First-Year Composition Analysis

Some specific examples of content students consistently don’t seem to be having are reading comprehension, analytical skills, and writing skills. One reason students lack these skills is because, according to a survey conducted by The Chronicle of Higher Education (2006), “61% of high school teachers reported that their students have never written a paper that was more than five pages. As a result, students have not had enough practice to develop a set of sophisticated writing

When registering for this class, a wave of worry ran through me, because I had minimal skill when it came to writing, particularly in the field of formal writing. The high school I attended was academically poor, we never wrote formal papers, just informal book and movie responses. Therefore I was apprehensive about this class. This course was quite intricate, but I attend skills that will aid me for the rest of my academic career. Rhetorical knowledge, critical inquiry, process, and conventions are all concepts I have acquired.

English 102 through the Alabama Early College Program has taught me the importance of writing skills. When I first began online classes for English, I quickly started learning techniques that I needed to keep up throughout the semester. Each assignment and essay is due at midnight, therefore starting or finishing an assignment early allows the writer enough time to turn in the assignment. Throughout the five modules, I have learned how to write an argument and rhetorical analysis, conduct research and write an exploratory essay. In each module, I learned writing techniques and skills that I never knew before.

Throughout the course of one’s education, the importance of reading and writing is emphasized very early on. Children learn to recognize and construct letters of the alphabet before grade school even begins. Kindergarten is where the first stages of word development start and from that point forward, the rules of writing are given emphasis. From simple guidelines such as the difference between nouns and verbs to more complex theories including rhetorical strategies and proper essay formatting, students are expected to keep up with the new levels of writing year by year and not one person misses out. As a student that has been in the public school system since the beginning, my writing experience has been extensive, full of countless rules and guidelines, and highly criticized, but could always use some more work.

In the fall semester of 2015, my English Composition 1 class with 3 classes-per-week started. To conduct this paper I will briefly describe me. I am a freshman with the major of Petroleum Engineering. This information is relevant, in fact, because I will compare my expected major writing and the writing I am using right now. In a way to introduce me to future academic writings, the course of English Composition 1, indeed, has taught me important skills that can help me cope for future non-major required courses for me and in some aspects of my major.

Transitioning from high school to college can be overwhelming. Before English 1301, I did not worry about preparing for college. I quickly realized that my little background in writing essays was not enough for college courses. Writing is not just a skill that I will need for English classes. In college, I will have to use effective writing skills in all my classes to complete research papers, essay tests and communicate with professors.

The University of Alabama’s graduate program in Composition and Rhetoric would allow me to reach my goals in becoming an English teacher within the community college system. As a non-traditional student my journey to higher education started at a community college. I quickly noticed that where college students in that system struggled the most was when it came to their skills in writing. The students lacked any direction or foundation on how to write properly and effectively. Because of this deficit in their skill set

This past year in English has been rewarding and self-fulfilling. I entered the year as a new and improved Poppers in writing essays. A glance at my first paper- an essay on Ender's Game- and my last one in 9th grade, the This I Believe essay, is a great example of the incredible differences in my writing which quickly improved as a freshman. However, entering sophomore year I was struck with the false belief that I was done learning about how to write and that from then on would just be about gaining more experience. How wrong I was.

Over the course of the semester, my main goal was to become a more precise writer and develop my identity as a writer. According too, the Portfolio Letter assignment sheet, becoming a better writer consists of precise planning, draft and revising. It also includes understanding a variety of academic genres by examining the basic characteristics that defines each type. In order too efficiently meet my goal of becoming a better writer, it was very important to have my work evaluated by others and myself as well. The use of rhetorical knowledge, critical thinking, reading and writing all are the important aspects in this course.

The first Course Learning Outcome I achieved occurred during my first essay, the Reflective Narrative, was “Reflect upon and describe the development of your composing practices”. When writing my first draft, I sat down and thought of all the details of the day I worked as a beverage deliveryman. Upon the

This class helped me change my writing style. I have a habit of making my writing very personable. When I’m reading a story, I love being able to feel emotion through the words but what I realized is that not everything that is written is a story. That is something I never considered before.

He encourages his readers to engage in the text, explore connections and extend the critical context.        " Good thinking, like good writing and good reading, is an intensely social activity.

Writing essays and other types of posts has always been difficult for me. But, throughout this composition class, I have learned many interesting and new things about the different types of writing styles. When starting this class, I considered myself to be an average writer with run-of-the-mill vocabulary, ordinary sentence structure and typical finished products. This class has helped me greatly improve my writing skills in a variety of ways. I have learned multiple things by taking this class, such as new ways to approach writing and that there is much that I still need to learn about composition.

My Writing Experience In previous courses, my writing skills have been mediocre or just enough to pass the class. Throughout the duration of this course, I have written a variety of papers using different techniques and skills. Previously I would write assuming that the only audience would be my instructor. This course has helped me realize that there are many steps and skills involved with writing a well-organized and easy to comprehend essay.

References Van Gelder,T.( 2004) “Teaching Critical thinking: Lessons from cognitive