Required Journal Entry 1: Me, A Writer?
Attitude: After reading Chapters 1 and 2 in your textbook, describe your attitude toward completing this course. As part of the description, explore how your feelings about being required to take a composition course may affect your performance inaccomplishing the course objectives. (1 paragraph, 6 sentences) Inventory: As part of this assignment, you’ll take the Learning Inventory quiz starting on page 32 in your textbook. Explain what you learned about yourself as a writer working through the inventory exercise. Discuss two ways you want to improve as a writer and why. (1 paragraph, 6 sentences)
The ways I would like to improve as a writer include having better grammar and improving my spelling and use of vocabulary. The ways I plan to improve my grammar include reading more books and reading more books that concern grammar and the proper use of grammar. I also plan to go on the Internet to find out proper grammar usage and ways on improving my grammar through grammar exercises. In order to improve my spelling and use of vocabulary I also plan to read more books, as well as do Internet exercises to improve my spelling and vocabulary. I also have the goal of reading the dictionary in the hopes of improving my vocabulary. These are the ways I plan to improve my grammar, spelling and vocabulary.
Required Journal Entry 2: Correctness in Writing
As you complete this assignment on writing correct sentences, consider the importance of correctness in writing. How do errors in grammar, spelling, and punctuation affect the relationship between the writer and the reader of an essay? What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer? (2 paragraphs, 5–7 sentences for each question)
It is very important to have correct sentences in writing because errors in grammar, spelling and punctuation affect the understanding that the writer will impart onto their reader. Errors in grammar can cause a misunderstanding because the writer could have intended to state one thing and the reader will understand something else. Errors in spelling may have the reader think that the completely different word was the meaning of the writing and the writer did not intend to communicate this mistaken message. Errors in punctuation can do the same where a misplaced comma, colon, apostrophe, etc. can cause misunderstandings for the reader in what the writer is writing. For all of these reasons above it is very important to have correct sentences in writing.
My strengths and weaknesses as a writer include that I am not always perfect with my grammar, spelling and punctuation, however I am always willing to learn new things about correct writing to improve and strengthen my writing. As mentioned previously I would like to read the dictionary so I can improve on my vocabulary in writing. I would also like to do Internet exercises to improve my grammar, spelling and vocabulary, as well as punctuation. I also practice writing every chance that I receive and I keep a journal that I write in every chance I have. All these ways I am working to strengthen myself as a writer.
Required Journal Entry 3: Prewriting and Thesis Statement
Brainstorm: Review the description of brainstorming in your textbook on page 111. Then write a list of all the social media and social networking websites and apps you might use to connect with friends and family and to meet people. Respond: What are some differences among the sites you listed? How would you categorize them? (1 paragraph, 5 sentences) Write a thesis statement: Review “Writing an Effective Thesis Statement” on pages 122–124 in your textbook. Then follow those guidelines to write an effective thesis statement based on the types of social media using the ideas you developed in the Brainstorm and Respond sections of this journal entry. Reflect: Explain the position you’ve taken in your thesis statement and identify the items from your brainstorming list or categories that you believe will best support your position. (1 paragraph, 5 sentences)
Social media and social networking websites are a great way to meet new people and to also connect with new people, as well as to keep in touch with people that you have met face-to-face, however with our busy lives do not always have time to spend with. Three sites in particular which are effective towards my thesis as examples are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. With Facebook it is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends, even family and friends who live all over the world. With Twitter, it is a great way to share with a wide network of contacts that you have information or news that is of interest to you – Twitter is great for online conversations. With LinkedIn, it is a resource that is particularly good for work and professional connections and could help me with employment opportunities. Social media and social networking websites are a great way to meet new people and to also connect with new people, as well as keep in touch with people that you have met face-to-face for all of the reasons mentioned previously.
Required Journal Entry 4: Organizing and Drafting
Organize/Outline: Using your thesis statement and evidence from Journal Entry 3, select a method of organization from your textbook on pages 140–143. Choose one of the graphic organizers or formal outlines to organize your evidence so that it supports the position you take in your thesis statement in the most effective way possible. Include your outline in your journal. Reflect: Explain why you chose this particular method of organization over the other possibilities. Why do you believe it’s the most effective way to present your topic to your audience? (1 paragraph, 6 sentences) view full
The method that I chose to take for organizing my thesis statement was the hamburger paragraph. I believe that this organization method is effective is because the gives the reader the information of what will be coming in the paragraph from the sentence. Then the body of the paragraph includes the meat, or the examples that support your thesis statement. Once this is done, I restated my thesis statement to remind the reader of what I was discussing and what my thesis statement is. I do believe that the method of the hamburger paragraph is one of the best ways to present a thesis statement.
Required Journal Entry 5: Revising
This journal entry requires you to review the rough draft of the essay that follows. As you analyze the draft according to each of the areas listed, identify what needs revision. For each area, explain why and how you would change the draft. (4 paragraphs, 5 sentences each) Analyze the essay’s ■ Purpose and audience—Can you clearly identify the audience and the purpose of the essay? ■ Thesis statement, topic sentences, and paragraphs—Is there a clear thesis statement? Are there paragraphs with topic sentences? ■ Evidence—Has the author provided enough evidence to support the main idea of the essay? ■ Organization—Are the author’s points organized well enough for a reader to follow easily? Rough Draft: Email vs. Letters Instead of using emails, mail a letter to your grandparents, an aunt or uncle, or another role model who’s older than you are. We live in a fast-paced world. We use computers to send emails and instant messages. Some, though, don’t live in that time zone. Forget all the fonts, emoticons, and abbreviations like LOL. You point and click, but some people want to hold something, unwrap a letter, and smell it. A crayoned picture smells and feels special; no scanner can do that. People’s senses want to be used. We live in a physical world, not a digital one. People can touch something that’s mailed. Sometimes it’s as if touching the ink or pencil on paper helps them touch the writer. A picture can be held and used in so many ways. For example, I get to see how my grandkids’ handwriting is changing as they grow. I know how they feel just from the way they write the words. A letter gives someone the real thing. A letter exists in time and space. Even if someone emails you regularly, the surprise of a mailed letter provides something to cherish rather than to be deleted. Of course, family and friends may like getting through the Internet a photograph of you on the day of a special event. However, a printed photograph can be put into an album or used for a bookmark or posted on the refrigerator for regular review. They don’t have to worry about color cartridges or paper because you’ve given them what they need in the mail. Though they may have a hard time reading your handwriting, a letter is a tangible way to remind them that you care enough to take the time and effort to communicate with them and them alone. The convenience and efficiency of computers can’t be matched by regular postal service. However, they sometimes bleep and blurp in a frustrating conversation, one that older persons can’t always hear or understand. One wrong click here and another there can mean mass destruction. They may get a paper cut from your letter, but even sucking on a finger while reading makes their experience more memorable and satisfying. The cut heals; the letter remains alive..
The purpose and audience of the essay’s draft is primarily for young people to use more traditional technology to communicate with older people. I think the writer does a very good job by helping the audience understand that a letter would be more effective and more meaningful to senior people. What I think the author does not do enough of is to engage the audience into understanding that by connecting with older people through letters, it is also good for them and answering the question: “what is in it for them?” The author focuses more on how it would benefit the senior person, which may not be the most effective way for promoting the change he or she wants. Although I do think the author does a good job, I believe the author could do more to engage young people to have a more effective impact on their audience.
The thesis statement of the draft is clear. The author states it in the first line where he feels that letters are better than email for communicating with older people. He does this well and fills his draft with a number of strong examples, talking about crayons and pictures, as well as the power of paper. The author does do a good job to state his thesis. I am persuaded by the author’s thesis.
The author has provided enough evidence for the draft. He discusses that grandparents are more from the generation where they are used to paper and he does not need to go into a lot of detail to express this. He discusses crayons and pictures and how an older person can see how the younger person’s writing has changed over the years. He also uses a powerful statement such as saying that by holding the paper it is almost like holding the person who has written it. He or she uses a lot of good examples and/or evidence. Yes, the author uses strong evidence to support their thesis.
The author is fairly well organized in their presentation of their draft. It is a draft so it could be organized better. The thesis statement at the beginning could be expanded on so the reader does not get the impression from the first sentence that this is only an essay concerning emails and letters. It takes more time for the reader to read further into the essay to understand exactly what the author is getting it. It could be organized better.
Required Journal Entry 6: Evaluation
Briefly summarize each stage of the writing process that you learned about in Unit 1 of your Successful College Writing textbook. Identify three elements you learned that you think will be the most helpful to you as you continue in this course. Explain why. (3 paragraphs, 6 sentences each)
The writing process consists of the following stages: drafting an outline, creating a rough draft, making revisions and rereading and the final stage is creating the final version of your written work. First I will discuss creating an outline for an essay. In creating an outline for an essay the main topics of that will discussed in the introduction, the body of the essay, as well as the conclusion should be outlined. The outline should give a sketch of what the writer will discuss in the essay and be in point form format and also included headers and sub-headings. This is how an outline is created. Next I will discuss how to create a rough draft of an essay.
In creating a rough draft of an essay is important that the writing style follows the hamburger paragraph format throughout the written work. This consists of the topic sentence. Next, there are at least three supporting sentences that relate to the topic sentence. Followed by this is the concluding sentence that will wrap up the paragraph. For a rough draft also transition sentences are important. Next I will discuss making revisions and rereading the essay to reach its final stage of writing.
In the final stages of writing an essay, this is when grammar, punctuation and vocabulary usage become important which can be improved upon through proofreading the rough draft. Once the rough draft is proofread for any grammatical errors, next the writer can move onto improving the punctuation of the essay. Once the punctuation is improved upon, next the writer can move onto vocabulary usage of the essay. A thesaurus may come in handy for a beginning writer to improve on vocabulary usage for an essay. The writing process involves drafting an outline, creating a rough draft and making revisions and rereading and the final stage is creating a final version of the essay.
Required Journal Entry 7: Description and Narration Prewriting
Choose a photograph that depicts an important event in your life. Describe: 1. In your journal, make a list of everything you see in the photo. Work from left to right and from the background to the foreground. 2. List two specific, concrete details for each sense that describes your experience of the event as follows: ■ Sight ■ Sound ■ Smell ■ Taste ■ Touch Compare: Write one fresh, creative comparison (one simile or metaphor) for one of your details. Narrate: Sketch out the narrative details of your picture. 1. Scene—Where did the event take place? 2. Key actions—What events led up to the one depicted? Did anything significant happen afterward? 3. Key participants—Who is depicted in your photo? 4. Key lines of dialogue—What was being said at the time? By whom? 5. Feelings—What were you feeling at the time the photo was taken?
There is a photo of me on the beach. I am so close to the water that I can almost taste it. The sun is shining so brightly that I need to wear shades. The water is bluer than a turquoise ring. The sand is as brown as a desert’s earth.
Required Journal Entry 8: Description and Narration
Narrate: Using the details you collected in Journal Entry 7, write the story to accompany the photo you chose to depict an important event in your life. Be sure that your story has a clear beginning, middle, and end, and that you use your dialogue and descriptive elements effectively to convey your feelings to your reader. (3 paragraphs, 6 sentences) Reflect: Does your photo tell an audience everything they would need to know about this event? What does your story provide that your picture can’t? Is the saying “A picture is worth a thousand words” true? (No specific length required)
I was on vacation and went to the beach. In the photo I took: there is a photo of me on the beach. I am so close to the water that I can almost taste it. The sun is shining so brightly that I need to wear shades. The water is bluer than a turquoise ring. The sand is as brown as a desert’s earth. Next I will discuss how I arrived to the beach.
Everyone wanted to go to the special resort and swim in the pool. I wanted to go to the actual beach. I went down the beach and enjoyed myself for many hours that day. At times I was even alone on the beach and I felt completely safe. The weather was absolutely perfect. Two things about the beach I want to mention. It is the best place to feel relaxed. It is one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Required Journal Entry 9: Comparison and Contrast
Brainstorm: Make a list of all the things you write each day such as texts, status updates, tweets, emails, reports, essays, and so on. Include all the people you write to or for such as friends, family, supervisors, instructors, clients, and so on. Organize: Rearrange the items into two groups that represent formal writing and informal writing and the audiences who receive each. Write: Compare and contrast the style of writing you use when you write to friends and family with the style you use when you write to your coworkers, supervisors, or instructors. How does your interaction with your audience change? Describe the differences in your tone and your spelling, grammar, and punctuation. (2 paragraphs, 6 sentences)