Student outcome #2: (integrating ideas) This outcome is focused on text engagement, on your ability to represent the relevant “conversation” between texts, and on your ability to position yourself in that conversation. (Word count 421)
You know at the beginning of the year when your teachers ask you your strengths and weaknesses for the class? Well for as long as I can remember in English mine has always been analysis. My analysis was usually what the teacher would show the class and then say don’t do this. Although it’s still not my best quality, I feel as though I can safely say my skills have largely improved this semester. I have worked harder to understand what I’m writing about and find quotes that will actually make sense in my essay. One thing I have done pretty consistently is come up with my thesis or intro and then find all my quotes before I start the rest of my essay. That way I can kind of organize all of my thoughts beforehand.
My mapped out quotes/thesis from essay #1
Ok I promise my handwriting isn’t always that bad trust me but these are pictures of the quotes I used in my first essay and writing them all down beforehand is something I just started doing this year. It has definitely helped me a lot with organization and also keeping a theme throughout my writing since sometimes I can get sidetracked or start a hundred different points in my essays.
I really am proud of the improvement with my analyzing skills and I can tell that they have at least become a little better because when I’m writing I can actually understand what I’m writing about. Understanding my own work… a crazy concept I know right. What I mean by saying this is that in some of my past essays I would just throw quotes in without really understanding what they mean or how they prove my point. This semester I think that I was best at integrating quotes into my third essay and there is one spot in particular I am thinking of.
Quote analysis from essay #3
I would say that this quote is nicely incorporated into my writing because I explain Bloom’s point, bring in my personal perspective and then kind of tie it back to Bloom. Eighth grade me would not have been able to do that if you paid her. I would also like to credit the They say I say book because I’ve heavily relied on that with quotes throughout all of my work this semester. Though it’s still not my strongest trait, maybe next year or semester in English when the teacher asks me my weakness I won’t say analyzing.
