McCann 1 Chloe McCann Ms.

Ingram English 1101- 49 4 October 2013 Midterm Assignment 1) Looking back at my first blog post, I can already see that some of my questions have been answered and I am learning more and more about the key concepts of this class everyday. One question I posed was about giving feedback. I had no idea how to do this correctly with other students so it would benefit the writer and myself as well. During my time in middle and high school, giving feedback normally meant changing the persons paper completely and making grammar corrections, or doing nothing to their paper saying it was perfect. Either way it wasnt much help and I always dreaded class when the objective for the day was peer-editing. Being in English 1101 I have realized that there is so much more to giving feedback and it can give you so much more insight to your paper. I really appreciated all of the preparation we did before our first workshop. I think that having a reading on peer responding, then discussing it in class really helped my understanding of how to correctly peer workshop. Going into class that Wednesday, I felt my group was prepared to give feedback and make suggestions to one another. As we went through each paper, I can tell we were all nervous, but as we read our drafts aloud new ideas came to mind. The process from start to finish was a lot easier than I expected it to be and the feedback is definitely helping me write my draft and make it the best it can be. I know the dos and donts of editing and how to approach the writer in an appropriate way. I feel more confident to edit someone elses paper and help them work on their draft.

McCann 2 2) The differences between high school competency and college success are something that I have struggled with immensely this first month here at UNCC. In high school, I rarely applied myself and challenged myself. I was perfectly fine going through high school on cruise control and getting As and Bs with occasional Cs. I still had a high GPA and I didnt see anything wrong with the way I was making my way through high school. Now that I am a college student, I want to do high school all over again and warn my peers to really put their best foot forward. Ive seen now that in high school I created bad habits and I became a huge procrastinator. Now that I am weeks into college I see that those habits need to change. I have had countless days where I struggle stay motivated and I can tell I have to work hard to be successful. From these habits, I have a lot of stress on a daily basis. To this day, I still dont know how to properly study. I never had to know until now. I also didnt see high school as that important; I saw it as a good time and somewhere I had to go 5 days a week. College isnt a walk in the park for me and I can see that I have a lot of work ahead of me to do well. I never sought help from tutors or thought to have a study group, but my calendar is now filled with study sessions. 3) I honestly wish I had someone give me advice during my last years in high school. Even though I have an older sister in college, she rarely came home even in the summer and I didnt get much advice from her. If I have the opportunity to give insight to someone who is a high school senior, I would encourage them to find ways to stay motivated and strive for good grades. Whether that means more time studying or getting a tutor, they need to take action. I would encourage them to find ways to study that work for them as well. Having good time management also helps when you are planning out homework and due dates. In college, you have very few grades that contribute to your final grade and that was an adjustment for me as well. I would urge seniors to take that into consideration when they prepare for their test. Although they have more

McCann 3 tests, they are all important. The homework and quizzes are the practice for that test and they are just as important. Everything you do in your class is preparation for the tests and finals. I think that if they realize the significance of each assignment, and learn to study properly they would be better prepared for college. 4) One of the key concepts that stuck out to me was the writing process and revision. In the very beginning of this course I was skeptical about this process and if I would improve my writing over this semester. For a long time, I have always enjoyed writing and putting my thoughts on paper, but after a draft or two, I would always hit a slump and I wouldnt have any ideas on how to improve my draft. Right away I noticed that in English 1101, I would be given new ways to approach my writing. The idea of a shitty first draft was foreign to me. I always tried to make my first draft as close to perfect as I could so I wouldnt have to make as many changes. After reading Anne Lamotts passage, I realized dumping my thoughts on paper is sometimes a better way to start. I also found that reading my papers out loud is helpful. I was able to hear my mistakes easier than reading them. Getting feedback from my peers also helped mold and shape my paper into becoming a better draft. I am still working on my narrative, but I am encouraged to take my most recent comments and apply those to my paper as well. 5) The key concept I find most challenging is critical thinking. Throughout my years in high school I never had to use the technique of critical thinking. If I did, I sure dont remember it at all. Critical thinking can take more time and more effort and in high school classes moved at a much quicker pace. My biggest struggle is being unaware of how to apply this concept into everyday learning. This concept is foreign to me, but I want to be able to implement this into my way of thinking. I think that the only way I can do this is challenge myself to engage critical thinking often. I will first need to research and find out in what ways I can do this This could be from

McCann 4 teachers, peers or even online. I also will have to consciously think about this concept on a daily basis and with all of my work. I may just be realizing this now, but I know that I have to start somewhere. I think that this concept will help me improve in many classes starting with the rest of this semester into my later years of college. 6) Reading my last 5 questions, I see a distinct trend. I have focused mainly on the writing process specifically and how peer-editing influences that. I havent given other key concepts much thought or havent focused on them as much as others. Entering into this class, I had no idea what to expect. I thought it would be like any other high school class, minimal writing and a lot of literary analyses for different pieces for writing. I have always enjoyed writing, but I was never given the opportunity to really grow my writing capabilities. Once I found out English 1101 was mainly a writing course, I was so ready to get to work. Looking back, I think this is the reason I have focused so much on working on the writing process and getting a new perspective on peer workshops. I feel like I have matured and grown as a writer, and I am able to put my thoughts down in a new way. I have implemented some risk-taking into my blogging as well. I have tried to take a more casual tone to my entries. I have focused so much on my writing and I have been focusing on this, which has prevented me from exploring other key concepts like critical thinking. 7) One thing that I want to learn in this course is how to use the concepts and rules of writing we go over towards my other subjects. Do I still go through all the same steps? What if only a short amount of time is allowed? I am really encouraged and excited that my writing has grown, but I would like to see this carried into other subjects to improve them as well. I want to be confident in my writing and not doubt myself. When I have a short amount of time for a piece of work, I want to have ways to write my paper as if I was given an unlimited amount of time. I know that I

McCann 5 will be writing for my career choice as well. I am not sure what all this will entail but I want to be prepared for anything that comes my way. I know I would not care this much about this class if I was not this passionate about my dream profession. Part of me does wonder, however if this class will prepare me. It is only one semester, but I do not know if that is enough time. Having this doubt bothers me, but I am still hopeful.