Audrey Clark English 1102 S.

Ingram 25 April 2013 Portfolio Essay: The Evolution of My Work Throughout English 1102 I was assigned a mixed assortment of writing assignments that were intended to make me write, revise, edit, and reflect on my own writing. The course too required as the syllabus states, for students to immerse themselves in a conversation about a topic through reading, questioning, and process writing. Accordingly, each of these assignments individually influenced my growth throughout the course, all having different effects on my learning. Thus, I organized my essay in a way that displays which writing assignment was least effective to which writing assignment were most effective, least being the midterm assignment and most being the blog posts, all of which can be found on my e-portfolio. With regards to my midterm assignment, the least effective assignment towards learning in my opinion, I was instructed to write a letter to a friend who was not taking the course, my decision being my close friend Emily. I was to include what I had learned thus far in the course and how I had learned it. I began by telling her the courses overall topic question being, what does it mean to be healthy? I then explained to her that I was addressing this question in a piece I was currently working on being, my annotated bibliography. I told Emily that this piece guided a personal question I would later develop into a research essay by using sources made available at the schools library. I also told her that I was actively participating in blogging and that it has allowed me to take some personal risks, writing my internal thoughts and posting them online for people to see and judge. I then ended my letter by mentioning how the assignments were helping me transition, both into the course and as the person experiencing personal growth.

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The midterm assignment not only helped me transition as a person, but it assisted in generating a process that allowed me to gain a better understanding of the courses key concepts. In particular, the midterm assignment improved my notion of both, the concept of critical thinking and the concept of intellectual growth and maturity. Critical thinking involves a higher form of thinking, a decision on whether a claim is definite or not. My midterm assignment exemplifies critical thinking through my explanation of my annotated bibliography. I explained to Emily that my bibliography displays my personal reflection about my reasoning concerning my actions and beliefs about the topic I addressed. My midterm assignment also exhibits intellectual growth and maturity in a loose aspect, setting a basis for me to later exceed in correlation to future assignments. In a sheer manner, my midterm displayed how I used good judgment, in relation to annotated bibliography, making decisions related to the organization and clarity of the piece. It would not be until later, as seen in the final draft of my research paper and the final revisions of my blogs that the set basis supplied by my midterm assignment was exceeded, showing how intellectual growth and maturity as well. Following the effectiveness of my midterm paper is my, Whats it Like to be You? (WILTBY), essay assignment which is the second least effective writing assignment of the course. I was directed to address Siedels questions of, Whats it like to be you? Who are you? What is the stuff you are made of? Thus, I began my WILTBY essay by writing without any technology, just paper and pencil. I ended up creating a piece that told my audience about my firm beliefs with God which made me a strong Christian, with an inclusion of my favorite biblical verse, my motivation and desire for self-improvement, and how I was the first in my family to attend a four-year university. I later rearranged my whole essay, changing the title, including dialogue, and including a detailed overview of my present life at UNCC.

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By making these major revisions to my WILTBY essay I was able to gain a better interpretation of the courses key concepts being, risk-taking, the writing process and revision, providing and receiving feedback, and intellectual growth and maturity. My WILTBY essay played a huge role in my first steps towards improving my skills used during both, the writing process and revision and providing and receiving feedback. My first and second drafts were both mere immature pieces. But after receiving feedback from both my peers and Ms. Ingram, I was able to correct my errors, revising my essay. One major revision I made was the inclusion of my present life at UNCC. For instance, I included now, I am here at UNCC completing my freshmen year of college as a pre-nursing major. Although it was merely only a dream of mine, I gratefully have made it reality. By doing this I was able to better show my audience who I was and what it was like to be me, which was the main goal of the assignment. My WILTBY essay also played a vital role in my improvement of intellectual growth and maturity. Since my WILTBY was my first assignment, I was able to take this piece and reflect on it, allowing me to asses myself and later make steps toward maturing and growing as a writer when completing my last few assignments. One other key concept my WILTBY essay allowed me to improve on, me personally believing it as being the most important concept for this piece, was risk-taking. My decision to include internal dialogue in my WILTBY essay was a huge risk I took for myself. At first, I had unsettling feeling about including dialogue; I didnt think it would improve my essay. But after reflecting on the decision I can confidently say that the dialogue gave my essay needed character; personality. Following my WILTBY essay is my annotated bibliography, the third most effective writing assignment of the course. My annotated bibliography was a new and unknown assignment for me. Having never done one previously, I had to construct a skeleton for my later

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written research essay. My annotated bibliography required me gather and include the opinions of six sources that had something to comment on about my topic, and how they were addressing it. I was to due this so I could later form and develop my own argument about my topic in my research essay. My annotated bibliography helped me greatly during the course. It allowed me to gain a better insight on many of the key concepts of the course like, personal inquiry, the writing process and revision, providing and receiving feedback, and critical thinking. A personal inquiry is fueled by questioning; it is the determination to seek information and knowledge. My annotated bibliography shows my first steps to personal inquiry. I produced a question and then researched sources that had the same question, analyzing their statements and opinions. Comparably, my bibliography played a huge role in both, my improvement of the writing process and revision and my improvement in providing and receiving feedback. After peer workshopping my first draft and supplying my peers with concise feedback while gaining the same in return, I began to revise and draft a second piece. After completing my second draft, I ended up revising five of the six sources, completely altering my bibliography. These revisions showed me that even though I was content with a first draft, a lot of work could result from revising which ultimately greatly improved my piece. One other key concept that played a huge role in the writing of my bibliography was critical thinking. As stated above, critical thinking is a higher form of thinking; a decision on whether a claim is accurate or not. My annotated bibliography allowed me to begin the formation of a decision based off of different sources. For example, I stated in my bibliography as influenced by a source called The Role of Soy in Vegetarian Diets, This article displays the vital role soy play in vegetarian diets due to their high protein and fat content, low carbohydrate content and versatility. The article also covers in great detail,

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isoflavones, which are a specific soybean constituent. This statement was made after applying the concept of critical thinking which greatly impacted my decision on whether I personally felt topic of soy was healthy or not. The completion of my annotated bibliography led to the writing process of my argumentative research essay, the second most effective writing assignment of the course. My argumentative essay was a considerably exhausted process. I had drafted and executed many argumentative research essays like this one in high school, making it a familiar process. I was instructed to persuade my audience based off of a personally formulated opinion about my topic. I was to use my voice to drive the essay with support from my research. I originally decided to construct my essay on whether vegetarian diets were healthier than carnivorous diets due to the by-products and dietary supplements included in each diet. After exhausting research, I change my topic to whether soy was a healthy or hazardous food for the body due to its constituents. With my topic changed, I proceeded to write an essay on why I felt soy was hazardous for the body with relation to severe food allergies, thyroid disorders, immune system impairment, breast cancer, and impaired fertility. After writing my argumentative research essay I was able to gain a better insight into many of the key concepts of the course like, curiosity, independent inquiry, critical thinking, and responsibility for ones own learning. My topic question was fueled my curiosity. After researching vegetarian diets I become curious in soy, the main source of protein for vegetarians. This curiosity led me to refocus my essay, an ultimate decision that changed my piece improvingly. As compared to my annotated bibliography, my argumentative essay also helped me to form an independent inquiry that I based off of critical thinking. As previously stated, a fueled questioned showed how my bibliography displayed my first steps to inquiry. My

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bibliography also allowed me to begin the formation of decision based on different sources. I basically reinforced these concepts in my argumentative essay, but with greater detail. For example, my essay begins my stating Observations have been conducted linking a direct correlation between populations that consume soy and the health risks associated and ends with Like seen in most vegetarians, over-consumption of soy, a genetically modified food that is loosely regulated and rarely labeled, has negative results on the bodies of those affected. These statements exemplify the question I formed about my topic of soy and the decision I ultimately came to. Lastly, my argumentative essay too helped me to gain a better insight into the courses key concept of responsibility for ones own learning. I was required to drive my own research with no one or nothing driving me to research my topic, other than the course deadlines. This made me independently responsible for researching my topic and producing an argument. Following my argumentative research paper is my blog posts, the most effective writing assignment of the course. My blogs were a way of featuring and tracking my research, writing, and thinking throughout the course. I created seven blog posts that were addressed to a public audience, making them available for criticism and scrutiny. Some blog posts reflected my work in the course such as blogs one, two, three, and seven, which required me to write a reflection on my WILTBY essay, a book read in class called Pease Butter & Jelly, my library visit to Atkins, and a reflection on a reading based off of Aristotles appeals. Other blogs reflected on much larger ideas like blogs four and six which required me to write about my research and academic conversations I was currently exploring and the purpose and placement of the course in my education. My blogs were the most significant aspect of the course, allowing me to gain a better insight into every key concept of the course. Although each blog had a different agenda, they all

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had a similar outcome; to reflect. After revising and revisiting each blog my original opinion of blogging being pointless changed into the opinion of blogging being a vital means of reflection; a way to accurately reflect. Blogging was the most impacting writing assignment of the course because I had to reflect on the assignments I completed. For example, blog post four was the most significant post for me, having reflected on the research and academic conversations I came across, I was able to give meaning to my research. The blog helped me gain a focus toward concepts like my topic question and audience. I didnt gain this focus when writing and conducting my research but I did when reflecting on it in a blog because it made me analyze the assignment, thinking critically. Overall, based on all of the information I presented I believe that the grade I deserve for the course is an A. With consideration to my portfolio essay, I thoughtfully arranged each piece of writing in a well organized manner based on how effective and significant each piece was to my learning. I also related each piece of writing to certain key concepts of the course, explaining how that particular piece of writing either improved or helped me to gain a better insight into the concepts. With consideration to other writing assignments I completed throughout the course, with distinct reference to my blogs, I thoughtfully executed each blog and then later revisited them to revise and polish each one. For example, I revisited blog post four, revising things like my topic question and the dialogue I included between two of my sources. Comparably, I also thoughtfully executed each writing assignment, attempting to complete the assignments to my best abilities. I then revisited and revised each piece to produce an overall, well develop, polished writing assignment which has led me to become confident and satisfied with each final product of my work. Therefore, my e-portfolio is a creation of my work throughout the course,

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conceiving my envisions with confidence. My e-portfolio consists of every polished writing assignment I ever completed, it exemplifies my best work. Comparably, with regards to effectively polishing every writing assignment that led to the creation of an e-portfolio that exemplifies my best work, I effectively participated in class. Having class participation as always being an always easy task for me, I attended class regularly and never missed a group conference or small group meeting, although I engage in class discussions on occasions. With regards to participation, I also read every assigned reading and prepared for the class quizzes. Most importantly, I completed my writing assignments on time whether it was a blog, first draft, or final draft. Thus, my considerable time and effort invested in this class shows through my work which speaks for itself; it speaks for an A.