College Composition and Research
Dimitrious Carden
The Semester In Review
From August of 2015 to December of 2015, I was enrolled in English 101 with Dr. J. Watkins at my high school in Chillicothe, Missouri. Over the course of the class, I wrote several essays which were meant to teach and develop different aspects of college-level writing, and I learned many techniques meant to improve my writing skills. Reflecting over the semester, I realize that I had more difficulties with the class than I would like to admit, but I also learned much more about successful writing strategies than I had hoped. These strategies, along with the much-needed experience of writing essays, will help me to successfully navigate essays throughout college.
Pre-/Post-Writing Essay
I began the semester with a Pre-Writing Essay. I wrote this essay on books and how particular books have held heavy impacts on my life. The main point of this first essay was to test creativity and basic skills in writing. At the end of the semester, I returned to the essay as a Post-Writing assignment and rewrote it, correcting mistakes and incorporating techniques and skills I had learned over the course of the class such as applying a stated thesis that includes a list.
Narration Essay
My second essay of the semester was my Narrative Essay. I wrote my narrative essay on a personal experience I had during a community service project and the impact it held on me. This essay was meant to improve organization and the ability of an essay to flow smoothly.
Editorial Essay
My third essay was my Editorial Essay. My Editorial Essay focused on why Chillicothe High School, the high school I attended, should have orchestra as an option in its Fine Arts classes. The Editorial Essay was meant to develop persuasive techniques and the ability to create tenable arguments in favor of my topic.
First Summary
My first summary was a group project in which my group wrote a short summary paragraph of an article on students and a rising sexting problem. This assignment was short, but it was also imperative for teaching summarizing skills.
Summary/Response Essay
My fourth essay was my Summary/Response Essay. I wrote my Summary/Response Essay on an article from NewsELA about Sesame Street and its helpful effects on learning. The Summary/Response Essay was meant to develop the ability to neatly summarize and create written responses to topics of an article.
Interview Essay
My fifth and final essay here was an interview essay on Bob Whimer, a man who created a fundraising campaign to help the animals of the Green Hills Animal Shelter. After first interviewing Mr. Whimer, my assignment was to write an essay detailing him and his campaign to get money for the Green Hills Animal shelter. The main skill this essay developed was correct citation.
Top Five Tips to Becoming a Better Writer
Top Five Tips to Becoming a Better Writer
Reflection on My Best Piece
Reflection On My Best Writing Piece