Murrietta 1

Alex Murrietta

08/01/2022

C. Perkins

Eng. 101 10246

Reflection Final Exam

1. Throughout the English 101 semester, I encountered many different strengths and

weaknesses with my academics. A weakness I encountered was determining what I

would write about and the act of actually getting started. When I would come into this

problem, I would solve it by researching what we were to write about to get inspired, for

example researching topics of an Evaluation essay. The strengths I feel I had were, the

perseverance to not get discouraged and give up. Another was the way I would organize

my assignments and writing. In my writing process I followed a step-by-step process to

ensure that my work was the best it could be. Another way I kept organized was going in

order with my assignments. Even when I was falling behind, I still went along with the

weeks in chorological order to ensure all were completed. These strengths and

weaknesses are some that I will take with me to my next college course.

2. The strategies I learned from English 101, was to keep up with the assignments because

getting behind can happen fast. Another strategy I learned was to get started and not

waste to much time thinking so much about the assignment. I will also remember the

strategy to review my work and that it does not hurt to have another person look over it

also. This is the first semester that I have ever done a peer-to-peer review and it has

taught me the strategy that getting another students opinion to perfect my work can be
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beneficial to my paper and it also gives me motivation to make it better and to get the

assignment done on time.

3. During the English semester we were given the task to write several essays, and each one

was completely different from the next. Every essay that wrote I feel very proud of

because each one was done from scratch, and I learned a new technique of writing from

each one. The essay that I would be most proud of is my memoir. I have to say this one

because to even write the essay it took a lot from me emotionally and mentally. This

essay allowed me to vent out emotional distress that I have from pent up feelings I have

had for years. In this English semester I was able to write about a memoir that I thought I

would never have the chance to write about.

4. In all the essays I wrote I was taught something new from each, however there were two

that really stuck with me educationally and emotionally. The memoir essay taught me

that I had issues with myself that I did not even realize were there until writing them out,

such as PTSD from being homeless or the emotional anguish I still have from not

accepting that my mother is no longer with us. This essay taught me that I have these

problems and that its okay to talk about them and even receive help for them. The other

essay was my literary analysis essay. This paper taught me what a literary analysis essay

is. Before writing this paper, I did not really understand what was being asked from me as

a writer. What I learned through asking questions and research is what gave me the

knowledge to be able to complete the assignment.

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Competencies Final

This semester at Glendale Community College I chose to take the required pre-requisite

class English 101 for my degree towards becoming a nurse. Throughout the course the instructor

educated those in class the different elements to the subject of English, with the main focus being

on writing. I was able to learn, understand, and then implement the material that I was taught

using various techniques. Before I started this class, I did not know what ethos, pathos or logos

meant at all, but after the lesson given, I believe I understand what these different rhetorical

meanings are. The way that I feel that I strived to meet this was by not being afraid to ask

questions. While in class I still had a hard time comprehending exactly what the difference was

and what exactly rhetorical situations meant so I asked my instructor to explain it, I also took the

time to research more into what they meant and looked at examples between the 3 to get a full

grasp on their definitions. In doing so I think I was able to successfully write a paper using ethos,

pathos, and logos. I also was able to review how to utilize and master the tools of writing a

proper paper such as keeping thoughts organized, grammar, tone, and other writing techniques. I

took an effort to be as competent as possible using the mechanics of writing by using them

properly to make my writing as successful as possible. To keep my writing organized, I made

sure to implement prewriting techniques that were taught such as webbing, freewriting, listing

etc. and using the outline provided in our module. I feel I was able to meet the criteria for writing

a proper essay by examining the material taught to me, listening to what and how they are used

and then implementing them myself. The reason that I decided to take steps such as using the

outline as a guide to write my own, researching anything that I didn’t understand, or by simply

asking questions is because I know that this is how I learn best, it is how I am able to retain and

excel at the information being taught to me.

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I also feel that I have met the competency of summarizing and paraphrasing a quote by

practicing how to do so. In this semester we had the opportunity to research quotes or articles

etc. and then use them as a source in our writing by paraphrasing or summarizing what was said.

I feel that I did my best to meet this requirement by using articles and quotes inside my position

argument essay to support what I was writing about. I did so because I researched what I was

writing about and chose an article that best supported the argument I was trying to capture. I was

able to know how to do this because of the lesson taught. We were given the task to find an

article and we had to properly paraphrase and summarize this quote as a graded assignment. This

is how I was able to accurately use quotes and articles in my essay. Another competency that I

strived to meet was learning how to use one’s feedback. During the semester, the class was

taught to give a rough draft of our writing to another student so they could give critiques to

improve our piece of writing. I really appreciated this process because by using their responses I

was able to edit my writing accordingly. I was taught how to be able to appeal to other people

other than myself and the instructor. However, my teacher really helped me to reach the best of

my ability in writing from the feedback she provided me. When she looked over a rough draft of

mine the corrections, she pointed out has instilled in me the knowledge to look for and correct

these mistakes such as my tendency to have run on sentences. Throughout the semester I feel that

I did the best I could to meet each criteria set forth by my instructor with the use of different

techniques, like researching material I did not fully understand, editing my writing with what I

have learned from my peers and professors, and by participating in the lessons given by the

instructor. With this I feel I have strived at meeting the competencies presented by my English

101 instructor.
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Advice:

The advice that I would give to another student entering the English 101 class, is to keep

up. During the semester there is a lot of assignments that need to be completed so try and get

ahead of the modules if your able to. The time goes by very quickly even though you might think

there is more time than there is, stay on top of your work. I would also give them the advice to

not be afraid to speak up when you need help or if your falling behind, a teacher is there to help

no matter what, even though its college, utilize the resources offered. Most importantly,

remember that doing your best in better than not doing anything at all.