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Reading Skills and Strategies
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Reading Skills and Strategies
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Since the beginning of the semester, the English language has been a continuous struggle for me to grasp and comprehend. Due to my parents having no prior knowledge of the language, my only source of learning was based off of entertainment medias such as the television, radio and video games. However, ever since the start of the semester in August, my knowledge in the English language has improved over the course of the semester. Concepts such as the adherence to MLA style format, citing specific evidence and even using reader-friendly words are all techniques I have developed and mastered over the course of the semester since the beginning of the semester. The MLA style was a writing format I was familiar with since high school. Although I was familiar with the style, I did not pay much attention to details as I thought it was a special way of formatting an essay. Over the course of the semester, my exposure to the MLA style has helped me understand the purpose of the format. A recent example of my experience with MLA style was writing an interview with my teacher …show more content…
My essay lacked any form of organization which lead to a poor thesis and a lack of a central focus. The two revisions I made corrected most of the mistakes in regards to organization. The organization style I chose was a “Top-Down Organization” where I would organize my ideas by their importance, with the last paragraph being the most crucial. This is evident with the latest copy of my Steve Jobs essay as paragraph 4 pages 2 to 3 mentioned the downfall of his career and how Steve Jobs turned it around by admitting and moving on from his
Other than learning how to argue (my boyfriend loves my new ability) I learned how to source my research using MLA format. This new skill is tremendously important in college because most professors, if not all, require their papers to be submitted using MLA format. Throughout my upcoming years at Valencia and then The University of Central Florida I will find writing papers significantly easier because sourcing will be practically second nature. In class we were taught how to use the in-text reference throughout our papers, build our own citation and how to set up our work cited page. Although in high school we used the MLA format for papers, prior to taking this class I hadn’t noticed how many small details go into the actual citation, the authors name is last name then first name, the commas must be in the proper place, page numbers etc. In some classes you “learn” how to do things however it is only stored in short term memory because you don’t consider it an important attribute or useful for future classes. Personally, I made sure I knew how to do MLA, every aspect of it, I reviewed the rules, did my assignments, and then reviewed my assignments in order to store this new skill in long term memory. By doing this I have successfully transferred the information to long term memory and made it into a skill.
MLA, in which this essay has been written, is most commonly used in the study of literature and humanities. This is because of a variety of factors within the format that allow the author to display their information in a fashion that seamlessly flows. APA, unlike MLA, labels when the topic or subject
My development as a writer has flourished throughout this semester. The first week of this fall semester started out with writing responses from our readings in the textbook. Looking back through and analyzing my reading responses at the semester to now; I noticed a substantial improvement in not only my grammar skills, but also my summarizing, and in-depth studying of writing adeptness. Another way I have progressed this semester is the vocabulary of my writing has significantly improved and become more scholarly. Another advancement I noticed was that the content of my work has matured, along with my organizational adeptness.
I now understand how to format a paper and the importance of an outline. English 111 has helped me see the difference in the quality of papers I wrote in high school compared to the quality paper expected in college. When writing my Argumentative Essay I put much more effort into my outline than I did for any other paper in this class. Writing an outline improved my paper in ways I did not take advantage of on earlier assignments. Before this class I never spent time on an outline and considered outlines a waste of time. I now see how helpful an outline can be and plan to use one for papers going forward. The skill area I most improved on from our midterm project has been citations. I have utilized the “Cite It” link from the James Library for MLA style on both of my final papers for this class. The guide provided through the James Library gave many examples which helped me visually see the difference in what was expected. By using this resource I not only improved on MLA format for our class, but also improved upon the APA format for my Sociology
Dual Enrollment English was the first real college-level class I ever had. I actually have taken other college-level classes before it, but Dual Enrollment English was the only course that gave me an accurate representation of how college will really be like and what it will expect of me. My journey through Dual Enrollment English began with a sense of fear and self-defeat and ended with a sense of satisfaction and confidence with many highs and lows along the way. This portfolio catalogs the evolution of my writing during my two semesters in Dual Enrollment English including seven different types of papers as well as each of their respective drafts and tutor feedback.
I have chosen to use the MLA style because as a writer I believe that it will be most relevant to my work. I am putting it on the last page to use for my final bibliography when revised and due.
Many of the mistakes I would have deemed inconsequential in the past resembles glaring flaws now. The introduction and conclusion paragraphs were where the most work was done. In the introduction, I inserted a hook and blended the paragraph together. I accomplished this by adding transition words and changing the tense to fit the rest of the essay. In the conclusion, I completely started over. The original was bland, boring, and just plain repetitive. In the revised version, I outlined the essay, restated the thesis, and ended by suggestion other applications.
As writers, many students write to the expectations of their professors and not to their fullest potential. Throughout English 101 I had been writing only to please my professor or to fill the basic requirement to pass English. I always felt that my writing ability was never enough for my professors throughout the previous years. They always wanted clear and concise essays, which for some reason was unreachable by me. However, starting college and taking English 101 helped me with my weaknesses and changed my technique of writing essays. My experience in English 101 taught me to write to my fullest potential and to write what I felt; rather then writing what was required.
Stepping into unknown territory, the assignments in this course differed from the usual rhetorical analysis. The shift from high school writing to academic college research ranged in different forms. For example, the longevity of the research papers was about two times longer than the normal two-three pages required. In addition, the process of writing expanded from the typical rough draft to the preparation of the citation resources used. The communication in the assignments was often restricted and the message was not easily comprehended. The major components that have lagged in my writing have been the ragged organization, poor grammar, and ineffective citation, however, I have improved with the help of the writing lab, writing feedback
Another semester has ended. However, this time in English class, it was different. It started out the same: the required course work , the dreaded reading assignments along with the required essays for the class. Once class started, the professor went over the syllabus. I thought to myself that this was going to be a long first day. By the time I got to the second essay (about the sixth week), I started to realize that this English class is not like the others; it had much more to give. Before this class, English was all about structure and writing without errors. It concentrated more on the skeleton of the content rather than the content itself. This class taught me to look at English or more precise, literacies, in a different light. I have been able to develop a clear line of argument that incorporates ideas and evidences from sources; recognize that writing is a flexible and recursive process; and incorporate conventions for source integration such as paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting. I have a newfound respect and exhilaration for the English discourse.
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
As I look back on my English 101 experience, I have come to the conclusion that I have learned many new things that have improved my abilities as a writer. I have learned some new techniques that have improved my ways of approaching an essay. I learned all about the rhetorical appeals and how to apply them in my writing and how to look for them in a essay written by a author. I have also learned how to argue both sides of a argument, and how to look for reliable sources and to properly quote and site the author of the essay. I feel as if I have become a better writer and my improved writing skills are shown within each essay.
I have learned many things throughout the course of the term, including such things as: how to write an essay and how to improve on essays that I have already written, how to locate and composite better research through the use of numerous resources found at the campus library, the internet, and the “Common Sense” textbook, how to cite research, examples, and quotations properly within the contents of my research paper as well as document it accurately according to MLA standards. Through the exploration of the “Subjects and Strategies” textbook, I have learned nine different methods used when writing an effective essay and how the different writing styles affect the overall theme and tone of the essay when used properly. This past semester, I have encountered many difficulties when trying to write these essays, but through the use of the textbooks, the aide of the instructor, and once I was able to classify the different types of essays and styles, I found them possible to overcome.
One skill that I wish I had time to improve on is citing sources in MLA style. Through the course, I refused to seek help from my professor until week seven, one thing I regret doing. that could have allayed the fear and doubt I had about this course. Any questions I had could be cleared up as the course progressed. My essays through the subsequent weeks have demonstrated my strength and weaknesses. I do not have many strengths when it comes writing, but still I consider my greatest strength in writing to be being able to clearly understand the prompt and answer it correctly, especially with the analysis essays. I think this is just because I spend most of the scarce time on hand just to think about the prompt, for example, when I was preparing for my rhetorical analysis essay on globalization I thoroughly read both article on globalization by both Kwame Anthony Appiah and franklin Foer .An obvious struggle I have as a writer is organization and transitions. I tend to jump from one topic to another and sometimes cover. I should have used more transitional words in between sentences and paragraphs to make my reader understand the logic of my paper. I have not had enough writing experience and the writing process is difficult for me. I do sometimes admit that it takes days to complete one assignment, but it will be worth it when I become a proficient
Looking through my past submissions and pieces of work throughout this past semester, I have made many realizations in regards to my progress as an English student. Through re-reading my writing, and reviewing the feedback I have received on my writing, I can recognize my growth as an English student. In addition to realizing my growth, I am also able to see a lot of areas that still need work. This past semester I have faced many challenges, I have pushed myself to go outside of my comfort zone, and I have excelled in several areas. After analyzing my past works from this semester, I have identified many re-occurring strengths and weaknesses from each unit, as well as challenges and goal assessments for myself in the future.