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Dylan Gattis English 111 April 29, 2013

Gattis2 Table of Contents Title Self- Assessment Revised Essay Original Essay Writing Critique Page# 3-5 6-9 10-13 14

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29 April 2013 Dear Reader,

It is my hope that in reading this letter, you will understand what I have learned in English Composition 1. I will be discussing what I have learned about composition, including some of the work that has been done while I have been in this class. The works that have been done to help the class learn about composition include: discussions, readings, getting commented back on the papers that have been wrote. First the discussions we had helps with teaching us how to communicate with peers and give evidence that we talk about together back to the teacher. Communicating with the classmates makes them become closer to one another. The intent of working together was to give the teacher the answers to all the questions. When we worked together we would be asked to gather information from a story that we had read from the prior week. Then we would discuss the answers with the teacher where she would make list of characteristics that was there to help when it came to essay time. The strength in having class discussion time is that we learned more about what was need to make a better paper and we got to talk with our fellow classmates. Discussion time was well spent, and for me I learned how to share my thoughts with everyone, hoping that it may help. The purpose in all of the reading is to influence the reader with stories that other writers have written ,and to give examples of writings that have been done showing how the readers essay may need to look. All of the example in the reading where very strong, for they gave ideas to help with the papers that the teacher assigned us. The strongest writing to me was the one from Valerie Steiker, her example paper was telling how she was impacted from her mother's sickness and that influenced me big time. That story gave me a feeling that I wanted to know what I may have done if I was in that situation. I

Gattis4 learned that the reading help when the time came to write all the essay. Looking back at the readings helped with my writing, the writers made me want to learn more about writing and how to compose a outstanding essay. This composition class teacher done a great job of direct instructions. Each week we had some objective that was to be done for the next class. Direct instructions that helps to see how well the student was prepared for the class. I learned that with the direct instructions given to us from the teacher was priorities that must be done to pass the class. This teacher reminded the students each week what was to be turned in the next time that we meet, and for some they took this serious. I seen that if something wasn't done correct that the teacher would give you a second chance, but the direct instructions that was given was to be followed. Whenever our paper was graded the teacher gave us comments on how to better the paper. These comments that were on each of my papers gave me a view of what I needed to improve on and showed me how to revise to make that paper to become a better paper. Comments on the paper made me learn that writing can improve over a short period of time. Many of my comments were grammar mistakes and I learned from some of the comments how to get rid of some of them. I have learned a lot about composition with the few things that this class done. In the class discussions I learned how to communicate with people that I have never meet and became friend with some of them. From the readings I learned how different writings can be put together and how each story had the characteristics that were needed to be a good paper. Direct instructions on what was supposed to be done helped me pace myself on how much I needed to do at a certain time, also they helped me want to get everything finished in a certain amount of time. The teacher giving the comments after each graded paper helped me want to better the next paper that followed. This composition has taught me many different ways to writing, for I am sure there is a lot more. In conclusion, I have learned how to improve my writing, and now I can compose different types of

Gattis5 papers in the future.

Gattis6 Dylan Gattis Mrs. Jones English 111 February 11,2013 The Inspiration of Being Taught to Read and Write As a young child, I would spend many nights being read to by my mother. She would read to me Bible stories and little creature books, going thru many pictures that would give me a visual of what she was saying. Starting pre-school, I knew a few more words then many of my friends. My teachers made us sit in the floor every few days and say the alphabet and words that started with that letter. What they were saying and what my friends were using as their word for the different letters helped with me start to read. By the age of five I could read the, Little Creature book back to my mother,but she thought that I had memorized it since she had read it to me so many times. Once I graduated from pre-school I moved up to what I thought was big school: elementary. Feeling nervous of what kindergarten had in store for me, I left my parents' side and went into the classroom to meet one of the best and most respected teachers I have had, Mrs. Rickman. In her room she had a mat that was very colorful,and it was an object she would use when she taught our colors for the one that did not know some of them. A few days a week we would go to the library to let the librarian read to us. I remember her reading Where the Wild Things Are, which was a story that she would read slow so we could comprehend what was happening. Going back to Mrs. Rickman's room she would teach us how to write our names and also how to read and write small sentences. During kindergarten I learned how to write little words such as, dog and cat because Mrs. Rickman gave us worksheets to write the words around ten times. This time period was really effective in passing the first and second grade. Reading and writing was where I wanted to improve, and I would push myself to have good

Gattis7 grades. In the fourth grade, Mrs. Stamper gave me my first essay that was supposed to be five paragraphs long. My heart was racing, not knowing if I would make it through the title was Something About You. So, I started writing about what I liked,and what I didn't and she came around the room that had tables everywhere, and she stopped at me and she said, Great Job!. The compliment made me want to write and read more. This time is when I found the books that I loved reading and wished there would have been more written. The Hardy Boy books are mystery that they are trying to solve. During her class she gave us an amount of points that we must earned from reading that week. Though I was a slow reader, I still loved reading those books and could get to the number of points that she gave me. By the end of my fourth and fifth grade year, I was reading books that were over 200 pages. The Hardy Boys stories were interesting to me and they kept my attention. They got very involved in their investigations,and I sometimes felt that I was working to solve the case with them. Some of these books made the reader think hard to figure out the mystery. I believe that could be similar to finding topics in writing and reading. I've read nearly all of these mysteries, and all of them had an impact on me in the way Franklin Dixon wrote all those fiction books about the different adventures the boys went through. When I got through with Elementary school, my parents were very proud of my accomplishment for pushing myself and making excellent grades. I went into my seventh grade year wanting to make straight A's, and I knew that my weakest class would be English. Not only was going to Jr. High going to be a big adjustment, I knew I would really have to buckle down and expect there would be even more reading and writing that year. Ms. Hammons was still giving us books to read and points to earn,but I kept doing what she expected of me and I somehow completed several essays that she assigned. My reading and writing had become better, but still I could always push myself to make some improvements. During the summer that same year my uncle was in College English. Seeing what he was

Gattis8 having to write intimidated me because I had never had to write a six to seven page paper in just a few days. Seeing him spending hours and hours on his essay writing made me think about how my writing skills needed to improve. I was seeing firsthand what a college professor would expect of his or her students,and I was not even out of high school. I still realized that I had a lot to learn and hoped that I would be ready and prepared when the time came for me to prepare such a paper. My mom asked, Do you think you will be able to do this when you go to college? I said, Yes mother, I can do anything if I push myself hard enough. Knowing all along that English would be the one class I would really have to work my hardest in but I was prepared to do just that. A few years had past, and I found myself in 10th grade writing three to four page papers and it seemed like nothing. My teacher, Mrs. Tillman, informed my class that we would be doing a research essay about someone inspires us. I had a few athletes in mind that I wanted to learn more about and how they went through life. Researching each one of them, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to write about Phil Mickelson, a professional golfer. My class spent a couple of days researching the topics that they had chosen and then it was time to begin the writing. Writing a little each day made me realize that writing essays that long was not as hard as it looked. I learned during this essay that I needed to use my time wisely because if I didn't someday I would end up not finishing on time. I started my senior year knowing that I was going to have one of the hardest teachers in English thus far. Several students had already given me an in sight on what I would be expected to do daily. Every day consisted of a five minute writing at the beginning of each class. This work helped her to see if you were doing your nightly reading assignments and to show your writing abilities. As the class continued through the next several weeks she wanted to see that your writing skills were improving, and you could complete a note worthy paragraph. Given several weeks of this type of writing, we then moved on to essays. She would give us two to three days to complete a full 3.5 essay,for after she looked them over and showed us our mistakes, we would correct them and read some of them out in

Gattis9 class. Feeling sometimes that I was not doing my best, I kept pushing on and in the end was glad that I had a teacher that was helping to get me prepared for college English. English has not always been one of my favorite courses. I have always struggled with reading ,and comprehension so with that being said, writing has also been a struggle. I have had some very understanding and patient teachers whom have helped me tremendously over the years. English is a mandatory class that you must pass each of your high school years and two classes in college. Going through school you hear students say why do I have to have this class, I'm not going to use it when I get out of school. Whether one only finishes high school or goes on to college, one will always need to know how to read and write. That class not only teaches one these characteristics but also helps you to be able to communicate in society. You'll know how to approach someone with a positive attitude, and be able to carry on a conversation. Your reading and writing experience will also be very helpful in filling out college applications, student funding applications, and if college is not in your future it will be helpful in job applications. In knowing all of this, English is not only about reading, writing, nouns, and verbs, but it is essential in everyday life My hope for now and the future of my school days is that I will continue to improve on my reading and writing. To reach that goal that I have set for myself in college to first and foremost graduate and pursue the career choice I have made, do well in it and someday be able to provide a healthy and stable life not only for me, but my future family. So for now, I will press on and do my very best, and maybe one day I will have the honor of saying thank you to all those that have inspired me to read and write. Hopefully showing them how much their patience and time spent teaching and helping me gave me the tools I needed to succeed.

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Dylan Gattis Mrs. Jones English 111 February 11,2013 The Inspiration of Being Taught to Read and Write As a young child, my mother would spend many nights reading to me. She would read to me bible stories and little creature books, going thru many pictures that would give me a visual of what she was saying. Starting pre-school I knew a few more words then many of my friends. My teachers made us sit in the floor every few days and say the alphabet and words that started with that letter. What they were saying and what my friends were using as their word for the different letters helped with me start to read. By the age of five I could read the Little Creature book back to my mother, she thought that I had memorized it since she had read it to me so many times. Once I graduated from pre-school I moved up to what I thought was big school, Elementary. Feeling nervous of what kindergarten had in store for me I left my parents side and went into the classroom to meet one of the best and most respected teachers I have had, Mrs. Rickman. In her room she had a mat that was very colorful and it was an object she would use when she taught our colors, for the one's that did not know some of them. A few days a week we would go to the library to let the librarian read to us, I remember her reading us Where the Wild things Are, which was a story that she would read slow so we could comprehend what was happening. Going back to Mrs. Rickman's room she taught us how to write our names and also how to read and write small sentences. During kindergarten I learned how to write little words such as, dog and cat, because Mrs. Rickman gave us worksheets to write the words around ten times. This time period was really affective in passing the first and second grade.

Gattis11 Reading and writing was where I wanted to improve and I pushed myself to have good grades. In the fourth grade, Mrs. Stamper gave me my first essay that was suppose to be five paragraphs long. My heart was racing not knowing if I would make it through, the title was Something About You. So, I started writing about what I liked and what I didn't and she came around the room that had tables everywhere, and she stopped at me and she said, Great Job!. That complement that she gave to me made me want to write and read more. This is when I found the books that I loved reading and wished there would have been more written. The Hardy Boy books, are mystery's that they are trying to solve. During her class she gave us an amount of points that we must earn from reading that week. Though I was a slow reader I still loved reading those books and could get to the number of points that she gave me. By the end of my fourth and fifth grade year I was reading books that were over 200 pages, which seemed a lot to me. The Hardy Boys stories were interesting to me and keep my attention: they got very involved in their investigations, I sometimes felt that I was working to solve the case with them. Some of these books made the reader, think hard to figure out the mystery. I believe that is similar to finding topics in writing and reading. I've read nearly everyone of these mysteries and all of them had an impact on me in the way Franklin Dixon wrote all those fiction books about different mysteries the boys went on. When I got through with Elementary school, my parents were very proud of my accomplishment for pushing myself and making excellent grades. I went into my seventh grade year wanting to make straight A's and I knew that my weakest class would be English. Not only was going to Jr. High going to be a big adjustment, I knew I would really have to buckle down and expect there would be even more reading and writing this year. Ms. Hammons was still giving us books to read and points to earn ,but I kept doing what she expected of me and I somehow completed several essays that she assigned. My reading and writing had gotten better, but still I could always push myself to make some improvements.

Gattis12 During the summer that same year my uncle was in College English, seeing what he was having to write intimidated me, because I had never had to write a six to seven page paper in just a few days. Seeing him spending hours and hours on his essay writing, made me think about how my writing skills needed to improve. I was seeing first hand what a College Professor would expect of his or her student,and I was not even out of High School. I still realized that I had a lot to learn, and hoped that I would be ready and prepared when the time came for me to prepare such a paper. My mom asked, do you think you will be able to do this when you go to college? I said, yes mother, I can do anything if I push myself hard enough. Knowing all along that English would be the one class I would really have to work my hardest in but I was prepared to do just that. A few years past, and I found myself now in 10th grade writing three to four page papers. My teacher, Mrs. Tillman, informed my class that we would be doing a research essay about someone that we inspire. I had a few athletes in mind, that I wanted to learn more about and how they went through life. Researching each one of them I came to the conclusion that I wanted to write about Phil Mickelson, a professional golfer. My class spent a couple of days researching the topics that they had chosen and then it was time to begin the writing. Writing a little each day made me realize that writing essays that long was not as hard as it looks if I put my hard work into achieving. I learned during this essay that I needed to use my time wisely, because if I didn't someday I would end up not finishing on time. I started my senior year knowing that I was going to have one of the hardest teachers in English thus far. Several students had already gave me an incite on what I would be expected to do daily. Everyday consist of a five minute writing at the beginning of each class. This helped her to see if you were doing your nightly reading assignments and show your writing abilities. As the class continued through the next several weeks she wanted to see that your writing skills were improving, and you could complete a note worthy paragraph. Given several weeks of this type of writing, we then moved

Gattis13 on to essays. She would give us two to three days to complete a full 3.5 essay, after she looked them over and showed us our mistakes, we would correct them and read some of them out in class. Feeling sometimes that I was not doing my best, I kept pushing on and in the end was glad that I had a teacher that was helping to get me prepared for college English. English has not always been one of my favorite courses, I have always struggled with reading and comprehension so with that being said, writing has also been a struggle. I have had some very understanding and patient teachers that have helped me tremendously over the years. English is a mandatory class that you must pass each of your high school years, and two classes in college. Going through school you hear students say why do I have to have this class, I'm not going to use it when I get out of school. Whether you only finish high school or go on to college, you will always need to know how to read and write. This class not only teaches you these characteristics but also helps you to be able to communicate in society. You'll know how to approach someone with a positive attitude, and be able to carry on a conversation. Your reading and writing experience will also be very helpful in filling out college applications, student funding applications, and if college is not in your future it will be helpful in job applications. In knowing all of this English is not only about reading, writing, nouns, and verbs but it is essential in everyday life My hope for now and the future of my school days, is that I will continue to improve on my reading and writing. To reach that goal that I have set for myself in college to first and for most graduate and pursue the career choice I have made. Do well in it and someday be able to provide a healthy and stable life not only for me, but my future family. So for now I will press on and do my best and maybe one day I will have the honor of saying thank you to all those that have inspired me to read and write. Hopefully showing them how much their patients and time spent teaching and helping me gave me the tools I needed to succeed.

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Writing Critiques: Best Piece of Work: As I go back and read all of my essays I believe my literacy narrative was the best. The thinking back in time was amazing and seeing how much each teacher has taught me. This essay tells how I have learned how to read and write and that is what a literacy narrative is suppose to be about. The reasons this paper is considered my best is that it showed how well of feeling I had for the teacher that helped me improve the subject that is need. This writing shows how each reading and writing session impacted my life.

Worst Piece of Work: The story about the Black Plague was the worst piece that I submitted this semester. I believe that this paper may have been better if I would have put more time into it. The Black plague topic could have been changed to something that interested me more, or I could have researched more surprising quotes to place in this essay. This paper needed more work than what I put into it, for I feel that the reader got some good information but it was slightly not what was need to get a good grade. The ideas of changing this paper maybe would have helped this paper, but it gave the reader some facts that they may not have known.