LEARNING TO WRITE
by Adriana Cota
(Final Draft)
Writing is an art and is one of the ways we can communicate to others. For me, writing is to put on paper all our ideas and thoughts. My theory of writing is that everyone can do it, like every other activity: if we practice and practice and we are willing to spend time on it. I know that there are certain people that born with a privileged gift for doing something better than the others, but I think that by practice we can develop our skills, even writing. I understand the act of writing to be a process since we conceive the idea in our mind until we write our final piece. In this essay I will give you my point of view about writing, by making references to what I have learned through the course ENG101 and how I began to write in English even though it is not my first language and it is difficult for me.
How I feel through the learning process of writing?
Struggles
Through my learning process of writing I had a lot of struggles and I still have them, but through practice, these struggles are becoming an accomplishments. At first, when the course ENG101 started, I read the outcomes and I think I would not achieve them. English is my second language, but I do not practice it very often (that is one of the reasons I choose this course), so at first it was difficult to me to start writing. Even a paragraph for the Writer's Journal was a challenge for me. At first, I started to think in Spanish what I was going to write and then translated it, but I remembered what I was told in my English classes when I was younger: “you have to think and write in English, no translations aloud, because the brain has to get used to think in this language” my teacher said to me. Other struggle that I had in this course was that I thought I could never write so many words as we were told. For my surprise, I could reach that number.
How I feel through the learning process of writing?
Struggles
Through my learning process of writing I had a lot of struggles and I still have them, but through practice, these struggles are becoming an accomplishments. At first, when the course ENG101 started, I read the outcomes and I think I would not achieve them. English is my second language, but I do not practice it very often (that is one of the reasons I choose this course), so at first it was difficult to me to start writing. Even a paragraph for the Writer's Journal was a challenge for me. At first, I started to think in Spanish what I was going to write and then translated it, but I remembered what I was told in my English classes when I was younger: “you have to think and write in English, no translations aloud, because the brain has to get used to think in this language” my teacher said to me. Other struggle that I had in this course was that I thought I could never write so many words as we were told. For my surprise, I could reach that number.
Accomplishments
To accomplish every task we were asked to do in the ENG101 course was very pleasant and meaningful to me. At the first Writing Project, I was ashamed to make comments to my peers when I read their writings, and I gave only a general opinion about their work. But after I received my first feedback, I realized how important is to give our opinion to our peers, because they help me a lot to improve my writing. When they took the time to explain me something or point out here and there, they make me see with another eyes and have another point of view and finally I could take the decision to make a change on my piece or leave it like it was. At the second Writing Project, I wrote more detailed comments to my peers so they could see what they were missing to write in their piece or what should they do to improve their essays. My writing was enriched by the feedback I could get from my peers.
Abilities
Throughout the course ENG101, I am having the great opportunity to read a lot of different essays that are sometimes more developed than mine and they help me to improve my writing. Step by step I am gaining the ability to write and to express myself in a better way. I know that my English and my grammar are not perfect, but I am giving it a try and giving me the opportunity to practice and improve my writing. At the same time I gaining the ability of critical thinking, thanks to the essays I read from this course and the exercises of joining a discussion, give my point of view, and know the other’s. By the questions I were asked for answer in those discussion forums, they let me think and reflect about what I was going to write because I know everyone could read it.
Rhetorical Knowledge
I think I had gained experience by reading and composing for each journal and project we had to do for the course ENG101, because I had to share my ideas with my audience. And depending on the audience, I should think first in what tone, voice, and structure my essay will have.
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
By reading diverse range of texts and from peers all around the world, I could know other points of view about the themes they choose to make their essays. I like the Writing Project 1-The Autoethnography because I learned from other cultures and different thoughts. I found it very interesting because they make me think and reflect that even though we have different rituals and habits, we are all humans who have a lot in common which make us a community, in this case: ENG101. I like to communicate with them by writing in the discussion forums and peer’s feedback, because I learned a lot from their answers and different thoughts. Also I like the essays that we read throughout the course, because I could notice other ways of writing which make me improve my own.
Processes
The outcome of “Processes” is what I suffer and enjoy the most, because we have to write more than I imagined when I signed to the course ENG101. At first, when I took a look to the rubrics and descriptions of the Writing Projects, I get a little bit scared because I thought I will not be so inspired that I can actually write many words, but all the material that were included week by week helped me a lot through my process of writing. The part that I like the most from the process of writing is to receive feedback, because it makes me realize that I have a real audience and what I am writing matters to someone. Some peers did not write a lot of feedback (like me in the first Writing Project), but others really made an effort and took the time to gave me their opinion, and to told me how can I improve my piece of writing. Sometimes is difficult to me to accept that I am not doing things right with my writing but after that feeling is gone, I reread what my peers told me in their feedback and I go back to my essay and see it with another eyes: my audience’s eyes. In both projects I revised my work having in mind my peers’ comments and edit some parts so it can be more understandable.
Knowledge of Conventions
Thanks to ENG101 course I have improved my grammar, punctuation, and spelling in English. Also I learned more vocabulary because when I did not know how to write some word in English I had to look in the dictionary, or find synonyms to make my essay less repetitive. A peer’s review told me that my essay was really good but I have to put attention on my grammar, so I had to revise my draft and edit what I thought was incorrect.
To accomplish every task we were asked to do in the ENG101 course was very pleasant and meaningful to me. At the first Writing Project, I was ashamed to make comments to my peers when I read their writings, and I gave only a general opinion about their work. But after I received my first feedback, I realized how important is to give our opinion to our peers, because they help me a lot to improve my writing. When they took the time to explain me something or point out here and there, they make me see with another eyes and have another point of view and finally I could take the decision to make a change on my piece or leave it like it was. At the second Writing Project, I wrote more detailed comments to my peers so they could see what they were missing to write in their piece or what should they do to improve their essays. My writing was enriched by the feedback I could get from my peers.
Abilities
Throughout the course ENG101, I am having the great opportunity to read a lot of different essays that are sometimes more developed than mine and they help me to improve my writing. Step by step I am gaining the ability to write and to express myself in a better way. I know that my English and my grammar are not perfect, but I am giving it a try and giving me the opportunity to practice and improve my writing. At the same time I gaining the ability of critical thinking, thanks to the essays I read from this course and the exercises of joining a discussion, give my point of view, and know the other’s. By the questions I were asked for answer in those discussion forums, they let me think and reflect about what I was going to write because I know everyone could read it.
Rhetorical Knowledge
I think I had gained experience by reading and composing for each journal and project we had to do for the course ENG101, because I had to share my ideas with my audience. And depending on the audience, I should think first in what tone, voice, and structure my essay will have.
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
By reading diverse range of texts and from peers all around the world, I could know other points of view about the themes they choose to make their essays. I like the Writing Project 1-The Autoethnography because I learned from other cultures and different thoughts. I found it very interesting because they make me think and reflect that even though we have different rituals and habits, we are all humans who have a lot in common which make us a community, in this case: ENG101. I like to communicate with them by writing in the discussion forums and peer’s feedback, because I learned a lot from their answers and different thoughts. Also I like the essays that we read throughout the course, because I could notice other ways of writing which make me improve my own.
Processes
The outcome of “Processes” is what I suffer and enjoy the most, because we have to write more than I imagined when I signed to the course ENG101. At first, when I took a look to the rubrics and descriptions of the Writing Projects, I get a little bit scared because I thought I will not be so inspired that I can actually write many words, but all the material that were included week by week helped me a lot through my process of writing. The part that I like the most from the process of writing is to receive feedback, because it makes me realize that I have a real audience and what I am writing matters to someone. Some peers did not write a lot of feedback (like me in the first Writing Project), but others really made an effort and took the time to gave me their opinion, and to told me how can I improve my piece of writing. Sometimes is difficult to me to accept that I am not doing things right with my writing but after that feeling is gone, I reread what my peers told me in their feedback and I go back to my essay and see it with another eyes: my audience’s eyes. In both projects I revised my work having in mind my peers’ comments and edit some parts so it can be more understandable.
Knowledge of Conventions
Thanks to ENG101 course I have improved my grammar, punctuation, and spelling in English. Also I learned more vocabulary because when I did not know how to write some word in English I had to look in the dictionary, or find synonyms to make my essay less repetitive. A peer’s review told me that my essay was really good but I have to put attention on my grammar, so I had to revise my draft and edit what I thought was incorrect.
Engagement and Processes
For the moment I read the description of the course, I knew for sure that I will have to spend some time to work on my writings, so I decided to engage and commit myself to it. Sometimes I have the feeling that I am not going to have the time to finish all the Writing Journals and Writing Projects that we were asked to, but I really made an effort to complete every section. That is for me what the word engagement means, and for me is the most important because if you really want to learn you have to invest something: time, money, energy, and so on. This engagement with the course helped me in the process of learning, because I have to practice too much to write all the works I was required. Also I feel engaged with my peer students by reading their essays and giving them prompt feedback. I think that if I can learn to write, everyone willing to learn also can. It is a matter of practice, involvement, and engagement. It does not matter how difficult it is, if it is in another language or at first is not understandable, because as I am engage in the course, there are other people like me that can help me in the way to achieve my goal.
My Actual and Future Writing
Academic Projects
I think ENG101 is helping me to learn the process of how to write an essay, so it can be useful to me if I want to write a paper or other academic projects. The steps we have to follow like making a draft, then ask others to read our work and give us feedback, and then revise it and make some editing are going to be very useful with my future writing.
Professional Projects
For my next professional projects, I think ENG101 helped me to get noticed of my audience and that we have to insert multimodal elements on our writing, so every people with different abilities can understand what I am trying to tell. I think this part is very important and enriches our writing. Every person learns in a different way, and persons that are more visual enjoys seeing images, and videos related to the writing.
Personal Projects
ENG101 taught me a lot of the learning process, and I think it is going to be very helpful for my personal projects, because one of my goals is to write a book, and this course for me is the beginning of it. I know I have to learn more and practice a lot. In Writing Project #2, which I like too much, I had to observe very carefully everything in the surroundings of a community and not only took field notes but I had to develop my critical thinking by analyzing the patterns of them to know the reason of why they are in that place and why does it makes us a community or to be part of something. These helped me to be aware of the details, so the readers can imagine what I am telling and describing.
For the moment I read the description of the course, I knew for sure that I will have to spend some time to work on my writings, so I decided to engage and commit myself to it. Sometimes I have the feeling that I am not going to have the time to finish all the Writing Journals and Writing Projects that we were asked to, but I really made an effort to complete every section. That is for me what the word engagement means, and for me is the most important because if you really want to learn you have to invest something: time, money, energy, and so on. This engagement with the course helped me in the process of learning, because I have to practice too much to write all the works I was required. Also I feel engaged with my peer students by reading their essays and giving them prompt feedback. I think that if I can learn to write, everyone willing to learn also can. It is a matter of practice, involvement, and engagement. It does not matter how difficult it is, if it is in another language or at first is not understandable, because as I am engage in the course, there are other people like me that can help me in the way to achieve my goal.
My Actual and Future Writing
Academic Projects
I think ENG101 is helping me to learn the process of how to write an essay, so it can be useful to me if I want to write a paper or other academic projects. The steps we have to follow like making a draft, then ask others to read our work and give us feedback, and then revise it and make some editing are going to be very useful with my future writing.
Professional Projects
For my next professional projects, I think ENG101 helped me to get noticed of my audience and that we have to insert multimodal elements on our writing, so every people with different abilities can understand what I am trying to tell. I think this part is very important and enriches our writing. Every person learns in a different way, and persons that are more visual enjoys seeing images, and videos related to the writing.
Personal Projects
ENG101 taught me a lot of the learning process, and I think it is going to be very helpful for my personal projects, because one of my goals is to write a book, and this course for me is the beginning of it. I know I have to learn more and practice a lot. In Writing Project #2, which I like too much, I had to observe very carefully everything in the surroundings of a community and not only took field notes but I had to develop my critical thinking by analyzing the patterns of them to know the reason of why they are in that place and why does it makes us a community or to be part of something. These helped me to be aware of the details, so the readers can imagine what I am telling and describing.
This course helped me in my way to become a writer, because it taught me step by step how to make an essay, to know my audience, how to observe and take field notes, and much more. Before the course began, I thought that it was going to be difficult for me to write in English because I speak it occasionally, but I am not used to write it. But with a lot of help in my way (essays we had to write, questions we had to answer and discussions we had to join) and too much practice, now I think I took another step to become a better writer. That is why I think every person can write if they practice too much and they give it a try, although at first they can only write some sentences or they are not inspired. If they really want and they are willing to spend some time on it, everyone can become a writer too.
LEARNING TO WRITE
by Adriana Cota
(Rough Draft)
Most of us write since we learned at school and we do not stop doing it in our entire life because is a way of communication. Nowadays is most common, because we communicate by messenger applications in our mobile phone. Writing for me is a necessity since that is the way I can communicate with the world and means more than a simple conversation on the cell phone, because written words last forever. My theory of writing is that everyone can do it, like every other activity: if we practice and practice and we are willing to spend time on it. I know that there are certain people that born with a privileged gift for doing something better than the others, but I think that by practice we can develop our skills, even writing. I understand the act of writing to be a process since we conceive the idea in our mind until we write our final piece. In this essay I will give you my point of view about writing, by making references to what I have learned through the course ENG101 and how I began to write in English even though it is not my first language and it is difficult for me.
How I feel through the learning process of writing?
Struggles
Through my learning process of writing I had a lot of struggles and I still have them, but through practice, this struggles are becoming an accomplished goal. At first, when the course ENG101 started, I read the outcomes and start to think if I would going to achieve them. English is my second language, but I do not practice it very often (that is one of the reasons I choose this course), so at first, it was difficult to me to start writing. Even a paragraph for the Writer's Journal was a challenge for me. At first, I started to think in Spanish what I was going to write and then translated it, but I remembered what I was told in my English classes when I was younger: “you have to think and write in English, no translations aloud, because the brain has to get used to think in English” my English teacher said to me. Other struggle that I had in this course was that I thought I could never write that huge number of words that were given to us like a must. For my surprise, I could reach it and I still try to make an effort to reach that goal.
How I feel through the learning process of writing?
Struggles
Through my learning process of writing I had a lot of struggles and I still have them, but through practice, this struggles are becoming an accomplished goal. At first, when the course ENG101 started, I read the outcomes and start to think if I would going to achieve them. English is my second language, but I do not practice it very often (that is one of the reasons I choose this course), so at first, it was difficult to me to start writing. Even a paragraph for the Writer's Journal was a challenge for me. At first, I started to think in Spanish what I was going to write and then translated it, but I remembered what I was told in my English classes when I was younger: “you have to think and write in English, no translations aloud, because the brain has to get used to think in English” my English teacher said to me. Other struggle that I had in this course was that I thought I could never write that huge number of words that were given to us like a must. For my surprise, I could reach it and I still try to make an effort to reach that goal.
Accomplishments
It was very pleasant and meaningful to me to accomplish every task were asked for in the ENG101 course. Also, my writing was enriched by the feedback I could get from my peers. At the first Writing Project, I have to say I was shy to make comments to my peers when I read their writings, and I gave only a general opinion about their work. But after I received my feedback, I realize how important is to give our opinion to our peers, because they help me a lot to improve my writing. When they took the time to explain me something or point out here and there, they make me see with another eyes and have another point of view and finally I took decision to make a change on my piece or leave it like it was. At the second Writing Project, I wrote more detailed comments to my peers so they could see what they were missing to write in their piece, in my opinion of course.
Abilities
Throughout the course ENG101, I am having the great opportunity to read a lot of different essays that are sometimes more and sometimes less developed than mine. But it does not matter that I was writing like a first grade student, because step by step I was gaining the ability to write and to express myself in a better way. I know that my English and my grammar is not perfect, but I am giving it a try and giving me the opportunity to practice and improve my writing. At the same time I gained the ability of critical thinking, thanks to the essays I read from this course and the exercises of joining a discussion, give our point of view, see the other’s and give them our comments. By the questions I were asked for answer in those discussion forums, they let me think and reflect about what I was going to write because everyone could read what I was going to say.
It was very pleasant and meaningful to me to accomplish every task were asked for in the ENG101 course. Also, my writing was enriched by the feedback I could get from my peers. At the first Writing Project, I have to say I was shy to make comments to my peers when I read their writings, and I gave only a general opinion about their work. But after I received my feedback, I realize how important is to give our opinion to our peers, because they help me a lot to improve my writing. When they took the time to explain me something or point out here and there, they make me see with another eyes and have another point of view and finally I took decision to make a change on my piece or leave it like it was. At the second Writing Project, I wrote more detailed comments to my peers so they could see what they were missing to write in their piece, in my opinion of course.
Abilities
Throughout the course ENG101, I am having the great opportunity to read a lot of different essays that are sometimes more and sometimes less developed than mine. But it does not matter that I was writing like a first grade student, because step by step I was gaining the ability to write and to express myself in a better way. I know that my English and my grammar is not perfect, but I am giving it a try and giving me the opportunity to practice and improve my writing. At the same time I gained the ability of critical thinking, thanks to the essays I read from this course and the exercises of joining a discussion, give our point of view, see the other’s and give them our comments. By the questions I were asked for answer in those discussion forums, they let me think and reflect about what I was going to write because everyone could read what I was going to say.
Rhetorical Knowledge
I think I had gained experience by reading and composing for each journal and project we had to do for the course ENG101, because I had to share my ideas with my audience. And depending on on the audience, I should think first in what tone, voice, and structure my essay will going to has.
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
By reading diverse range of texts and from peers all around the world, I could know other points of view about the themes they choose to make their essays. I like the Writing Project 1-The Autoethnography because I learned from other cultures and different thoughts. I found it very interesting because they make me think and reflect that even though we have different rituals and habits, first of all we are humans who have a lot of common things which make us a community, in this case: ENG101. I like to communicate with them by writing in the discussion forums and peer’s feedback, because I learned a lot from their answers and different point of views. Also I like the essays that we read throughout the course, because I learned from them by making my own ideas or changing my old ideas with the ones that were on the essay. These gave me the opportunity to see others ways of writing which make me improve my own.
I think I had gained experience by reading and composing for each journal and project we had to do for the course ENG101, because I had to share my ideas with my audience. And depending on on the audience, I should think first in what tone, voice, and structure my essay will going to has.
Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing
By reading diverse range of texts and from peers all around the world, I could know other points of view about the themes they choose to make their essays. I like the Writing Project 1-The Autoethnography because I learned from other cultures and different thoughts. I found it very interesting because they make me think and reflect that even though we have different rituals and habits, first of all we are humans who have a lot of common things which make us a community, in this case: ENG101. I like to communicate with them by writing in the discussion forums and peer’s feedback, because I learned a lot from their answers and different point of views. Also I like the essays that we read throughout the course, because I learned from them by making my own ideas or changing my old ideas with the ones that were on the essay. These gave me the opportunity to see others ways of writing which make me improve my own.
Processes
The outcome of “Process” is what I suffer and enjoy the most, because we have to write more than I imagine when I first sign to the course ENG101. At first, when I took a look to the rubrics and descriptions of the Writing Projects, I get a little bit scared because I thought I will not be so inspired that I can actually write many words, but all the material that were included week by week helped me a lot to my process of writing. The part that I like the most from the process of writing is to receive feedback, because it makes me realize that I have a real audience and what I am writing matters to someone. Some peers did not write a lot of feedback (like me in the first Writing Project), but others really made an effort and took the time to gave me their points of view, and to told me how can I improve my piece of writing. Sometimes is difficult to me to accept that I am not doing things right with my writing but after that feeling is gone, I reread what my peers told me in their feedback and I go back to my piece and see it with another eyes: my audience’s eyes. I have to say that in both projects I revised my work having in mind my peers’ comments and edit some parts so it can be clearer. I enjoy the part of feeling that someone is actually reading my writings.
Knowledge of Conventions
Thanks to the course of ENG101 I have improved my grammar, punctuation, and spelling in English. Also I learned more vocabulary because when I did not know how to say something in English I had to look in the dictionary, or find synonyms to make my essay less repetitive. A peer’s review told me that my essay was really good but I have to put attention on my grammar, so I had to revise my draft and edit what I thought was incorrect.
The outcome of “Process” is what I suffer and enjoy the most, because we have to write more than I imagine when I first sign to the course ENG101. At first, when I took a look to the rubrics and descriptions of the Writing Projects, I get a little bit scared because I thought I will not be so inspired that I can actually write many words, but all the material that were included week by week helped me a lot to my process of writing. The part that I like the most from the process of writing is to receive feedback, because it makes me realize that I have a real audience and what I am writing matters to someone. Some peers did not write a lot of feedback (like me in the first Writing Project), but others really made an effort and took the time to gave me their points of view, and to told me how can I improve my piece of writing. Sometimes is difficult to me to accept that I am not doing things right with my writing but after that feeling is gone, I reread what my peers told me in their feedback and I go back to my piece and see it with another eyes: my audience’s eyes. I have to say that in both projects I revised my work having in mind my peers’ comments and edit some parts so it can be clearer. I enjoy the part of feeling that someone is actually reading my writings.
Knowledge of Conventions
Thanks to the course of ENG101 I have improved my grammar, punctuation, and spelling in English. Also I learned more vocabulary because when I did not know how to say something in English I had to look in the dictionary, or find synonyms to make my essay less repetitive. A peer’s review told me that my essay was really good but I have to put attention on my grammar, so I had to revise my draft and edit what I thought was incorrect.
Engagement and Processes
When I read what the course was going to be about, I knew for sure that I will have to spend some time to work on my writings. For that moment, I was engaged and committed to the course ENG101. Sometimes I have the feeling that I am not going to have the time to finish all the Writing Journals and Writing Projects that we were asked to, but I really made an effort to complete every section. That is for me what the word engagement means, and for me is the most important because if you really want to learn you have to invest something: time, money, energy, etc. This engagement with the course helped me in the process of learning, because I have to practice too much to write all the works I was required. Also engaged with my peer students by reading their essays and giving them prompt feedback. I know for sure, that if I can, everyone willing to learn to write, also can. Is a matter of practice, involvement, and engagement. It does not matter how difficult it is, if it is in another language or at first is not understandable, because as I am engage in the course, there are other people like me that is engaged and can help me in the way to achieve my goal.
My Actual and Future Writing
Academic Projects
I think ENG101 is helping me to learn the process of how to write an essay, so it can be useful to me if I want to write a paper or other academic projects. The steps we have to follow like making a draft, then ask others to read our work and give us feedback, and then revise it and make some editing are going to be very useful with my future writing.
Professional Projects
For my next professional projects, I think ENG101 helped me to get noticed of my audience and that we have to insert multimodal elements on our writing, so every people with different abilities can understand what I am trying to tell. I think this part is very important and enriches our writing. Every person learns in a different way, and persons that are more visual enjoys to see images, and videos related to the writing.
Personal Projects
ENG101 taught me a lot of the learning process, and I think it is going to be very helpful for my personal projects, because one of my goals is to write a book, and this course for me is the beginning of it. I know I have to learn more and practice too much but this is my beginning. In Writing Project #2, which I like too much, I had to observe very carefully everything in the surroundings of a community and not only took field notes but I had to develop my critical thinking by analyzing the patterns of them to know the reason of why they are in that place and why does it makes us a community or to be part of something.
When I read what the course was going to be about, I knew for sure that I will have to spend some time to work on my writings. For that moment, I was engaged and committed to the course ENG101. Sometimes I have the feeling that I am not going to have the time to finish all the Writing Journals and Writing Projects that we were asked to, but I really made an effort to complete every section. That is for me what the word engagement means, and for me is the most important because if you really want to learn you have to invest something: time, money, energy, etc. This engagement with the course helped me in the process of learning, because I have to practice too much to write all the works I was required. Also engaged with my peer students by reading their essays and giving them prompt feedback. I know for sure, that if I can, everyone willing to learn to write, also can. Is a matter of practice, involvement, and engagement. It does not matter how difficult it is, if it is in another language or at first is not understandable, because as I am engage in the course, there are other people like me that is engaged and can help me in the way to achieve my goal.
My Actual and Future Writing
Academic Projects
I think ENG101 is helping me to learn the process of how to write an essay, so it can be useful to me if I want to write a paper or other academic projects. The steps we have to follow like making a draft, then ask others to read our work and give us feedback, and then revise it and make some editing are going to be very useful with my future writing.
Professional Projects
For my next professional projects, I think ENG101 helped me to get noticed of my audience and that we have to insert multimodal elements on our writing, so every people with different abilities can understand what I am trying to tell. I think this part is very important and enriches our writing. Every person learns in a different way, and persons that are more visual enjoys to see images, and videos related to the writing.
Personal Projects
ENG101 taught me a lot of the learning process, and I think it is going to be very helpful for my personal projects, because one of my goals is to write a book, and this course for me is the beginning of it. I know I have to learn more and practice too much but this is my beginning. In Writing Project #2, which I like too much, I had to observe very carefully everything in the surroundings of a community and not only took field notes but I had to develop my critical thinking by analyzing the patterns of them to know the reason of why they are in that place and why does it makes us a community or to be part of something.
This course helped me on my way to become a writer, because it taught me step by step how to make an essay, to know my audience, how to observe and take field notes, and much more. Before the course began, I thought that it was going to be difficult for me to write in English because I speak it occasionally, but I am not used to write it, only when I was in school and too much years have passed since then. But with a lot of help in my way (essays we had to write, questions we had to answer and discussions we had to join) and too much practice, now I think I took another step to become a better writer, or maybe to begin to be. That is why I think every person can write if they practice and practice and we give it a try, although at first we only can write some phrases or we are not inspired. If you really want to and you are willing to spend some time on it, you can become a writer too.
WRITING PROJECT 3: A THEORY OF WRITING
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
A “theory” is a system of explanation, a particular way of thinking that helps to explain phenomena in the world. As writers learn, work, and grow, many of us find it helpful to construct a “theory of writing”: a description of what we understand writing to be and how our own writing practices have worked in the past, currently work, and might work in the future.
For your third project—and as an important part of your final e-portfolio—you will have the opportunity to construct your own theory of writing as a way of helping you to chart, analyze, and enrich your own writing. This theory should be developed from your literacy practices throughout the course and beyond.
In this short essay, you will reflect on your development as a reader, writer, and critical thinker and explain how your learning has led you to a specific theory of writing. Your theory should be informed by your literacy practices and the learning outcomes of the course. It should also suggest how your prior experiences with writing will prepare you for successful engagement in future personal, academic, professional, and civic occasions for writing. Your reflection and theory of writing should be supported by concrete evidence (i.e. quotes, examples, screen shots, anecdotes, and/or other examples) from your own work and composing practices.
Requirements and Deliverables
1. Your essay should include a thesis that makes a claim about what you understand the act of writing to be, and your essay should be organized in such a way that a reader can follow your thinking and reasoning from paragraph to paragraph and within each paragraph.
2. Your theory of writing should illustrate your current struggles, accomplishments, and abilities as a reader, writer, and critical thinker.
3. Your essay should relate your writing and your writing process to one bullet point of each of the four outcome areas of the “WPA Outcomes Statement” (i.e. “Rhetorical Knowledge,” “Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing,” etc.). Additionally, you should discuss how you used one of the Habits of Mind from the “Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing” to achieve one or more of the WPA Outcomes.
4. You should support your claims about writing with specific and concrete references to your own work (i.e. notes, process work, passages from your essays, project reflections, Writer’s Journals, feedback on your peer's work, etc.). This support might take the form of quotes, screenshots, excerpts, narrated examples, peer reviews, anecdotes, etc.
5. Within your essay, you should not merely provide support; instead, you should explain what your support is support for and how that support works. In other words, as you offer evidence to your readers, make sure you explain what that evidence is meant to demonstrate or prove to them.
6. Your theory of writing should conclude by suggesting how your growth as a reader, writer, and critical thinker throughout first-year composition prepares you for future personal, academic, and professional writing and research projects.
7. You should include 2-3 multimodal elements such as photographs, hyperlinks to relevant materials, and so forth. You must make sure your reader understands why you are including these elements and why including them enriches your piece of writing. Since you will be making concrete references to your previous work, these multimodal elements could be the same multimodal elements that appeared in your other writing projects or assignments.
8. Your completed essay should have a title and be approximately 1700 words in length.
PROJECT SUBMISSION - PART 1
Upon completing your first draft of Writing Project #1, do the following:
1. Add your draft to your portfolio, and publish it to the web.
2. In the first space provided, copy and paste the rough draft web address (URL) into the Peer Assessment assignment provided below.
BACKGROUND AND OVERVIEW
A “theory” is a system of explanation, a particular way of thinking that helps to explain phenomena in the world. As writers learn, work, and grow, many of us find it helpful to construct a “theory of writing”: a description of what we understand writing to be and how our own writing practices have worked in the past, currently work, and might work in the future.
For your third project—and as an important part of your final e-portfolio—you will have the opportunity to construct your own theory of writing as a way of helping you to chart, analyze, and enrich your own writing. This theory should be developed from your literacy practices throughout the course and beyond.
In this short essay, you will reflect on your development as a reader, writer, and critical thinker and explain how your learning has led you to a specific theory of writing. Your theory should be informed by your literacy practices and the learning outcomes of the course. It should also suggest how your prior experiences with writing will prepare you for successful engagement in future personal, academic, professional, and civic occasions for writing. Your reflection and theory of writing should be supported by concrete evidence (i.e. quotes, examples, screen shots, anecdotes, and/or other examples) from your own work and composing practices.
Requirements and Deliverables
1. Your essay should include a thesis that makes a claim about what you understand the act of writing to be, and your essay should be organized in such a way that a reader can follow your thinking and reasoning from paragraph to paragraph and within each paragraph.
2. Your theory of writing should illustrate your current struggles, accomplishments, and abilities as a reader, writer, and critical thinker.
3. Your essay should relate your writing and your writing process to one bullet point of each of the four outcome areas of the “WPA Outcomes Statement” (i.e. “Rhetorical Knowledge,” “Critical Thinking, Reading, and Composing,” etc.). Additionally, you should discuss how you used one of the Habits of Mind from the “Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing” to achieve one or more of the WPA Outcomes.
4. You should support your claims about writing with specific and concrete references to your own work (i.e. notes, process work, passages from your essays, project reflections, Writer’s Journals, feedback on your peer's work, etc.). This support might take the form of quotes, screenshots, excerpts, narrated examples, peer reviews, anecdotes, etc.
5. Within your essay, you should not merely provide support; instead, you should explain what your support is support for and how that support works. In other words, as you offer evidence to your readers, make sure you explain what that evidence is meant to demonstrate or prove to them.
6. Your theory of writing should conclude by suggesting how your growth as a reader, writer, and critical thinker throughout first-year composition prepares you for future personal, academic, and professional writing and research projects.
7. You should include 2-3 multimodal elements such as photographs, hyperlinks to relevant materials, and so forth. You must make sure your reader understands why you are including these elements and why including them enriches your piece of writing. Since you will be making concrete references to your previous work, these multimodal elements could be the same multimodal elements that appeared in your other writing projects or assignments.
8. Your completed essay should have a title and be approximately 1700 words in length.
PROJECT SUBMISSION - PART 1
Upon completing your first draft of Writing Project #1, do the following:
1. Add your draft to your portfolio, and publish it to the web.
2. In the first space provided, copy and paste the rough draft web address (URL) into the Peer Assessment assignment provided below.