Final reflection paper

In this assignment we were asked to write about what we have learned this year, and provide proof that we have learned it.  

Kortney McClure  

Mrs.Nall  

1311 English comp. 

17 November 2022 

Final Reflection 

This semester has really been quick, hasn't it? With so little time, there were big lessons to be taught. My first year has allowed me to gain a lot of knowledge that I did not have before.  

This year we have done a lot, and of all the projects there was a different lesson taught from each one. The first thing we did was the “Where I'm from,” then “ad analysis,” Lastly, the “protest song’. Each of these things allowed me to grow and learn. These assignments all had different processes, but what they all had in common was the thought process. It began with my mind. I had to think about the paper I was writing, and how I was going to do it. The “where I am from ‘paper was the first I had to think about the good and bad of my hometown. I had to think of my ideas and how to put them onto paper. I did this because this helped me to gather my thoughts. I used paper to begin with, and from paper I put it into typing. Secondly, the ad analysis. I chose and ad and had to right a persuasive paper on why I agreed and disagreed with the ad. I had to figure out if it was persuasive to me and form my own opinion. I looked at the ad for this and took what I got from it to form an argument. Lastly, the Protest song. This assignment was my favorite. After choosing a song you had to research that song and figure out the message that viewers were meant to get from it. I did this because to reach my readers, I had to inform them. Then you had to educate your readers on the song. This opened my mind to more things such as opinions and deeper meaning. In Comp review we did a power point presentation on error of writing. This project was on errors made in writing. I chose punctuation with commas because I personally struggled with it. This taught me more on the subject I struggled with and helped to better myself with it.  

During this semester we have really focused on 6 main things. These things include responding to rhetorical situations, purposes, and audience. I did this in our second paper, the Nike analysis. In this paper my main goal was to persuade my reader on why I believed that the ad I chose was effective or not. Secondly, the next objective was critical thinking, reading, and composing. This was used in all the assignments in a way because in every single assignment we did we had to use critical thinking. For example, also in the “Nike Ad” paper we formed an opinion on the ad we chose. The next thing we did was form a paper based on the opinion we created. In assignment 3, “The protest song” we integrated the original idea with others. After choosing a song, we were responsible for doing research on the songs. While doing so, we listened to what the song truly stood for. We combined what they thought along with our thoughts. The fourth objective was used in all assignments and papers we were given. This objective was about the writing process. In every paper we generated, revised, edited, and even proofread. We authored the paper, proofread, and turned in. After turning in our teacher, Mrs.Nall, left notes on what we should correct. The next thing we did was go over those notes and make corrections. We used collaborative writing when we went over our paper with our peers. Lastly, I learned about conventions. I learned this with certain requirements given for each paper. For example, we were asked to draft each paper in MLA format with a certain number of words. This taught us knowledge of conventions. In each paper, you have multiple paragraphs that serve different purposes. You use tone to help the paper flow. Lastly, we were responsible for using citations for our work.  

In English composition review we were taught so much more. I learned to demonstrate critical thinking by reading responses. We read many different passages about many different things. In all 6 assignments, we responded to them by using individual opinions and emotions. In each reading response we responded to the paper and were able to talk about how we felt and what thoughts we gathered from the reading. We wrote about whether we agreed or disagreed with them. I also learned to reflect through the final portfolio, this is what I am doing now. I am reflecting on the entire semester in this paper. The portfolio that we created teaches me the understanding of purpose because of the assignments and things we did throughout the semester. The portfolio we create demonstrates to audience because in our papers we are writing as if we are speaking to an audience, lastly style and usage this was practiced again through the MLA format we used for our papers, The MLA format was a style that we used. Each paper also had a different use.  

I was successful in persuasive writing. I felt the paper I wrote on the “Nike Ad” was very well put together and had some valid points on the ad that I chose. I also felt the “where I'm from” assignment was successful. I am personally particularly good at putting words onto paper. I have always loved to write. That paper had to have been my favorite because I was able to use my own though process about myself and how I grew up. This leads me to believe that it was a very excellent paper to have written. As much as I loved the writing, I also had some struggles throughout the semester. My first struggle was pattern of Error in my papers. After every paper was graded, I noticed there were simple mistakes made in my paper that were also common in each. These mistakes include punctuation, spelling, and capitulation. This is something that I have been working towards bettering myself at, but still seemed to be the main error in each writing I did. In the last paper “The protest song’ I struggled with citing things such as part of the song, and the wording. The song I chose was on something more recent, and putting the paper together was not easy. Considering it was a recent thing, it still is a ‘touchy’ subject, so I wanted to put the paper together accurately. It was hard to find reviews and facts about the video.  

This semester I gathered a lot of knew knowledge, but I still have so much more to learn. Through each assignment we learned different things. We found our strengths but also our weaknesses. Although the days were long, the semester was short with so much information.