Lesson 15, #1, Write a letter to someone (other than your instructor) introducing yourself as a writer.

January 9, 2011

Caroline Wolf

Special Education Coordinator

West Valley High School

3800 Geist Road

Fairbanks, AK 99709

Dear Ms. Wolf:

I want to thank you for your support of me to work hard at the University Alaska of Fairbanks. I love that you encouraged me to succeed. If not for you, I would have lost the motivation to stay in school and become successful. Now I know that I can do anything and be a success because you had shown me that I can be successful in the end.

I support your special education program. I have been spending time working with some students and I can see that they need more help with their English. I would like to help them someday. Now I am successful in college and I am improving in my use of the English language. I hope that you can read my resume and see the accomplishments I have achieved in my English courses.

Thank you for your time to read this letter. If you have any questions or concerns for me, I would love to take the time to work with you. Once again, thank you.

Sincerely,

Kimberly MacLeod

Student

Enc.

 

Kimberly MacLeod

kfmacleod@alaska.edu

Objective         To improving writing, expand ideas, and strength through written experience

Academic Writing Experience

Fall 2010:        University Alaska of Fairbanks

American Sign Language III-ASLG F203

·         “Education for Deaf People”: Wrote a 3-page comparative essay about deaf resident schools and mainstream schools for deaf students

Methods of Written Communication-ENGL F111X

·         “I Can Exist in a Hearing World”: Wrote a 3-page essay about an experience in my life where I learned about myself

·          “Education for Deaf People”: Wrote a 2-page one-sided argument essay about an experience of a strength or weakness in my life

·         “A Chance for the Next Generation of Native Americans”: Wrote a 4-page argument essay about Effie Kokrine Charter School

·         “Homeschool is the Best Education for Children”: Wrote a 5-page argument essay about homeschool education

Additional Writing Experience

Summer 2010: University Alaska of Fairbanks

·         Wrote and presented reports to the  Director of The Office of Equal Opportunity and supervisor of Student Support Services program

Spring 2010:    Kaleidoscope in Motion Home School

·         Wrote a syllabus for the semester

·         Prepared and presented reports to parent

Lesson 14, #1, On your blog, write about what you wish you had done differently while you worked on your paper.

It would be nice if I didn’t have writer’s block that prevented me from finishing the first draft earlier so I could visit the Writing Center. I could improve on how to better ask questions of a librarian to help me find correct sources easier. I also would have liked it if my health problems didn’t affect me during the fall, then I could have kept on track with my English course more easily. I know that I’m not regretting the topic that I chose for my research paper. I want to learn more about homosexuals and their fight for equal rights. This research helped me to learn about some issues for homosexuals. I do regret that I couldn’t find anything about the opposing side’s perspective on homosexuals in the military. I also need to remind myself next time to not collect a lot of sources in one day or that could turn me off from focusing on the research.

Lesson 13, #1, Write about your experience consulting with someone about your writing. Include what that person told you about your writing.

I totally forgot that the Writing Center is closed during the winter break. I was so busy with other classes and focusing on finals. Then, I decided to take a break from school to enjoy the holidays. That was my mistake. I asked my dad to help me with my research paper. He is my consultation. I don’t have anybody to ask for help. I’m glad that my dad was willing to take the time to read seven papers and give me some feedback on them. He enjoyed seeing my opinion on the topic of homosexuals and their fight for equal rights. My dad and I discussed the topic and both of our opinions are mostly the same. He was surprised at my sources and learning something new about the topic. My dad wants to learn more about the sources that I have been collecting. I also explained to him about the history of homosexuals. He actually learned something from my paper and I feel so good about that. I also learned something new from reading over 20 different sources. I enjoy learning more about homosexual rights because I keep on hearing many current events related to homosexuals. I learned that I have improved on writing and my skill has improved on the essay format. My dad told me that my writing has been improving. I also feel that I have been learning a lot about the essay format from my English 111x course. I’m glad that I decided to take this course and it helped me learn something new about writing. I know that I still have problems with grammar. My dad can see that I am slowly improving on grammar. He also helped me with my grammar by editing my paper. I need to remind myself to stop and read over my paper to see if it is making sense to me. Then, I can start adding more information to my paper. That was a suggestion from my dad. I also noticed that I have struggled a bit with some of the paragraphs that do not look like they flow well into other paragraphs. I was concerned about that part and my dad feels that it is flowing better but still needs bit more something. I was not sure if I should add more source information or I should reduce on sources? I debated with myself about if I should add one more visual element in my paper. I did not realize that doing this research paper would take so much time to complete. I have learned that now and I will improve on it the next time. I’m glad that I have been improving on MLA formats, essay format, and my skills in writing. I hope that my research paper will turn out good. I feel a bit frustrated about the opposing paragraph because I know that it was not my best work. I wish that I could have found one source that supported the idea that homosexuals should not be allowed in the military. I could not find at least one and I feel so frustrated. Maybe I should have asked a librarian for help but I had asked them three times for help on adopting, marriage and equal rights. I also learned that I should ask a librarian for assistance by using better and more focused questions.

Lesson 11, #1, Write about your experience summarizing the reading.

I dislike summarizing what I have finished reading because I do not enjoy it and I am not interested in it. I have been struggling to understand the articles, and I’ve been trying to understand what their concepts are. I have to search for claims, thesis ideas, and major concepts. When I finally understand what the article is about, I then start to struggle again, but this time about if I should use the information from the article or if I should not. It is a challenge to find an article that you want for the research paper. When I finally found some articles that seem interesting, I start to read it. I start to feel confused and I start to have a headache as I try to interpret the article. I try to see if it makes enough sense for the research paper and I see if I need anything from the article. I to start feel a bit overwhelmed from searching numerous amounts of sources and interpreting those. It makes me feel tired and less interested to search for more sources. I hate when that happens to me because it causes me to feel sleepy as I try to interpret the not-so-interesting source. Sometimes, I will wonder about why I choose those useless sources. I am glad that I took the Library Information and Research course last year because it has proved to be helpful and a valuable resource. It has helped me in collecting better and stronger sources. But sometimes I will find useless sources from the many search engines on the internet. I still have to learn more about search engines to improve on my research process. When I have a good article, I can understand it easier and it’s easier for me to summarize those specific articles. I can read them and look for their claims and thesis ideas. I usually start to collect information and combine it for my paper. I have noticed that most of the time when I start sketching an outline or writing out notes that I mark each article with a hi-lighter so I can keep track of it and keep it organized. I use different colored markings for the thesis ideas, claims, and opposing views. This organizational process is a way for myself to keep track of all sources and then write down what each color means on post it notes on top of the papers. I started organizing post it notes to see which sources are the ones that I want to put into my research paper. Summarizing is a good way for me to start figuring out which sources are good or not so good for the paper. I feel that I prefer summarizing on post it notes instead of write down the summary on paper because it is not an interesting process, in my opinion, and does not appeal to me. I don’t believe I’ve ever learned the proper way to summarize in a formal paragraph. I have finally learned how to process writing summaries for research papers this semester. I still have to practice more on summarizing in the future. I need to get used to summarizing and writing in the correct and formal format. I can’t wait to improve on my summarizing skills.

Lesson 10, #1, The subject of the journal entry on your blog for this lesson is one of your choosing.

I’ve started to feel a bit overwhelmed with the research and trying to complete it. My brain can’t keep up with everything. I still haven’t finished with the research on opposing views, same sex marriage, and discrimination against homosexuals. I’m still trying to decide if I should research homosexual relationships and adopting children. I’m still thinking about if I should switch the adoption issues with religious issues. I wonder if the paper will be stronger if I decide to change it. I feel a bit pressured to finish everything by the deadline. I know that when Thanksgiving arrives I will be crazier than before. I’m almost finished with sketching ideas for an outline so I can see what my paper should look like. I’ve been curious about if I should interview some of my friends to see their views on equal rights for homosexuals. I’ve been thinking about if I should have more visual elements in my essay or not. I’m still not sure if I can have more visual elements on my paper. I need check with Hacker’s writing reference textbook and Writing Argument textbook to see if it has any rules about visual elements. I’ve been wondering about why I decided on this topic then I remember that I don’t have any idea about homosexuals’ battles for their equal rights. This topic is perfect to educate me to understand their side’s point of view. I even learned about the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell law that our former President Bill Clinton designed for homosexuals in the military. I’ve been wondering if we have more laws for homosexuals or not. I need to start research again at this weekend. Looks like I won’t be able to sleep in for the weekends, because those are the only days I have to do a lot of research.

Lesson 9, #1, Why am I feeling threatened by this research paper (if you are)? or Why am I feeling confident about this research paper?

Well, I feel a bit threatened and confident at the same time. I have a lot of good, strong sources to support my paper to prove my claims about homosexuals and their equal rights. However, I also feel a bit threatened by how difficult it is to understand some articles, laws, and newspapers. I decided to keep on researching and try my best to interpret the sources. I started to learn a lot about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. I heard about that law before but I didn’t understand why people made such a big deal out of it, but now I finally understand. I can’t wait to learn more about homosexual’s equal rights in marriage and religion. I also can’t wait to learn about the opposing view as well. I feel a bit threatened, again, on the timeline to complete this paper. I’m hopeful that I will successfully complete this paper by the due date.

Lesson 9, #1, What do I need outside help with?

I need help with editing, revising, and seeing if my paper flows smoothly or not. I already talk to the library at the University of Alaska Fairbanks for help to find more information about homosexuality in politics and law in the articles databank. I needed my father to help me with the laws because he is good at explaining laws to me. I already asked him about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. Sometimes, laws can be difficult to understand.

Lesson 9, #1, What else do I still need to do?

I still need to research more about same-sex marriage and homosexuality in religion. I feel that I have a fair amount about the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy for the research paper. I need more about the opposing view on DADT, marriage, and religion. I’m still unsure about which order I want set up for my research paper so I need to start working on that too. I know that my paper is mostly focused on equal rights. I’ve been wondering if I should get some information about how African-American people won their equal rights and compare that to the homosexual equal rights current fight. I am still brainstorming about what my paper should look like.

Lesson 8, #3

Sometimes, the thesis is good and sometimes it is too broad. I hope that I will keep on improving my thesis for papers. I need to remember to review the thesis and check it to see if I need to fix it. I also need to remind myself that the paper should be flowing beautifully.

Lesson 8, #2

I decided to research about equal rights for homosexuals in America. I found Claudia’s blog and I love the graphic that she found. On the left margin, it portrays a white man who is against interracial marriage in 1960, and the right it shows a black man who is against homosexual marriage in 2006. It shows that both men feel the same way about the ‘sanctity’ and ‘blessing’ of marriage, but they both support two different things although they feel the same way. http://claudia.weblog.com.pt/arquivo/current_events/

Lesson 8, #1

In the seventh edition of “Rereading America: Cultural Contexts for Critical Thinking and Writing.” Jean Kilbourne wrote an essay called, “Two Ways a Woman Can Get Hurt, Advertizing and Violence.” She shows many different graphics for an essay. I found two graphics that bothered me the most. The first image is on page 421, on the bottom of the page. It was advertising men’s deodorant. The image shows a man leaning over a woman against a wall and both of them are laughing, and above the people the word ‘No’ is capitalized and shown as important. The message is conflicting about how if a woman sees the image she will understand a message that says when a woman says no, she means no, and when a man sees that image he will understand a message that says when a woman says no, she is just joking and really means yes. The second image is on page 426, and it is on the top of the page. It shows a woman kneeling down on the floor and licking it. The message that it portrays is that women should be completely obedient and submissive to men. That image is an advertisement for a drink that is popularly drunk by men, so far as I can tell. It shows that it’s fun and enjoyable for a man to control a woman, when it isn’t fun for her. I believe that men have started to notice a lot of advertising that contains secret messages about how women should be submissive, obedient, and a servant to men. These hidden messages can cause men to rape, sexually harass, and abuse women, all without thinking of the consequences and how the women feel.

Lesson 7, #2

I read Leesha Cook and Kayla T. Willis’ blogs. I loved reading their blogs to see how they think and answer the questions. I did not leave any comments because I did not know what to say. I enjoyed reading their blogs and comparing my answers to their answers. How do I get extra credit? Should I leave a comment on somebody else’s blog site?

Lesson 7, #1, What value does each of your sources have to your audience?

Michael H. Romanowski, Catherine, Michelle Conlin, Andrea Neal, Phillip E. Johnson, and Grant Jackson will talk about their research on homeschooling to show reasons why home school is the best choice for parents and provides the best education for students. Michael H. Romanowski is my favorite source because he has great information for me to research on homeschooling. Romanowski’s research is helpful for me to start research on homeschooling and he has both sides’ point of views. Catherine has good information about the positive side of home school and how children will be successful in the future. Michelle Conlin has a good statement about homeschooling. Andrea Neal has a great statement about homeschooling and both of the positive and negative reasons. Phillip E. Johnson has both sides about homeschooling as well, and lastly, Grant Jackson has the most negative side and a good statement.

Lesson 7, #1, Can the audience be swayed by your claim and reasons? Why or why not? Tell why each reason is strong enough to sway a person to your way of thinking.

Yes, I believe so. I wrote about how homeschooling is a great choice for parents to give the best education to their children. I wrote about three supporting reasons to point out that homeschooling have good benefits. Home school is a great environment for children to learn values, maturity and respect in. Most times homeschool students will do very well on standardized tests because they have a stronger motivation to study harder. Home school is a safer environment for children to pursue their education and prepare for the future. The essay has good information and is full of sources that support my point of view. I believe that parents will start to open their minds and be curious about home school education.

Lesson 7, #1, Who is the audience for your essay? What is the thesis of essay? Does it include the claim and 3 supporting reasons to make it a strong thesis?

The audience of my essay is for parents who are seeking for the best education for their children. My essay focuses on how homeschooling is an excellent choice for parents to explore. Home school is the best way to teach children to be prepared for their future with their parents’ help. The essay has three supporting reasons about why home school is a great choice. Home school students will learn to be mature and responsible in pursuing their academic interests and students tend to score higher on tests than public school students do. Many home school students also choose to go to college as well. Lastly, parents love the idea that their children are not exposed to the risks and dangers that they could face in public school. I believe that the three supporting claims help my thesis in being stronger in the paper.

Lesson 6, #2

Black people finally got their equal rights in America and now homosexuals are next to battle for their equality in America. I love this graphic cartoon because it contains a very powerful statement. America struggled with racial prejudice for many years and finally it has started to dissolve, and because of that we have been able to elect a black man for president. Now, our next step is about equal rights for homosexuals in America. Imagine, in 20 to 40 years in the future we may have a homosexual president. In this cartoon, there is a couple walking past two water fountains and the man mentions that the discrimination in America has ended, but he doesn’t realize that America is still stuck discriminating against homosexuality. There are many different kinds of prejudice in America that people are struggling to end. The question is what will be the major issue in America after homosexual discrimination is done?

Lesson 6, #1

The graphic shows that the young female is curious and opens the door which leads to internet chat rooms. The internet world is dangerous for young children to explore. Children have large amounts of curiosity and want to explore to learn new things. The internet world is easy for children to fall into by the many traps set by adults or teenagers. When I saw that graphic I quickly understood what the message was about. The message was so clear in that picture, an open door of creepy internet chat rooms with predatory eyes on the young girl who is an innocent victim. I know that throughout the years there have been things that have happened in internet chat rooms which have led to numerous child kidnappings, molestations, murders, and more heinous crimes. I believe that the illustrator was trying to show his point of view about how internet chat rooms are dangerous for children to enter. Also, the illustrator wants parents to understand the message and be prepared for their children’s safety in the internet world.

Lesson 5, #1, What have you learned about your instructor’s expectations of you?

I learned that Ms. Kline expects that I will improve on my writing process, evolve on my writing skills, explore on my thinking, and learn of arguments that I haven’t learned about before. I also learned that she expects me to improve on MLA and that the sources should be good for the paper. I feel that Ms. Kline wants all of us students to learn about arguments and learn about the pre writing style so all of us can be successful in thinking more deeply than before. I’ve started noticing that I have learned more about arguments that I have never seen before and I’ve learned how to write an argument paper. I hope that I will be successful in her course and keep on learning new subjects as she teaches us.

Lesson 5, #1, What have you learned about the writing process and/or about yourself during this lesson?

I don’t realize that I actually started improving on writing essays and the process by pre writing. I learned more about the MLA guidelines and learned that I have to align the text to the left, and not justify. I used to justify for my essays because it looked more polished and neater. I was shocked when Ms. Kline told me that the text should be aligned to the left for the MLA to be correct. I struggled a bit to adjust to the new writing style for the paper but in the end, I actually learned about how to write papers in the correct way. In high school I hated freewriting because I felt that it wasted my time but right now I actually love it for using it to create a brainstorm or to find a thesis. I feel that I have evolved in the writing process.

Lesson 5, #1, Which technique would you choose not to use again? Why?

I prefer to not use journalist questions because I’m not that great at creating an idea from simple questions. It is so hard for me to complete this technique because I keep on struggling with it. I prefer to do freewriting to get ideas of what I am supposed to write about then I can do the journalist question process more easily. I dislike doing journalist questions because I’m never sure if I’m doing the correct process for it. I stumbled on it for a while but I finally had a goal for the journalist questions. I wonder if I will improve on the journalist questions in the future. I know for sure that right now I will not choose that process for a few lessons unless I’m required to do it.