well with others. It also helped me to collaborate with others and voice my own opinion. Throughout all of the arguing, I think having a group working together on an essay was advantageous. After writing the restaurant review, I learned how to use more sensory details such as taste, sight, and smell. The use of adjectives was very important in adding detail. I also learned how to critique given a certain topic such as in the review and the commentary. One thing I truly liked about this class was how I could really write freely about my thoughts on any given topic. Although my opinion clashed with opinions of some of my classmates, I learned to support my argument. I have also learned to look more closely at small aspects. For example, while I was writing the restaurant review, I had to pay attention to things that I typically would not notice. Cleanliness and decoration are usually not things that I regularly consider while eating at a restaurant.
Another major concept I learned in this course was to distinguish the difference between editing and revising. Editing is the grammatical or spelling errors in a rough draft. Revisions are content errors. Revision memos helped me by showing me in a different color what I had changed from my rough draft to my final draft. Color-changing is a concept that helped me to build as a writer because my corrections stood out and became engrained in my head. For each paper I could go back and review my previous mistakes to make sure they did not happen again.
The portfolio selections demonstrate that I have met the course outcomes and objectives. I am now able to read, interpret, and analyze various kinds of texts. Assessing selections for specific genres and using supporting details is something I am good at now. I can also write compositions using the appropriate rhetorical strategies. Creating a thesis, using logic, and avoiding plagiarism are a few other skills that I have learned. Plagiarism is the copying of someone else’s work. Professor Brand taught me that reading a paragraph and then covering it and writing what I remember is a way to summarize without plagiarizing. I have tried this method and it works very well. Proofreading, editing, and revising are used to organize logic and to help my papers become more developed.
Peer revisions helped me to realize that I used a lot of repeated words in each of my papers. I used to start many of my sentences with the word “the”. However, after one of my classmates highlighted all of my repeated words in one of my papers I became more aware of all of the words that I was actually duplicating. I was then alert of repeated words on my following papers. I also learned whether or not my sentences made sense in other people’s eyes. Reading my essays out loud to a group of peer editors was also a helpful strategy. When I would read my works out loud it would help me and my classmates to realize and correct some of my mistakes.
Using resources such as the Writing Center, Smarthinking, and Blackboard helped me become a successful writer during this course. The Writing Center and Smarthinking helped me to revise my compositions. Wordle and Weebly are websites that I never would have found out about without this class. They help me organize my writing in creative ways. Google Scholar is a web engine that helped me to find articles to support my writing. I am sure that I will be using all of these resources in the future.
I have grown as a writer during English 1010 this semester. The group project on the rhetorical analysis educated me on how to cooperate well with others. It also helped me to collaborate with others and voice my own opinion. Throughout all of the arguing, I think having a group working together on an essay was advantageous. After writing the restaurant review, I learned how to use more sensory details such as taste, sight, and smell. The use of adjectives was very important in adding detail. I also learned how to critique given a certain topic such as in the review and the commentary. One thing I truly liked about this class was how I could really write freely about my thoughts on any given topic. Although my opinion clashed with opinions of some of my classmates, I learned to support my argument. I have also learned to look more closely at small aspects. For example, while I was writing the restaurant review, I had to pay attention to things that I typically would not notice. Cleanliness and decoration are usually not things that I regularly consider while eating at a restaurant.
Another major concept I learned in this course was to distinguish the difference between editing and revising. Editing is the grammatical or spelling errors in a rough draft. Revisions are content errors. Revision memos helped me by showing me in a different color what I had changed from my rough draft to my final draft. Color-changing is a concept that helped me to build as a writer because my corrections stood out and became engrained in my head. For each paper I could go back and review my previous mistakes to make sure they did not happen again.
The portfolio selections demonstrate that I have met the course outcomes and objectives. I am now able to read, interpret, and analyze various kinds of texts. Assessing selections for specific genres and using supporting details is something I am good at now. I can also write compositions using the appropriate rhetorical strategies. Creating a thesis, using logic, and avoiding plagiarism are a few other skills that I have learned. Plagiarism is the copying of someone else’s work. Professor Brand taught me that reading a paragraph and then covering it and writing what I remember is a way to summarize without plagiarizing. I have tried this method and it works very well. Proofreading, editing, and revising are used to organize logic and to help my papers become more developed.