Writing
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Formal Essay #1: "House On Mango Street"
Prompt: How does Esperanza change throughout the novel?
Thesis: Esperanza changes from being an insecure little girl to a confident woman who realizes her purpose.
Score 1/5: 3
I think I received a 3 on this essay because I did an overall good job on the essay but there are still things I could work on, for example the format. Sometimes I forget that the "concrete detail" is a quote not commentary. I believe my one of my strengths in this essay was improving my score because I started off with a 2 and as I revised and overlooked my mistakes, I ended up writing a decent essay with a score of a 3. My goal for the next essay is to get a 4.
House On Mango Street Formal Essay #1
Formal Essay #2: "Hatchet"
Prompt: What universal message(s) are portrayed in Gary Paulsen's novel, Hatchet?
Thesis: Brian uses positive thinking and patience to survive his time in the wild.
Score 1/5: 4
I think I received a 4 because I definitely have improved a lot in essay writing but I do think I could improve even more. My strengths in this essay were not repeating myself and having the correct format. The areas that still need improvement are including more analysis in the commentary, expanding my ideas and making sure my commentary is relevant to my topic sentence. I did a lot of revising when writing this essay. I wanted really good feedback, so I scheduled to meet up with Erin so that she could critique my writing. It helped me a lot because she was very honest and specific. The goals I have for writing next year is to improve writing commentary and to get a 5 as my score.
First Draft:
Hatchet Timed Writing
Revised Process Essay:
Hatchet Formal Essay #2
Timed Writing #1: "Dreams"
Prompt: What is the main idea or message of this poem? Use quotes and specific details from the poem to support your ideas.
What I notice about this timed writing that was written at the beginning of the year in comparison to my essays that were written at the end of the year is that there is no specific format that this essay was written in. I was obviously not experienced in writing essays and didn't have a good idea of what it should look like. I have learned so much that has made my writing a whole lot better using a specific format. It helped me write a good thesis and back it up with topic sentences, comment on quotes, introduce and conclude a subject, etc. I am most proud of how much I have improved in writing since the beginning of the year because I started off with unorganized essays to good formatted essays with expanded ideas.
Dreams Timed Writing #1
Timed Writing #2: "It's Kind Of A Funny Story"
Prompt: How does the main character change throughout the story? (Think before and after)
Thesis: Craig starts off as an insecure boy who wants to kill himself and by the end of the book, realizes he has a life ahead of him definitely worth living.
Score 1/5: 3
I think I received a 3 on this timed writing because I did a pretty good job overall, although there is still room for improvement. On of my strengths in this essay was making my writing inspirational to people who may be going through the same thing as the main character. One of the areas that still needs improvement is making sure that my topic sentences connect directly to my thesis. I also could work on wrapping up my paragraphs smoothly using good concluding sentences. The goals I have for next year are too keep on working on my format and to remember to make everything in present tense.
It's Kind Of A Funny Story Timed Writing #2
Formal Essay #1: "House On Mango Street"
Prompt: How does Esperanza change throughout the novel?
Thesis: Esperanza changes from being an insecure little girl to a confident woman who realizes her purpose.
Score 1/5: 3
I think I received a 3 on this essay because I did an overall good job on the essay but there are still things I could work on, for example the format. Sometimes I forget that the "concrete detail" is a quote not commentary. I believe my one of my strengths in this essay was improving my score because I started off with a 2 and as I revised and overlooked my mistakes, I ended up writing a decent essay with a score of a 3. My goal for the next essay is to get a 4.
House On Mango Street Formal Essay #1
Formal Essay #2: "Hatchet"
Prompt: What universal message(s) are portrayed in Gary Paulsen's novel, Hatchet?
Thesis: Brian uses positive thinking and patience to survive his time in the wild.
Score 1/5: 4
I think I received a 4 because I definitely have improved a lot in essay writing but I do think I could improve even more. My strengths in this essay were not repeating myself and having the correct format. The areas that still need improvement are including more analysis in the commentary, expanding my ideas and making sure my commentary is relevant to my topic sentence. I did a lot of revising when writing this essay. I wanted really good feedback, so I scheduled to meet up with Erin so that she could critique my writing. It helped me a lot because she was very honest and specific. The goals I have for writing next year is to improve writing commentary and to get a 5 as my score.
First Draft:
Hatchet Timed Writing
Revised Process Essay:
Hatchet Formal Essay #2
Timed Writing #1: "Dreams"
Prompt: What is the main idea or message of this poem? Use quotes and specific details from the poem to support your ideas.
What I notice about this timed writing that was written at the beginning of the year in comparison to my essays that were written at the end of the year is that there is no specific format that this essay was written in. I was obviously not experienced in writing essays and didn't have a good idea of what it should look like. I have learned so much that has made my writing a whole lot better using a specific format. It helped me write a good thesis and back it up with topic sentences, comment on quotes, introduce and conclude a subject, etc. I am most proud of how much I have improved in writing since the beginning of the year because I started off with unorganized essays to good formatted essays with expanded ideas.
Dreams Timed Writing #1
Timed Writing #2: "It's Kind Of A Funny Story"
Prompt: How does the main character change throughout the story? (Think before and after)
Thesis: Craig starts off as an insecure boy who wants to kill himself and by the end of the book, realizes he has a life ahead of him definitely worth living.
Score 1/5: 3
I think I received a 3 on this timed writing because I did a pretty good job overall, although there is still room for improvement. On of my strengths in this essay was making my writing inspirational to people who may be going through the same thing as the main character. One of the areas that still needs improvement is making sure that my topic sentences connect directly to my thesis. I also could work on wrapping up my paragraphs smoothly using good concluding sentences. The goals I have for next year are too keep on working on my format and to remember to make everything in present tense.
It's Kind Of A Funny Story Timed Writing #2