...Writing 101: My Trials and Tribulations Writing 101 As my first English college course nears its end, I can’t help but be proud of the minor yet significant improvements I have made throughout the last eight weeks. I enrolled in WRTG 101S to meet my general education requirements, but also to refresh my reading and writing skills, as it provides the foundation for most other college courses. When I began WRTG 101S, I was uneasy with the quality of my research, formatting, and writing; now I am confident in my ability to produce well-written literature. Over the past eight weeks, I have learned much about the writing process and the importance of prewriting, writing, and revising to ensure a quality end product. Since being introduced to college writing and the writing process during a conference assignment in week one, I have applied these skills to all of my writing projects, which have yielded successful results. These steps allow me to progress through any writing assignment in an organized and efficient manner. This process was especially helpful in the cause and effect essay. This was the first essay I had completed in 10 years, since graduating high school. I was very anxious and nervous about the assignment since I had not written academic pieces in quite some time. Honestly, I still become anxious when approached with any type of writing assignment. This is due to my desire to excel in all that I encounter. I now, however, feel more at ease in knowing that I have specific...
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...WRTG 101 Final Project: Reflective Essay Introduction: Now that you are nearing the completion of WRTG 101, you have reached a time when it can be useful to you to reflect and evaluate your learning experience. In a fast-paced course such as this one, you have worked hard and quickly to complete your assignments according to the instructions given to you. Now is the opportunity for you to consider the experiences you had had in writing throughout this course and how those experiences might be useful to you in future courses. This assignment asks you to reflect and consider the work you have done, how successfully you feel you have completed it, and how the skills and strategies you have learned in completing this work may help you in your future studies. Since this assignment is reflective and self-evaluating, using “I, me, my” should be acceptable as you write this essay. The Assignment: This assignment calls for you to write an essay of 800-1000 words, double spaced. The essay should have the following academic essay elements: 1) a clear introduction, body, and conclusion 2) a clearly identifiable thesis statement in the introduction 3) evidence based upon your recollections and any material from the course (whether from the texts, the online resources, the course modules, the feedback to drafts, or the conference topics) that you might find relevant to mention in your discussion Length: 800-1000 words Possible approaches for the reflective essay...
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...When I began the WRTG 101 class, I was self-assured that I already possessed the basic skills needed to successfully write essays for my lower level courses. I had already taken a 364-level behavioral science class through the University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and did well on the writing assignments included in the course work. Because of my success in those previous writing assignments, I was confident that I would not learn a great deal more from an introductory writing course. However, as I reflect back on my experiences from WRTG 101, I am left humbled by the amount of material I was still able to learn from a beginner’s writing course. Not only did the class hone my writing skills further, I also learned how to effectively use UMUC’s library search tool and I improved my critical...
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...Before I took the class ENG 101, I struggled so much with writing. From sending simple emails to people, to sending texts to my children, I had always had a hard time collecting my thoughts and writing them down. I did not think I learned very much from this class, yet I was expecting it to be very difficult for me. Because of my origin, my native language is not English. When I speak, my thoughts usually come to me in Amharic, my native language. It used to be so challenging for me to speak English because I would mix up the two languages, but because of all the writing exercises and assignments, we’d had to do this semester, I don’t struggle with that anymore. ENG 101 completely changed the way I see the English language and writing. The first class I took at Shelton State was Basic English. Taking that class significantly improved the way I spoke English, but it did not do a lot to help my writing skills. This semester I signed up for ENG 101 hoping to improve my reading and writing skills. When I started the class, my expectations were pretty high. I wanted all A’s and to be a great writer, but most of...
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...experience. I have learned a lot academically, about myself, and about life in general. As I progressed though the year my viewpoints had changed. I had many new experiences that broadened my horizon. My classes opened me up to knowledge I could apply to my life, that I found interesting, and benefitted me. I learned a lot about myself, including what I want out of my college experience, and what my passion is. Despite the numerous papers, multitudes of exams, tremendous amount of course work, and athletics I believe I have done well. One of the many demanding classes this semester was English 101. In this rigorous course, students were asked to gain rhetorical knowledge, engage in critical writing, perform research writing, and improve their style and grammar. These goals are closely related to those of the WPA Outcomes published by the Council of Writing Program Administrators. The WPA...
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...for me in communication. I have had many difficult times speaking and understanding English when talking to others. Writing an essay was almost impossible for me to think of. Realizing how difficult it was to experience these linguistic difficulties, I then decided to go back to school to improve my English skills. Therefore, English became especially essential for me to succeed in my educational goals. I was determined to earn an Associate’s degree then transfer to a university for a Bachelor’s degree. I started going to ESL classes and studied English very hard to make progress in my speaking, reading and writing skills. After spending one year in ESL classes, I qualified for English 43. I learned lots of grammar and how to write paragraphs efficiently during these classes. I noticed that writing an essay was more challenging when I got into English 49. However, since then I’ve learned how to write a five-paragraph argumentative essay which was one of my weaknesses in academic writings. I have made a lot of progress in writing skills since I started studying English 49. I now think that I’m ready to go on to English 101 due to the fact that I have learned useful strategies to follow a writing process and develop coherent paragraphs effectively. A writing process is the most important step that I learned in this class. First of all, before writing a complete essay, I need to come up with the pre-writing which consists of free writing and brainstorming. I found this step essential...
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...I was pretty nervous being a fairly new college student going into my second semester of college and taking my second English class. I had many different thoughts going through my mind of what to expect. I was apprehensive, but I was ready to take on the challenge. I knew that I needed to strengthen my English skills, and was hoping this class would help. It is okay if you are feeling nervous and scared, it’s normal. College is a very scary thing, especially if you feel you are not prepared for the courses. I feel as if English is one of my worst subjects because I have trouble comprehending and writing grammatically correct. I feel as if my high school English classes may have not prepared me enough for college. College English classes are not extremely hard if you stay on top of your work at all times. I did not have trouble writing my essays; however, I did have trouble when it came to proofreading my work. Now that I have successfully completed English 101 and 102 I feel that I have learned how to improve my writing skills, research skills, and I feel confident in any future writings....
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...My experiences in reading and writing have always been highly appreciated by my peers. I never believed reading and writing could become something so highly thought of in the future from the first steps of learning in preschool. In ninth grade, my reading and writing capabilities matched twelfth graders on my school entry level exams. I’ve never been told what my level of reading and writing skills were after finishing twelfth grade. My experiences in English 101 have told me the better of what my capabilities are. I’ve seen my skills develop with analyzation and multi-complex discussion through the use of group discussion and developing a conversation with authors. I believe my reading and writing has improved over the course of English 101 from practicing reading responses, participating in small group...
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...I am among those who neither had high expectations nor thought this class would be enjoyable. When looking at DegreeWorks for classes and seeing English 101 and 102, I was puzzled with the reason behind the courses; however, as the course is coming to a close, I realize the reason behind the courses- to broaden my thoughts on how to elevate my writing to a new standard. When thinking about how good of a writer I am, I have never thought of myself as a good writer, since there is always some improvement that can be made, though I think my greatest strength as a writer is my willingness to accept criticism to improve my writing and become a better writer. My greatest weakness in writing papers in my thesis, where it is difficult for me to relate my information back to my thesis and change my traditional way to create theses that would better fit with the academic lifestyle. Throughout this course, I believe I have developed as a writer, learning that there is no set way to write a...
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...David Pope Mr. Grant English 101 June 11, 2013 An educated person does not need good writing and speaking skills. Most people would argue that one needs to be able to write and speak well in order to be educated. However, these people are not looking at the word educated objectively. The mere definition of educated is simply: having an education; especially: having an education beyond the average. This simple definition does not prove that one does not need good writing and speaking skills. In fact, it raises more questions on the subject. What is the definition of education? Does one need good writing and speaking skills to have an education? The answer as shown above is no. Objectively, education can be defined as the following: the imparting and acquiring of knowledge through teaching and learning, especially at a school or similar institution; the knowledge or abilities gained through being educated; training and instruction in a particular subject. If education is training and instruction in a particular subject that would mean being educated would be having training and instruction in a particular subject. An example of this could be the job of a carpenter. A carpenter may go to a trade school. At this trade school he will learn Geometry, English, and will also receive hands on training in the basics of carpentry. By taking these classes he has become educated in each one of these. Because he was educated in English 101 he learned how to speak and write properly...
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...MJ Simmons 101 10/31/2011 Simmons 101 Midterm (risking topic) Freshman year to senior year I taught first graders about Judaism and the Hebrew alphabet every Sunday at my synagogue in Plano Texas. By doing that, it made me realize that I wanted to pursue in teaching. But what was I going to do after senior year? Stay in Dallas so I could still work at my synagogue or venture out and see what else there was out there that could hopefully teach me new things and help me learn new things while in a classroom. I knew that if I wanted to pursue in teaching I needed to go out and learn new things in different communities. Growing up in Dallas Texas I was not in a diverse community. I went to a private Jewish day school from the age of 2 to 18. It was all I knew of because that was where I grew up. But when it came time to apply to college I decided to broaden my choices and go far away from home. I decided in the end that I did not want to leave my family because they were who took care of me. They were who helped me grow up to be who I am. So Boston was where I decided to go. Here I have my brother, grandmother, uncle, aunt, and three little cousins. So Boston is my home away from home. But what was I going to become a part of. Back home I knew what I was doing. I had a job that lasted 4 years, but what now? I wanted to make the most out of my time at Simmons but I did not know how. As a freshman in a new atmosphere I did not know whom to ask about what to get involved...
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...Essay 1 Writing Experiences My Writing Experiences 101 Ebony Harris Freshman Composition 1010-004 Cherrlyn Eller 2/6/2012 My Writing Experiences 101 Writing can be an intimidating task if you are not equipped with the knowledge and techniques to write a successful well-structured paper. More importantly in order to excel at any craft it takes practice and critique to make anyone an established writer. As an economics major and accounting minor, formal papers, essays and exerts are expected of me to write. These types of papers include research working papers that illustrate results based around a thesis. Through my college career I’ve had a lot of experience writing working papers , as well as evaluation papers based off of sample working papers I’ve read and expressed my stance. In this essay I will illustrate what experiences I’ve had in the past with writing and highlight any strengths and weaknesses I’ve experienced in each area. In many of my economic courses a lot of our topics of discussion were based on theory and evidence to support a writer’s research. For instance my instructor Alexander Padilla challenged his classes to read many working papers and write what our thoughts and educated opinions concerning the publications were. A lot of times he challenged our intellect by discussing more controversial subjects which initially were not in my comfort zone but highlighted many social phenomena’s our society faces today. For instance we read an article published...
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...THOMAS AQUINAS Introduction Saint Thomas Aquinas is one of the most famous saints of the Catholic Church. He is called a 'Doctor of the Church' and was a theologian, and philosopher. His parents sent him to a monastery when he was five years old and his teachers were surprised by how quickly he learned and his great faith. But when Thomas announced that he wanted to become a Dominican, his family tried to stop him. His brothers captured him and locked him up in a castle. His mother, sister and brothers kept him there for two years. Thomas was a very big man with a kind and humble manner. Because he didn't talk very much, people thought he was stupid and therefore called him 'the ox.' When they heard him preach, however, everyone realized how wise Thomas really was. After he became a priest, Thomas studied in Paris and taught at universities in many cities of Europe. He wrote more than 40 books and several beautiful hymns. All of his work praises God and helped many people understand faith better. At the end of his life, Saint Thomas stopped writing and he had a vision of Heaven. Because of this experience, Thomas decided that compared to the great glory of God, his writing was 'like straw.' Three months later, on his way to see the Pope, he died. Thomas Aquinas’ Early Life and Eduacation He was born in Italy in 1225, the son of a count. When he was five years old, his parents send him to study with the Benedictines of Monte Casino. There, and later at the university...
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...University Studies/101 Date: November 7, 2013 Instructor: Nickie Karcher How Introduction to University Studies Has Helped Prepare Me Academically & Professionally Over the length of this course I have learned many things that will help me succeed both in my studies and in the career I have chosen. I have learned how to manage my time and decrease my stress. I learned how to use critical thinking to solve problems effectively. I have also learned ways to improve my writing skills. These are just some example of the skills that I was taught, but I learned much more. This class was just a step on my journey to receive a higher education. A higher education will help me make a better future for my family and provide me with the training to be successful. It also helps to expand my mind and better myself confidence. Time & Stress Management Since starting my online classes I have realized the importance of using my time wisely. Through class discussion I have seen how other students have some of the same problems I have come across while dealing with a busy schedule and trying to balance school at the same time. These class discussions have brought up many ideas that will help me manage my time and in doing this I am managing my stress too. I have learned not to wait to the last minute to start my assignments. Doing this allows me time to review my work and correct what I might have overlooked. I can use this skill professionally as well. If I do not wait to...
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... What’s my present situation? (I wish I had this step-by-step process the last couple of weeks when I was faced with decisions I was unsure of. I do not have any current situations, so I will use one from the first week of school.) As I have stated, I am returning back to school after 15 years, plus I have two young boys and a partner. I also volunteered helping a neighbor with his children after recently losing his wife. However, I had already enrolled into three online classes in order to fulfill the 13 credit requirement for full financial aid. I enrolled into English 101, Statistics and HDEV105. Within the first two days...
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