After I graduated high school I thought my writing was good enough until I took an English class this semester. I was quite surprised at how much my writing was lacking in sentence structure, use of citation, and some general grammar. In the past I was able to get decent grades on my writing assignments, but I guess that was because I was in high school and the standards weren’t that high. I didn’t put much effort in my past writing, my arguments weren’t fully expressed and I lacked a lot of technical writing skills like how to use citations and organize my supporting details. Over the semester I have learned how to properly use citations, make a compelling arguments, and use the writing process to write great essays. Now that it’s the end …show more content…
When it came to writing assignments, all I did was good enough to satisfy most requirements, but I never wrote to my full potential. When I write for other classes, I do not get asked to write the way I do in English class. Other than assignments for English class, I would write peer reviews and project reflections for my science classes. I am never judged for whether I write complex sentences, or make an argument; I would just present the data and possible implications of the results are. My writing in English class was lacking supporting details, fully expressed arguments, and full of grammatical mistakes. In my first problem and solution essay, I wrote about how we don’t have proper energy storage for alternative energy producers like solar and wind; and we must fund and support new and effective ways to store that energy. The essay’s introduction was great, my thesis was clear, but I lacked proper citation, I didn’t have good analyses of the information I presented, and I had many grammatical mistakes. My literary analysis essay was about “The Call of Cthulhu” by HP Lovecraft. It was about how we the reader, just like the main character, are doomed because we read the story and know about Cthulhu and the cult. These two essays showed how I would write essays before taking this class and it showed me just how much I needed to
I have never liked writing; I always thought it was a waste of time. It was a great therapy but I never found academic writing to be useful just tedious. Only ever writing when I had too made it harder for my writing skills to grow or improve in any way. I have not taken an English class since the 10th grade, even then I never gave it much effort, just doing what I had to so I could pass the class. Then I jump in to College English 1010, I feel like I do well in all other subjects but this one. English is my worst nightmare.
Transitioning from high school to college can be overwhelming. Before English 1301, I thought that I did not have to worry about being prepared for college. I quickly realized that my little background in writing essays was not going to be enough for college. Writing is not just something that I will use in English classes. In college, I will have to use effective writing skills in all my classes to complete research papers, essay tests and communicate to professors. Throughout my education, writing strategies persisted to be something that did not come easy to me. I dreaded writing because I could never find ways to get my thoughts down on paper. Ironically, a class that petrified me due to the amount of writing that was required ended up helping me in so many ways. English 1301 and my professor prepared me so much for college and real life.
This trimester I began the class English 101 with mixed feelings. Depending on the topic and style, I could really enjoy writing. However, there were occasionally times where I just did not feel much inspiration, and consequently, my writing quality was not exactly remarkable. My previous course to English 101 was AP Literature, where I learned how to analyze writing and write powerful papers. Although, to my disadvantage for this class, the teacher was more concerned about content than presentation and grammar technicalities. I learned to create good ideas and responses, and while I did possess the ability to convey them with proficiency, I could not express myself at a college level. Nonetheless, I can happily report that I have acquired these skills throughout English 101, learning to curb my near addiction to prepositional phrases, in addition to halting my use of coordinating conjunctions to begin sentences. I find it pleasing to read and compare my first essay to my latest one, seeing all of the differences and enhancements. My writing has improved through the trials of in-depth analyses and short deadlines, enabling me to perform my best no matter the style or topic. Overcoming the oppositions found in the class and my own
In one semester of English 101 I have learned so many things about writing. I used to believe that writing was just putting words on paper, but have since learned that writing is much more than that, I now understand that writing is a way of exploring my mind and of making connections with other writers and readers. Over the course of the semester I have been learning to write in a way that uses the skills of reflection, critical thinking, and much more. I have used these skills to compose two academic essays that I am submitting in a portfolio to determine my final grade in English 101. In order to have a passing final grade my essays need to display skills I have learned in the course that are required by the Portfolio Assessment Rubric or
When going through life learning is an everyday occurrence as each day is constantly filled with information that is used throughout the course of your life. Each day we get stronger and stronger in whatever we decide to put our minds to, weather that be academics, sports, our jobs we are constantly learning and growing on a daily basis. This semester I have grown in English as I personally felt that through the English 102 course I have been able to grasp some key concepts and writing techniques that will better me for the future. In this class there was a list of goals and outcomes that the instructor felt would be achievable and the best way to learn throughout the course. In each goal throughout this process I feel like I have improved to some degree but there is other things that I do need to touch up on a bit more to further my writing education outside the classroom.
Up until this year, before taking the class intermediate composition, I thought I was a terrible writer. I was right. Writing isn’t something that I enjoy doing, nor am I good at. Writing is difficult for me because I’m not very good at explaining things in a professional manner, that can be easily well written. While writing you are expected to make little to no mistakes, which is not something I’m great at. I am so much better at explaining things with verbal words rather than written words. I had not taken any extra writing classes before this year rather than the mandatory ones. Like I had stated before, I hate writing, with a passion. I dread writing anything, especially an essay for school, like this one. I’m
Based on the term grads, effort, and attendance, I will make a 90 in English 110. I believe this will be true due to the progress I have made in my writing ability. When we started this class, I had little to no confidence in my ability to write well. Now that the class is at its end, I have a sense of assurance that I will be able to complete works in my future classes with little to no assistance from outside sources. The grades I did receive in this class never dropped below the 90s, but I do believe the effort and amount of checking I did on my composition three will be a metaphorical hole in my grads boat. I admit that I didn’t give it my all and have only myself to blame for whatever grade I do end up receiving on it.
Throughout the semester I have learned an astounding amount of information. The English 101 curriculum has not only taught me how to write in general, but also taught me a variety of ways to get my point across to the reader. Before I took English 101 I was an average writer at best, but now that I am taking a class that focuses on writing strategies I feel that I have been able to improve as a writer. During the course we were taught how to write an informative essay as well as how to write a persuasive essay. The type of writing that this class has taught me will most definitely help me with future classes as well as my future in the real world. Throughout the English 101 course I have been able to improve as a writer by composing essays
One of my biggest challenges in English 101 has been the lack of confidence in my writing. Whenever I have writing assignment, I get anxious about the entire process. I have hard time organizing and choosing the right information to put in my paper. Also, I have a writer’s block. I think I have these problems mainly because I do not have previous writing experience. I got my first exposer of college-paper writing when I came to the University of Maryland’s Summer Transitional Program (STP). STP helped me tremendously with my reflective writing. During STP I had to write a lot of self-reflection papers, and because of it now I feel confident and have no anxiety when it comes to reflective writing. However, I still have anxiety when it comes
Writing has never been my strongest suit. While I have always done sufficient in writing and english classes, math and science are subjects that I take to with more ease. Because of this preference I have never loved anything I have written, nor have I felt confident in showing others my assignments. Through AP Language and Composition as a junior in high school, I was introduced to many of the concepts I would later see in English 101, but neglected to understand them to the extent I now do. Learning how to properly analyze a piece of text or a picture for rhetoric would have been a chore in the past, yet through this class I have learned to enjoy putting together the puzzle pieces an author gives. While analysis came easily, and I quickly grew to enjoy it, synthesizing arguments and opposing views was more of a challenge. Consequently, it took many drafts and trial and error to grasp this concept and feel confident in the work I produced, but can proudly say I did so. The work I have had to put into this course has not been wasted, and I have learned so much. I now feel confident in the writing I am able to
In the first semester of English 101 we were required to surpass three course goals, in which my senior class did. The course goals enabled my senior class to be able to summarize, respond and synthesize. In college students are asked to write many papers, one of them being a research paper. Students are asked to summarize the information and respond to it, therefore adding in their thoughts. I have learned and comprehend all of the essentials of writing a paper. I know the difference between all of the course goals and can explain them to great lengths. However, synthesizing brings in all the components from other sources and links all the information together.
Throughout this fall semester, I have learned many things. Before this class, I have never had to buckle down and plan out my writing so tediously. The many outlines, rough drafts, and final drafts have crafted me into a much better writer than I would have ever expected to become. While I have always considered English as one of my strong subjects, through this class I have learned that English has many more components than I originally thought. One of the most substantial of these components is a transitional sentence and through this class and the writing practice it has brought me, I have learned how to properly write them.
As a student who is normally drawn to the areas of science and math, I didn't really know what to expect in regards to my English 101 class. I used to not value the power of the written and spoken word, but over the past couple years I have definitely gained more respect for the ability to communicate effectively. After having this change in perspective I really wanted to improve my own communication skills, specifically in the areas of writing and interpreting what I read. I have never considered myself a good writer or reader, so at the beginning of the semester I was looking forward to gaining new skills in these areas, but I was also hesitant because this was my first English class as a college student.
The first day I entered the class, I was amazed at how the class is filled with Print. On the walls you can actually see what they are currently working on for the day and for the week, instructions for the students and much more, the student’s progress in a particular area, a word wall, motivational posters, and other vocabulary words such as contractions and compound words. The students followed directions well and raised their hands properly using the appropriate signal written on the wall. Of course, there were times when a student did not follow directions and made trouble, however, there was a class system that they followed. During center time, the students separate into groups and work on either vocabulary, reading, on computer or a
You learn something everyday, a common quote from people to motivate themselves and others to perform their best, daily. This is often used in an academic school setting, seeing as how the quote is centered all around learning and knowledge. Now that I am at the end of my high school, and my required educational learning, these words hold more truth than they could 've in the past. The one class in my final moments of my high school academic year that I believe I have grown the most from in multiple forms, is English Literature with Dr. Tim Mcgee. With this class 's structure and teaching method, there is endless ways in which any student can grow, big or small. In Mcgee 's English Literature class during my senior year, there are multiple things in the class that I have learned for the first time, grown experience in from the past, and items that I could 've worked on better.