Kyle Rourke

5-4-17

D Block

What I Have Learned

In the course of my eleventh grade english class i have learned a lot

over a long period of time and it now is coming to a fast end. To be more

specific about what I have learned in this class it could be easily be

described as quotations, Topic Sentences, and become more fancy and

formal in essays.

This is a process that has taken a toll own me for the past 8 months

of crucial learning and development as a writer.

Over the past months we have been doing a lot of reading in english class.

This includes reading comprehension which is grasping the concept of

what is being read by the reader. Through this I have learned how to read

in full detail to be able to make connections between the book and the topic

of the essay we are writing. A good example of this would be "The Things

They Carried" I say this because the quotation in this book from the

soldiers in different points of view allow the reader to get what you are

saying through textual evidence.

While on the subject of getting points across this involves bringing

everything you say in an essay back to the main idea or theme. Like you
would do in a topic sentence. I have been writing essays a lot in my high

school career and when someone does not understand what the point of

my writing is I find that frustrating. I have pushed extra hard this entire year

to have the ability to prove my point through my topic sentences so the

reader understand the point of my essay with ease. In "The Things They

Carried" I tried very hard in my topic sentence to have them relate to the

main idea because it was indeed a difficult essay to understand and write

about. I have came to the realization that you need to be specific as

possible and illustrate through your topic sentence to get it through

someone's head.

When writing a formal essay you want to make sure that you sound

professional and not like any kid who knows how to work google docs. This

involves putting effort forth in using formal language. Through writing all

these essays I have learned that you cannot use contractions in formal

writing because it grants people the opportunity to think of you as someone

who is inexperienced as a writer. If you write like you talk most times it will

not be taken serious. You need to put the effort forward in order to sound

like a professional. I have learned that this year through the countless times

I have recieved it back on my areas of improvement. It is a key element to

having a good writing piece.

 In conclusion the things that I have learned in class this year now

give me the opportunity to take these skills to college and even senior year.

I have gained a understanding of how to make people understand, how to

bring it back to the main idea, and I have learned how to do all of it while

sounding and being professional. These are all things that will allow me to

be a better writer as I continue my adult life.