I hope you have enjoyed your relaxing vacation to Bora-Bora! It was a great choice to include your mother in this relaxing event and your planning was impeccable - truly relaxing to know all our tickets, hotels and cars were already booked. That quick change of plans to go to the bioluminescent plankton beach and eating grilled shrimp over an open flame instead of rushing to an expensive dinner reservation was a great revision in our planning.
Hopefully, this four-step planner has helped you create this unforgettable vacation filled with fond memories, laughter, and experiences that make you wiser. Do not forget to look back and reflect on your travels and how you can apply what you have learned in your everyday life!
As I reflect on this vacation, I cannot help but think about how I have grown as a writer in this past semester. Starting off as a tired senior that could not see how I could grow anymore as a writer or how introducing literature would change our writing skills, I am now an analytical and wiser author. By the end of the first semester, I had developed into an evaluative writer that would consider different perspectives and nonfiction texts in her evidence-based essays. But looking through my writing from this second semester, I see how I have evolved beyond that. I can now evaluate pieces of literature, the author’s rhetorical choices, and perspectives, and incorporate into my own writing - as I did Toni Morrison’s rhetorical designs while simultaneously and strategically organizing my own paper. Furthermore, I have learned to take risks in my writing and creativity. In the previous semester, I stayed within the lines that the outcomes set for me. My essays never strayed farther than the detailed and structured examples we were given alongside our instructions. But this semester, instead of staying within the conventional bounds of sudden fiction, I used two techniques and writing styles, intertwining them as I went along. Instead of creating a physical artifact or creating a writing piece, I decided to explore the genre of puppet shows in Major Paper 2.
My writing through this portfolio demonstrates my growth and progress through this semester. Part of my growth as a writer was gaining the confidence to explore writing outside of the strict guidelines of the previous semester. Instead of taking conventional routes with themes, such as baking a cookie or showing a flower blooming, I chose to connect the Outcomes to planning a vacation. I connected each bullet point of the outcomes to an aspect of a vacation, and then to my own writing. This portfolio displays my thoughtful awareness of my writing because I deliberately quote the outcome language and then analyze quotes from my essays and how they contributed to the purpose of the assignment. Furthermore, I evaluated my rhetorical choices, analyzing the use of white waves in a stage or the structure and spacing of my sudden fiction piece. I made sure to consider my writing habits and reflect on my feelings while writing an essay. This has allowed me to trace my train of thought and reasoning for what I wrote. For example, reflecting on my feelings throughout the thought process for the Sudden Fiction piece helped me narrow down my strategies in writing. I typically come up with an idea and write everything out. From there, I edit heavily--incorporating criteria that I missed in my initial writing dump. But this class has helped me to be a little more organized in my writing process. I now brainstorm my audience, purpose, message and context. Then I list out the criteria and explain how I will satisfy them. From there, I will write my essay itself, reread, rewrite, and submit for peer edits. This writing strategy has helped me not to procrastinate on my writing and allows me to satisfy all requirements. It also has provided better focus in my writing and essays.
I have benefitted from collaboration with my peers. Working with a partner has motivated me not to procrastinate on the assignments. Typically, I left short assignments until the very last day--but working on presentations and artifacts with my peers has taught me to be more reliable and motivated. I have been able to refine my analysis skills because discussions have opened my eyes to new ideas that I would have never been able to consider. Talking to my peers about the novel has also helped me consider a variety of perspectives on the productivity of a book, which I was able to incorporate in my major papers.
The writing skills I have developed in this class will be very applicable outside of the class. For example, the analytical skills I have gained from evaluating the productivity of novels will be helpful when reading other books. I will be able to look into the history and contexts of books in order to fully understand and appreciate them. Furthermore, the skills I learned from analyzing different media and creating my own artifact has given me the mindset necessary to evaluate commercials and shows. This is important so I can understand what is wanted from me as a consumer. I will have better writing skills and strategies in college. This is important because instead of spending time learning how to synthesize an analytical essay, I will be refining my evaluative writing skills. I am aware that I still have so much more to improve on and learn about as a writer. But I can apply what I have learned in the past semester to my academic endeavors. I anticipate utilizing the skills I have gained with the four outcomes to synthesize an essay that explores different media and evaluates my claim, stakes, and other perspectives. I intend to use the revision techniques in all my future written pieces—even if it is a simple lab report. This will help me reach my full potential as a writer in my academic career. I know that now I will write about topics that interest me and give my full focus and efforts to evaluating these ideas.
I would like to thank you for taking the time to read through my portfolio. I hope you have learned some valuable skills for planning your perfect vacation getaway! Until next time!
Sincerely,
Shana Sourish