Self-Assessment Essay
Throughout the semester, we’ve done various assignments that have helped me both improve my skills as a writer and reader. At first, I came into this class unsure about my abilities, as it was a while after I stopped writing and reading in my free time. We started off the year with our first assignment, the Language & Literacy narrative. We were supposed to write about a time that impacted our language and literacy development, and I chose to write about my experience with reading and writing throughout my childhood and adolescent years. There was both a written and spoken part which both helped me get more comfortable with peer reviews and with sharing my language and literacy experience, which was very personal and sentimental for not only me but for my classmates who also shared their stories. This helped me “examine how attitudes towards linguistic standards empower and oppress language users” in both my own life and my classmates.
Later in Phase 2, we were assigned a research essay that we were supposed to cite with 8 sources. We started by brainstorming on an argumentative topic and stance to take and how to support it with scholarly, cited sources. es. This was new to me, and I learned how to properly cite a source in MLA format and understanding how to properly quote without plagiarism. Although despite all the things I learned, I did struggle to come up with a topic that I was interested in researching. I chose marijuana because it’s something that sounds interesting to me and is widely known across the globe. Overall, in Phase 2 I learned how to “locate research sources (including academic journal articles, magazine and newspaper articles) in the library’s databases or archives and on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias”.
In Phase 3, I had to create a rhetorical analysis essay containing both a rhetorical text and a rhetorical analysis. For the rhetorical text I struggled a bit to incorporate pathos into it and it did give me challenges in my writing process. But eventually I was able to overcome it with helpful insights from my peers and Ms.Nguyen, and it helped me “recognize and practice key rhetorical terms and strategies when engaged in writing situations”.
Overall, I have throughout the whole semester in English 110 I have learned how to “develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing”. With helpful peer review, revising, editing, and learning rhetorical strategies and appeals that could help further strengthen my writing, I feel like this semester has drastically improved my writing. I also feel like not only has it improved my literacy and writing skills, but also it’s made me more conscious of the importance of time management and organization when it comes to school. It’s better to communicate with your teachers and professors instead of waiting last minute to see what you can do to help yourself.
