Writing has always been something that I would consider myself good at. It's nothing spectacular, but I get really good grades on all my writing papers. If I am writing about something I want to write about then I usually like it a lot. But when I find out that we have to write a paper that involves research and statistics I tend to want to jump off a cliff. Not literally speaking, I just don't really like that type of writing at all. There are so many statistics out there that I can use, but I just think it is so boring. I have nevery really been consistent with how I handle big writing assignments. Sometimes I will be on top of things and start early and even have a few different drafts before my final copy. Other times I have just waited and waited and crammed it in at last minute and have one draft. It's not the best I can do, but I have always managed to get an A. Other times I just have a rough draft, edit it once, and turn it in. I am pretty confident in my own writing. My teachers have been telling me that I'm a good ever since I was in grade school. But I personally feel like it is just okay, and know I can do way better. I just havn't quite figured out how to do that yet. My strenghts with writing are writing about stuff that I can take from my own mind. When I write about my life, how I feel about something based on my own opinions, or just something that interests me I can write a long and meaningful paper. But if I have to write using facts and statistics that I got from different references I am really boring and don't enjoy it at all. I will usually do the minimum and it won't be anything special. That is definitely a weakness of mine. Also when I am supposed to write about something that I dont really care about it is really hard for me to figure out what to say. I'm sure you have firgured out that I would like to improve on writing about statistics, facts, and just stuff I can't get myself to write about.
I would say that I am most excited for the fifth unit. Realism, naturalism, and racial issues in America stood out to me. I have always enjoyed learning about wars and what goes on with different races. Learning about how people deal with racism is interesting. The unit I am least looking forward to is definitely the poetry unit. I hate talking in front of people. When everyone looks at me my face turns red, my knees shake, and my mouth gets extremely dry. I hate it! I should do good on all of the units. English is my strongest subject and I just get it. I understand writing and reading. I am a little worried about the poetry unit for the same reasons I mentioned before.
I can't help but laugh at the comment about research and statistics in writing. I know the feeling--researched writing can be very difficult, but it's also an important skill, especially if you're looking at going into college after high school. We'll be doing our share of tougher writing, but most of it will revolve around the literature that we read. At times I will ask you to do additional research, but it will all be literature-based, so hopefully that helps.
ReplyDeleteThis class will focus on crafting multi-draft papers, so you'll definitely be approaching each major assignment that way. I've been told that I can be a rough grader of student work, and I hope when people say that it means that I'm helping them extend the quality of their writing and really think about how to become better. Ultimately I expect my students to work to their full potential, and part of that is really honing in on their writing skills.
The unit on the Civil War and race is one of my favorite as well. There really is a lot of interesting history that exists in novels and short stories written during that time period. Reading about it through literature is much more exciting than just reading about it from a history book. I think it will make us understand the time frame and what was happening.
Don't worry about the poetry! It shouldn't be all that bad. Plus, public speaking is an essential skill! :-)