Dear Ahmed Asi,

Many assignments have been assigned to us this quarter that have not only enhanced our writing

skills but also prepared us for future writing composition challenges. I've opted to rework both

my Writing Project 1 and Writing Project 2 for this final portfolio. Although the majority of the

writing tasks focused on converting one genre to another, they all served a role in our

compositional learning. I used the writing skills I learned during the quarter to successfully

modify my genre translations for the final portfolio. I used the helpful tools you supplied us with

throughout this class while editing both of my assignments. After reading, “Annoying Ways

People Use Sources” by Kyle D. Stedman, I learned that there is an effective way to introduce

punctuation and cite outside sources. I found this reading very useful not only throughout the

quarter but also throughout the process of this portfolio. I feel like without the knowledge I

gained from this reading it would have been very hard to get through this assignment. This

technique of citation seemed to me to be the same for diverse audiences that were reading my

work. In this assignment, I made sure I revised my work more than just editing small little things

throughout the process. For my writing project 1, I revised my brochure. My brochure defines

basketball and explains why ball possession is so important in professional men's and women's

basketball. I changed four of my flaps, adding and eliminating some, if not all, of the material

that was previously in them. My "What is Basketball?" part used to be a "Basketball" section

where I listed data about what basketball is. I didn't think a list of facts would be appropriate for

a brochure, so I followed my colleagues ‘recommendations and omitted that section. As you can

see, I'm now concentrating on what basketball is and how to get people involved. I also

integrated the therapy and meditation sections so that each had its own part. I've added a "History

of the NBA" section to the section that used to be about "Basketball Beginning Rules" I felt it
would be useful to include not just the basketball rules and standards, but also the largest

organization that has hosted basketball for the past 75 years. Finally, I added to my Ball

Possession Study section on the back of my brochure. I decided to include resources. Finally, I

also added links and addresses to the sources I used because I thought they'd be useful. Overall, I

think I did a great amount of revising which makes my brochure clearer and more cohesive. For

writing project 2, on the other hand, I revised my blog. This blog was about a discussion

regarding which up-and-coming rookies are poised to make an impact in the NBA. While

revising my product, I dove deep into the content of my blog and revised it completely. I deleted

certain information I had added that in the end I found did not feed into the blog. I also moved

my paragraphs around for the content to have a better blog. I provided more details regarding

how these young talents are already practicing with NBA teams and how far they've come.

Overall, I added more than half of the things you will see in my final product. There were certain

ideas and feedback that helped me a lot while revising my projects. I feel like my classmates

always had some useful ideas to give for my final product. I also liked that their feedback was

very detailed as it gave me more things to think about while revising my assignments. I feel like

the feedback I found the most helpful was the feedback we received in our final draft. While

revising my projects for my final portfolio, I found myself going back to my instructor’s

feedback to make sure I addressed all of his advice. Even though I put all my effort into

polishing my portfolio, there are some aspects of it that I am proud of and some that certainly

needs more work. The main thing I am proud of in my portfolio I believe is my brochure. On the

other hand, there are most certainly still some aspects of my portfolio that I would like to

improve on. One of them would have to be my blog. I think I could have done a better job at

including all the important information from my articles in the blog. It was considerably more
difficult to put up my blog while ensuring that it accurately represented all of the content in

every way. The work in this portfolio reflects what I have learned this quarter in this class by

showing all aspects of writing we have learned how to master. I have learned how to implement

the characteristics of a genre into its appropriate genre. I feel like the main thing I have mastered

is translating one genre into another one while keeping the information and characteristics of

both pieces in mind. Before this class, I always had a hard time differentiating how a certain

genre was different from another one. I also found that I did not know how to pick an appropriate

genre for an assignment or even what the purpose of a genre was. I feel like throughout the class,

we focused on genres and their purpose. I now have the knowledge I need to successfully

differentiate a genre and its purpose of it. I believe the strongest feature of my writing now has to

be the ability to get through writer’s block. I used to have a hard time getting started on an essay

and getting my ideas down on paper without getting stuck through the process. I now know how

to differentiate first-order from second-order thinking. This helps me get through writer's block

because, when writing the first draft, I now acknowledge that it is very important to just get my

ideas down on paper first and polish them later. I feel like this makes it easier for me to get my

good and genuine ideas. I then use second-order thinking to edit and revise my composition later.

Overall, I feel like this class has helped me get a deeper understanding of writing and its process.

As I approach writing projects in the future, I will keep in mind all the things I learned in this

class. Thanks to the resources and knowledge provided to me, I will aim to be a better writer in

the future.

Sincerely,

Samuel Vargas