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Midterm

A. Look back at your first blog post from this class. What questions did you pose in
August that you can now answer? Are there any that you cant answer?
Most of the questions I had in my first post have definitely been answered. Ive looked
over the syllabus and it has gave me the answers as to how much our major assignments
are worth and by the class discussions weve had. When we did our first peer editing
session I thought that they would leave me feedback on my grammar and punctuation,
but they havent. I think because as a class we went over the Dos and Donts of peer
editing, which has made me feel more at ease about my papers. I didnt think I would
enjoy being in groups, but I do. My group members really help me with improving my
drafts by giving me ideas and suggestions. Another question I had at the beginning was if
were going to have quizzes after reading books and I dont think we ever will since we
havent had one at this point. In my opinion, the reader response letters are way better
than taking a quiz. Its helped me think critically about what Im reading and learn more
about my writing. Reading the article Mrs. Ingram sent about writing rituals, Im more
aware that the things I do before I start writing are considered part of my ritual. There
things I do that affect the way I write such as writing an outline, starting early in the
morning, curtains open, and being wrapped up in blankets to be comfortable.

B. Look at the 9 key concepts on the first page of the course syllabus. These concepts
are practices or "habits of mind" that you should engage with during this course.
Which ones do you feel you're doing the best with and how? Which ones seem the
most challenging and why? What questions do you have about them?

Looking over the key concepts I know right away which ones Ive been able to do with
no difficulty and the ones Ive struggled in. One of the good ones is thinking critically.
The different essays that weve had to read have all had a different format and have made
me a curious thinker, questioning what the underlying message for the article might be.
The discussions and the questions proposed in class reinforce that concept. Another
concept I think Ive been doing great in is being responsible for my learning and coming
out of my comfort zone. Being in college has made me more aware of the amount of
studying and reading I have to do outside of class. Professors arent going to send me
alerts every day to study, read, or do my assignments. Ive already learned this semester
that its always going to be my duty to make enough time to study and understand the
material. Writing literacy narratives and peer editing others papers has made me come out
of my comfort zone more. Especially in my writing. Whats challenged me is receiving
and providing feedback. Its not receiving the feedback, but providing the feedback. I
think that its been the most challenging for me, because I dont think that my writing is
as strong as my group members. In high school peer editing wasnt something we did
every week or so. It was always graded by the teacher and if we ever switched papers
with peers it was to correct our punctuation and grammatical errors.

C. In your Final Portfolio Essay (FPE), youll be asked to analyze the work youve
done in the course. Youll want to quote from your own writing to support your
analyses. Practice by looking at your Literacy Narrative: Favorite revisions you
made to the essay/drafts and why? QUOTE from Literacy Narrative to illustrate
what youre discussing. Quote from various drafts to show the changes you made.

Id have the say that the best revision Ive made on my literacy narratives is on my third
and final draft. My first draft was okay, but rereading it for the first time with my group
made me see how I could have added more of my experience and it didnt feel authentic
enough to me. I was dreading writing the second draft. I had no idea how I was going to
turn one paragraph from my first draft into a detailed three-page essay, but it was easier
than I expected. I really liked how I incorporated a lot of sensory details into it such as
chairs screeched, pencils fell to the floor with a clink, and desks were banged on as
students ran with their squeaky shoes to line up in front of the chestnut colored door.
Also, I made sure to make the reader feel a part of it through my thinking in the story. I
made my internal thoughts italic and I think that really helped make my experience more
genuine. Thoughts like What were they saying about me? Did they think I couldnt
read? Should I give the book another try? It was way better than the first draft, because
I was able to open up and express my personal feelings into the narrative instead of
writing about my life story on literacy.

D. Choose one of the 8 sample e-Portfolios from our Moodle2 page to rhetorically
analyze. In your analysis, remember to address the following:-The rhetorical triad:
How do all the pieces (author, reader, purpose, context/situation) "work" in this
sample e-Portfolio?-Modes of communication the author uses-What is the genre of
this e-Portfolio? Is the genre simply "e-Portfolio," or does it fit into a more specific
sub-genre? Based on the way you categorize this, can you figure out some rules for
writing in this genre? What are those rules/conventions?-The ultimate goal of

rhetorical analysis is to explore the success of the text at hand. So, based on your
analysis, do you think this sample e-Portfolio is successful? Why or why not?
I choose the fifth e-Portfolio by Lauren Gruber. A freshman in UNCC and wants to
pursue a career in music business. Her layout and designs caught my attention. Especially
how her blog showcased her love and passion for the Arts, specifically music. Her main
picture had a background portrait of the painting called The Scream. She had music
notes all over and as bulletins on her different headings. Even her drafts were related to
music, which were very organized. All these pieces work together and you can see that in
her blog. Showing how every type of format of media involves literacy, even music. I
think thats what her main purpose was to show how her writing had progressed and
transitioned into her own style by the end of the semester. Her intended audience was
Mrs. Ingram, students taking UWRT 1101 and 1102, and her classmates. The modes of
communications she used throughout her blog were linguistic, visual, and spatial. The
genre is an e-portfolio specifically for first year writing classes that includes a blog,
drafts, and essays. The only rules I think there would be is from the teacher herself to be
reflective and embed documents. Theres also rules from the website being used. I do
think this e-Portfolio is successful. Her blog is organized and you can notice the
improvement that shes made in her writing throughout her semester.

E. As of midterm, what grade have you earned in this course? Look back over your
answers on this midterm as well as page 3 of the syllabus (e-Portfolio Grade Scale).
Are you setting yourself up to compose an exemplary e-Portfolio?

Based on what I have on my weebly and blog, I do think I deserve an A. I think Ive been
doing well in this course and the more blogs we do, the more I learn about my writing
style. I do think its an exemplary final e-portfolio. Although I do have to embed more
documents and essays I made its all well-organized. I noticed all the sample e-portfolios
have various amounts of drafts, notes, and essays they put on their blogs. I intend to do
the same to have an exemplary portfolio.

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