UWRT 1101 Midterm

Cody Strickland
A. I can answer most of the question I posed in my first blog post. Will I enjoy our textbook?
This all depends on the readings. Our book is composed of many essays by many different
people. There have been some I liked and some I havent. Will we have to do assignments over
breaks? No, and Im grateful for that. How often do we have to present in front of the class? We
present at least every other day on things weve done in the class, but the environment is very
relaxed and they dont feel like presentations. Will blogs be counted late? No, Ms. Ingram was
lenient at first, but then had to lay down the law. Will this class help me with other classes? Id
say definitely because the purpose is to improve my writing and I write in most of my other
classes. Are class discussions a usual thing? Yes, the conversations are lively and informative.
Will my writing style be change? Im not so sure yet, but with learning new writing skills comes
change. Will we be reading a lot? No, we dont read near as much as some of my other classes.
Is the blog different from the e-portfolio? No, the blog is incorporated into the e-portfolio.
B. I have see aspects of all the key concepts in myself and in the class. Critical thinking is
important for everything I write. Im not going to come to a conclusion unless Ive analyzed and
evaluated the task at hand. Independent inquiry is seen in all of my assignments that are not done
as a group, for example RRLs and blog posts. I have to read and inquire about what Ive read in
order to produce a respectable response. One key concept that I may be slacking off at is having
responsibility of my own learning. A couple ways I could fix this is to stop procrastinating and
stop getting distracted in class. Curiosity is an easy one for me because Im usually interested in
the readings and if I have questions, Ill ask them. Ive definitely got out of my comfort zone by
attempting to spark conversations with not only my group, but others in class on the same topic.
This class has already helped my writing process and how I revise. I revise to the point where my
corrections are necessary and informative, while not overbearing the writer. I make connections
in all of our readings. These connections are between whats assigned and myself. As for
intellectual growth and maturity, I gain more of each every class period. Im growing
intellectually by learning new ways to write and becoming more mature through class
conversations.
C. I wrote three different drafts of my literacy narrative. The first focused on my literacy growth
throughout my schooling to now. The second focused on the AR points systems effect on my
literacy. The third was a revised and improved version of my first draft. I chose to go with my
first draft because it was easier to articulate my life and feelings in a broader topic. Writing three
pages on AR points was a struggle for me seeing as it is only one section of my life and it
happened way back in elementary school. Although AR points definitely helped me on my path
to literacy greatness, I had to go with what draft I thought would portray my literacy better. My
favorite revision was undoubtedly the sentences in my last paragraph. Prior to me changing it, I
wasnt sure if it would make sense to everyone. I used the same idea but changed it to something
everyone would understand. From my teachers in school, my parents at home, and my social
interactions throughout life, Ive learned new ways to interpret readings and new ways to write.
I feel like this (my last sentence), hits the nail on the head by incorporating my whole paper and
wrapping it into a conclusory sentence.
D. For my rhetorical analysis I am choosing example number six, Noah Greens e-portfolio. I
believe this e-portfolio and everyone elses would relate closely to the Ethos appeal. All of the
assignments in our e-portfolios work together to establish a sort of persona for each person.
Through work such as the blog posts or literacy narratives, we come to know the person through
their writing. In Noahs exploratory essay, he writes of his passion, which in a way connects him
to us as a person. Noah uses text and visuals to convey the meanings of his work. I would say the
genre of Noahs e-portfolio is simply e-portfolio. There are a couple rules for this genre. You
must stick to the work the teacher assigned to you. Also, the work must relate to you on a
personal level, because most of the assignments are about you or your opinions. I think Noah
was successful in conveying what he wanted to. I now know of how strongly he feels of his
passion (long distance running), while being aware of the progress he has made towards
perfecting his writing style.
E. From what we have done so far, I feel as if Ive earned an exemplary grade. Ive turned in all
of my work and put legitimate effort into improving from the past. My answers on this midterm,
to me, show that I have gained knowledge throughout the first half of this course, which Im
using to better convey my thoughts in my work. In my opinion, this is the purpose of the course.
I cant judge my grade very well based on the syllabus. The syllabus focuses mostly on the final
portfolio essay, which we havent done yet. Other than that I do feel like Im setting myself up
for an exemplary grade with my e-portfolio assignments. One thing I will work on is how my e-
portfolio is set up. Im going to work to make it neat and as easily manageable as possible, so
everyone can navigate through it as easily as I can.