Unit V: Reflection Essay
Background
At the end of the writing process, it’s always beneficial to reflect over what you’ve written and the process that allowed you to complete each task. This semester, you were asked to analyze and write in a variety of genres. You also learned useful rhetorical skills that you can employ in your writing in other college classes.
This short essay, or reflection letter, is an opportunity to recall your triumphs and struggles, your writing process and finished projects, and your overall learning in the course. Reflecting on what you’ve accomplished can help you retain the lessons you’ve learned and prepare the way for improvement in your future writing projects.
Assignment Details
This assignment will be one document split into two parts (invention and a reflective letter):
Invention: Begin thinking about the writing process by completing the following statements with a simile/metaphor and at least two additional explanatory sentences for each one:
“I believe writing is…”
“I believe revising is…”
“I feel that writing courses are…”
Reflective Letter: Write a short letter to your classmates and instructor about your writing progress this year. Use the following outline and questions to guide your thinking and writing; however, you do not need to include answers to every questions below.
Curiosity: How and in what way has this class been beneficial in creating a desire for you to learn more about your world? Did you learn about yourself through your writing and where you fit within a certain discussion? Why or why not—and if so, what did you learn? Did a specific assignment aid in this change?
Openness: How and in what way has this class asked you to consider new ways of thinking about a subject and your place in the world? Have you changed your mind about something discussed in class this semester or in your writing? Explain why or why not. Did a specific assignment aid in this change?
Engagement: To what degree did you feel invested in your writing this semester? In other words, was there ever a time where you felt like you were writing, not simply to get a good grade, but to express your opinion about a subject? Was there a specific assignment that you felt allowed you to do this?
Persistence: How and in what way has this class challenged your writing habits? Did you spend more time writing or revising this semester? Which one (writing or revising) was more difficult for you? Why? Did one specific writing assignment challenge your writing process more than others? If so, please explain how and why.
Responsibility: How and in what way has this class allowed you to take charge of your ideas as a writer? Do you feel your writing can or should have an impact on your social environment? Why or why not? How might you use your writing in future classes or in your daily life?
Style and Format
Since this is a personal essay that asks you to reflect on your own work, your style may be informal. However, you do want to make sure that your audience understands your answers to all required parts of the assignment; use the outline above to answer important questions about your learning process.
Requirements: 3 pages, double-spaced, properly formatted
Audience
Your main audience for this assignment will be your instructor and fellow classmates. Because it is a reflective genre, you may be the most important audience, as choosing your best work and assessing your own writing will help you to solidify learning gains. As it turns out, for this assignment you and your instructor share similar audience needs: you want to write an honest exploration of your composing process, while having a compelling story of specific gains earned through your struggles and victories—pretty much what your instructor wants to read.
Tips
Remember that the statement is yet another opportunity to showcase your writing ability for your instructor, so do it with care and thoroughness.
Map out your progress in the course visually. Which elements seem to dominate your visual representation?
List the comments from peers and the instructor that you see. Are there suggestions that came up more frequently? What did you do to improve on the skill being mentioned?
Enjoy the process! Remember that your reflection is meant to help you see how you’ve improved as a writer and critical thinker.
Course Description
English 1010 teaches rhetorical knowledge and skills, focusing on critical reading, writing, and thinking. English 1010 introduces writing for specific academic audiences and situations. English 1010 emphasizes writing as a process through multiple drafts and revisions. The course includes major essay assignments and research writing.
Course Outcomes
Upon successful completion of English 1010, students should be able to:
Demonstrate rhetorical awareness of audience, purpose, context, and genre in written and oral forums (papers and class discussion).
Demonstrate critical reading, writing, and thinking skills, learning to inquire into issues and problems, explore and interrogate multiple perspectives, negotiate meanings across a diverse array of positions, and problematize oversimplifications.
Demonstrate use of process as an integral component of college-level writing.
Demonstrate knowledge of conventions of academic writing and research.
Craft well-reasoned written and oral arguments derived from personal and public inquiry.
Demonstrate the ability to complicate problematic, clichéd notions of interpretation and articulation.
