Category Archives: Unit Reflections

Unit 2 Reflection

When beginning my research on the collection of data, I did not think that it would be very difficult. However, as I began to research the topic, I realized that I would not be as easy as I had originally thought. I may have waited too long to start my research, and therefore the rest of my writing process may have been rushed. I have always had an issue with procrastination and underestimating the work load of the assignment, but when the project involves research as in-depth as this was, the procrastination can become very costly.

I learned that my rushed writing can be sloppy and unorganized compared to when I allot myself sufficient time. This is very important because down the road I will need to write papers involving more research than this, and if I do not have the will power to begin research far ahead of the due date, my paper will surely suffer. I am used to getting A’s, especially in English and writing classes, and if my grade suffers due to procrastination I will be very disappointed.

It is very important for me to learn to not procrastinate. Not only for academics, but in my life in general. Almost without exception an individual will do better on a task when he or she gives himself or herself more time. I will work on my will power and begin all my work on time in order to give myself enough time to complete the writing process thoroughly instead of writing an entire piece in one sitting.

Unit 1 Reflection

The work load for this unit was definitely abnormally large. The lengthy readings were sometimes a hassle to complete, but when I managed to stay on top of my work and not procrastinate I noticed myself joining in the class discussions and becoming more involved. Reading the entire readings instead of only part of it was definitely crucial to my success in this unit. I enjoyed using the writer’s notebook during this semester as opposed to the online notes we took last semester because I felt as if I was able to take notes more freely. For instance, we made a chart in class comparing all the different readings, and I found that chart to be very helpful and could not have made it on the computer. The kernel essay was another helpful tool. The peer review was not necessarily so helpful to me, however. What really helped me was the actual writing of the essay. It really got me thinking about how I will organize my thoughts in my real essay and was somewhat like a helpful practice round of writing. Ultimately what helped me the most this unit was the supplemental worksheets provided that outlined exactly how to compose a proper synthesis essay and an example of a successful, student-written essay to read over. Seeing these helpful examples and instructions allowed me to find exactly what I needed to in my readings.

Unit 3 Reflection

I had never really written a argumentative paper before this unit, so it really opened my eyes and showed me exactly what I am capable of with hard work. The contributions to my blog helped in many ways. They really sped up the research process with trying many different topics until I found the right one that interested me. They also helped as I was required to write an introduction and get the ball rolling on this paper. Some challenges this paper presented that others have not in this class are the difficulty of researching a specific topic and determining the validity of a source. This paper really hit many of the desired learning outcomes from the syllabus for this class. Research is an obvious one, along with exploration and argumentation, conventions and mechanics (as in every other paper), and writing process.

Unit 2 Reflection

Unit 2 focused on understanding and applying rhetorical analysis. There are many many forms of rhetorical analysis devices and seem to occur very often in many columns for the New York Times. At first, recognizing and analyzing these devices seemed to be an impossible task. However, after several assignments, one night it seemed to click for me. One assignment had us read five separate articles in the New York Times, and at first the task seemed hard. But after about three articles, it seemed to become more like second nature to me. This may have been because the third, fourth, and fifth articles had more examples of rhetorical analysis than the first two, but it also had to do with the experience I acquired. The more I seemed to practice, the better I got and this seemed to help me the most in writing my paper because finding examples took no time at all.

Unit 1 Reflection

This unit was all about becoming acclimated to writing a college essay and learning how to properly compose a synthesis essay. This paper was honestly different from any writing assignment I have had in the past because I have never had to write a synthesis essay before, and I honestly did not know what a synthesis essay was before this semester. However, I think that all of the practice synthesis pieces we wrote as a class helped me learn a lot and made sure that my first major assignment in this class was not the first synthesis essay I have ever written. I think that the most helpful class we had for this essay (aside from the practice essays) was the Wednesday when we were told to rewrite our entire introductory paragraphs. I did not expect that exercise to help, but I was surprised to see that my finished product was much much better than my initial attempt. I then thought about how much effort I had even put into the initial attempt and was honest with myself and proved myself I could do much better. This helped me grow as an academic because I taught myself that if I just put forth effort at every stage in the writing process, the final product will always be an acceptable piece. I will be sure to set aside plenty of time to write my outline, collect my thoughts, organize them, then write and revise again and again. This will ensure that I will improve as a writer from here on out, which is all I can hope for.