Project 1A: This project was extremely valuable to me because it taught me how to truly analyze

and evaluate sources. I am now able to tell when sources are credible and strong enough to use

for my paper, as well as how to place them in the most beneficial parts of my work. Normally I

would just look for a good quote to use, but this project taught me how to decipher a good quote

and a good source. This assignment requiring me to choose my own research topic was exciting

and I could not have been happier with my choice due to the fact that I feel very passionate about

my topic and how personal it is to me.

Project 1B: This was hands down the longest and most intimidating writing assignment I have

ever done. I am still simultaneously shocked and proud of myself for completing a 2000 word

research paper and I did not even struggle too much with the word count. This assignment

definitely made me more confident in my writing abilities as well as my research abilities, which

is a skill I have never felt I had obtained prior.

Project 2: Project two was a concept I had never really heard of before and was entirely

unfamiliar with. I was used to analyzing articles and comparing those, but to use artifacts was

something new to me. Though I was intimidated, I did enjoy this assignment and felt it came

easily to me. My artifacts were not challenging to analyze because I felt very passionately about

my topic and the artifacts chosen, though, comparing and contrasting a pill and a magazine cover

did present a bit of an obstacle. Additionally, I learned a lot of new and vital terms in the process

of this project, including modality, medium, purpose, and more.

Project 3: I was extremely excited about the fact that I had the opportunity to write a personal

memoir section on my topic because of how personal my topic is to me. This assignment was a

perfect opportunity to practice writing purposefully for my audiences and it forced me to make

sure my choices would cater to both audiences and my discourse community. I did not realize

how important discourse community and audience was in writing until this class and this

assignment, but I have now gotten into the habit of ensuring my paper is constructed for a

specific audience.

Overall: Over the course of these six weeks, I feel I have learned more from this class than from

any of my past high school writing classes. This course pushed me further than I ever thought I

would be able to reach. I am extremely proud of myself for completing so many brand new

assignment concepts as well as writing more than I ever have. Finishing essays has been

something I have struggled with over the course of my entire schooling career, so this class has

become a proud achievement of mine. I also learned how to cut out fluff in an essay while still

meeting and exceeding the word count. (507 words)