When I prepare for written assignments, I like to plan out what I need to do in order to have the paper done by the due date. I prepare myself to have it done a couple of days before, in order to have time to edit it for last minute mistakes. If possible, I break down the essay on my planner and schedule time frames for it to be done. I enjoy writing down all my ideas and thoughts on my topic, including everything I know and things I think I know, finding evidence to help me support or debunk my ideas.

Before I begin, I like to know what my topic is about and what I am going to need to complete it. I like to go through the requirements and past them on top of my paper, this reminds me to answer the questions asked and include the details wanted. As I go through this process, it allows me to incorporate my thoughts while also answering questions without going off topic. This process has not really changed throughout the semester because my papers were broken down, allowing me to have pieces of my papers done by certain due dates, forcing me to avoid leaving my papers done before the due dates. Although since distance learning has started, I have had more time to split up my papers or spend a whole day writing them a bit closer to due dates than I would like. Overall, the layout of the papers I’ve had to do this semester are helpful.

When preparing for assignments and tasks I usually make sure to read what the assignment or task is asking of me. I make sure to carefully pay attention to the details of the assignment and take a look at some of the sample essays as well. After this, I usually try to come up with what my specific topic is gonna be which helps me think about if my essay is going to be strong depending if I actually find the topic interesting. When I do so I start my first draft. Starting the first drafts are sometimes hard for me. I’m always trying to figure out a way to start my essays but once I do its easy from there. Most of my first drafts aren’t complete since I like to plan out and categorize my paragraphs. Once I do so I start going back and start writing which helps me organize my thoughts and points better. Something that helps me understand where I’m at or if I’m doing it correctly is actually the peer reviews. I usually don’t like peer reviews but for this class, I get a lot of good feedback from students and the professor that gives me more insight on what I should fix and if my essay is thought out. Something that I learn through this process is that there isnt always one way to write an essay. This is something that I feel everyone knows but I always have to remind myself. I also learn different writing styles through my peer’s drafts as well. Compared to the begging, this process has helped me develop my own writing style and tone and makes me write differently from regular writing classes. It helps me elaborate on my thoughts while connecting it back to the actual task as well. One thing that really guides me is the sample essays. I find that I sometimes model my essay around one I like or take some elements of that essay and incorporate it in mine. 

Whenever I have to prepare myself to do written tasks/assignments I usually read the background information beforehand, and make sure I familiarize myself with whatever reading that has been given to me. After I do this I write my introduction and try to include my main points in there, so that I can simply just expand on those instead of making it up as I go. What I need to know before I go in though is, do I have a bias? Is there a side I can choose? And also whether or not I agree with the author of the given texts. Once I’ve done this I begin to formulate my ideas based on the writer’s ideas, but if I can’t do this I will write a list of reasons why I don’t like the particular article. What I learn when writing is how frustrating it can be to write without knowing beforehand what I want to write, and this is something I’ve done a lot. When I was in high school I would simply write essays without any background assignments helping me out, and while I did get A’s in all of my English classes I still regret not learning how to do outlines that can help out with my writing. So, I’m glad that in class it is required of me to do so, and because of this, I have familiarized myself with how a basic outline should look. All in all, I hope that I remember to use the strategies I learned in this class and apply them to other classes since it helped out immensely.

Adrian Aguilar

Shamecca Harris

ENGL 21002

13 May 2020

Discussion Post #5

When preparing for assignments I start as simple as reading the instructions. I don’t necessarily brainstorm ideas and jot them on a paper. depending on where I am the ideas flow through me.  Though at times it could take me days to think of an idea and the outcome I am trying to pursue. When I write I usually try to get as many thoughts onto the paper. If I ever get stuck I usually skip a paragraph and work on the conclusion or a different Idea. But before I begin this method, once I have an idea I do research to clarify my thoughts and the outcome that I will state. As I go through this process I don’t necessarily learn anything new. Besides new vocabulary and information on the topic of the assignment, where I learn the most is after the assignment is graded. The feedback or grade I receive allows me to reflect and realize that my body paragraphs, introduction, or whatever else, need more work to clarify my thoughts. I believe over the course of the semester my process has not changed. I continue to follow these steps but because of the pandemic I feel that I have become more lazy. Trying to come up with ideas can be hard at times especially when I have so many distractions around me. To complete my work I feel that mentally I have to be stronger so that I can focus on the tasks at hand. 

Syed Shataj Hosain

Professor Shameca A. Harris

Discussion Post# 5 

13th May, 2020. 

Writing is an essential part of college life. Every student needs a strong writing skill in order to succeed in their college life and also it is the same for me too. Before starting my written assignments I try to understand my topic and brainstorm about it. So, it gets easier for me to write about the topic. Before I begin writing, I try to reach my readers through my writing. I try to illustrate my opinion and point of view to them. As I go through my writing process I learned that I need to understand my ability to write and express my ideas, thoughts and knowledge based on the topic. Also, I struggle to put my thoughts about what to write and how to organize it properly which improves day by day as I keep going with new assignments. I think I successfully developed my writing process over this semester by doing different types of assignments. I tried my best to explore my thoughts, research and communicate with the readers to fulfill the purpose of the given task. It took me some time to understand and develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising and also editing to make assignments. As time passed I think I was able to understand my mistakes which helps me to do better each time. I have surely improved a lot from the beginning. I do not have the highest grade on my papers but I know I have improved my writing skills. I began the semester with little to no organisation when it comes to writing but I feel more confident and able to understand that my writing becomes clearer and easier to follow through.

I chose to review How Individual Upbringing Affects Young Adult Romantic Relationships published by Chardell’s Chronicles in Fall 2019. The author of the article made good use of their sources and organized the essay coherently. I enjoyed reading this essay, it showed a bridge between behavior and relationships. It’s a topic that is discussed frequently but the essay had its own uniqueness. I feel like there was so much more the author could have discussed in the article. The essay overall had good grammar and structure. The author could have worked on comparing and contrasting sources and developing a more in-depth analysis of the question. I would grade the essay 85.5%.

The essay I chose to review was “How Individual Upbringing Affects Young Adult Romantic Relationships”, which focused on how one’s upbringing influenced the romantic relationships they had later in life. Overall, I would grade the essay a 97.75%. Personally, i felt the writer executive the tasks of content, development, organization and their research question perfectly; I say this because they statistically questioned if positive or negative influences from your parents during childhood and adolescence will influence future interpersonal relationships, particularly romantic ones, by citing many sources and dividing one portion of the essay to focus on familial contributions as well as personality influences they may have potentially gained from their environment as a child.

Act Like a Man, act like a woman

Content-above average 

The essay compares the sources without obviously stating it. It shares similar details in each source. The difference is what each source is studying or focusing on. The essay effectively summarizes what each source is saying in a few sentences by using the author’s own words. The author always relates the sources to her research question. 

Development- above average

The essay has five scholarly sources and makes connections between all the studies. 

Organization-above average

The essay includes a strong introduction that explains the issue of sex/gender and its connection to society. The author clearly states the conclusion, where they wrapped up their last thoughts and stance on if gender is socially constructed. The author divided her essay into specific parts which were great because it helped the reader identify certain things. 

Research Question-above average

The research question was rich and specific. It’s a fresh idea as gender studies are pretty new. 

Style– exemplary 

The author had clear sentences with great vocabulary. I think some sentences were confusing because the vocabulary they used was about gender and the typical reader wouldn’t know what they mean. The author didn’t explain these words. Overall, the essay has a great style it was clean and seemed like it was written by a professional in the field. 

Grammar-exemplary

I only caught one mistake in the essay. It was well written. 

I chose to review, How Individual Upbringing Affects Young Adult Romantic Relationships by Chardell Park which caught my attention with the introduction. I enjoyed reading it because the topic is interesting and it showed a lot of connection information with the sources that were cited. Personal ‘baggage’ influencing relationships was proven by the sources used especially when it is mentioned children reflect their own relationships with those of their parents. Overall, I enjoyed this paper and would give it an above average if not exemplary. As far as I could tell the grammar was good, the research question was well thought out as well as the organization of the paper. I do think this question has been researched a lot and written about a lot but still, an interesting topic. 

Asadullah Bin Amir 

Prof. Shamecca Harris 

05/04/20 

English 

Reading Response #4 

Essay: How Individual Upbringing Affects Young Adult Romantic Relationships

Grade: A- 

Response: After carefully evaluating the essay, I personally believe the essay lacks a perfect structure. Although the author uses multiple credible sources in order to back her claim, the arrangement of these sources lacked structure. Moving past that the essay was an amazing insight about something we all struggle with in this hookup culture. The author highlights that by showing the family contributions. Furthermore every article is backed with an interpretation which solidifies the author’s point. Conclusion is well written, revisits the original thesis while adding more information from the articles. Great piece, the only criticism I have is the structure of the articles used within the essay.