1301 Writing Review

WRITING REVIEW Begin by taking the post-semester diagnostic. Include a discussion of the pre- and post-semester diagnostic in your review. Look back at your pre- and post-semester grammar diagnostic scores and results, all of your assignments and commentary, and class notes and in-class activities. Write a word reflection on what you have learned about academic writing and what you understand about it that wasn’t clear to you before. Develop a thesis that helps your readers understand what you will focus on in the review. Give specific examples that help you illustrate your thesis. You can mention any skills past BAs have focused on, grammar, and learning experiences you’ve encountered during the course. Finally, you should discuss how the work you’ve done in 1301 has or has not transferred to the writing you have been asked to do in other courses this semester. You may use first-person pronouns in this review, but keep in mind that the language and tone of the review should be professional.

WHAT IS A WRITING REVIEW? In short, the writing review asks you, somewhat subtlety, to use many of the skills that you’ve practiced throughout the semester to analyze and synthesize your work in this course. Analysis is hard. It’s even harder when one looks at his/her own experiences, because it can be exceedingly difficult to bring a level of objectivity to those.

WHAT IS A WRITING REVIEW? A writing review is a critical analysis of the your learning through the semester. That means that it has a beginning, middle, and end. It discusses where you begun as a writer when you entered the course. What are the your strengths and weaknesses as a writer—whether these are things that you have determined, or that you have been told by instructors, tests, diagnostics, or other external agents? What were your goals when entering the course? Did you have a plan for achieving those goals, or did the course, as it unfolded, help you find a way of achieving those goals? What assignments were most representative of your best work? The worst work? And *why* in either case? How did you know this? Finally, of the goals you had at the beginning of the course, how many of those were achieved? How many remain a work in progress? What new goals surfaced during the semester—goals that aren’t easily met in the course of 16 weeks. What do you have to work on in his or her writing over the next few years of college?

WRITING REVIEW IS NOT…  A summary of the semester. Instead, focus on specific elements relevant to you and your work.  ESPECIALLY is not a discussion of what you did or did not like about the class itself, the instructor, or your grades.

WHAT WE’LL BE LOOKING FOR Issue Identification and Focus: Does the student thoroughly explore and reflect on what he or she has learned about academic writing? Context and Assumptions: Does the student consider his or her writing experiences prior to this course to contextualize the knowledge that has been attained? Sources and Evidence: Does the student support his or her reflection with evidence from the various assignments? In other words, does the student directly refer to specific parts of his or her assignments (paragraphs and/or sentences). This criterion is particularly important because students tend to use vague and generic language that could apply to any student’s situation. Own Perspective: Does the student show authority in relaying his or her perspective about the learning experiences? Conclusion: Does the student provide an evaluative statement of his or her learning experiences that also encompasses how the attained knowledge might be beneficial in the future? Communication: Does the student communicate his or her reflection effectively? Is the student's tone professional? Has the student organized his or her reflection effectively? Is the reflection relatively free of grammatical errors?

SO, FOR THE BEST GRADE:  Compare your pre- and post-semester diagnostic scores. Reflect on why you think you did better or worse on the post.  Make sure to include references to specific assignments when reflecting (but make sure you’re still considering “why,” not just listing assignments).  Mention grammar and mechanics, but only briefly.  Discuss whether or not this class has been helpful for other classes this semester, or if you see it transferring in the future.  Briefly consider previous experiences to this class to contextualize what you’ve learned.

ENJOY THE SUMMER BREAK