In this class, we covered several topics that varied in writing styles. We were able to choose from a variety of topics and topics of our choice. We were able to develop our writing through a collective of small assignments. There were several course learning objectives that, as a class, we were able to achieve. 

The class learned to acknowledge a range of linguistic differences as resources; we were able to draw on those resources to develop rhetorical sensibility. We engaged in genre analysis and multimodal composing to explore effective writing across disciplinary contexts and beyond. We covered different types of writing styles. Through different writing styles, we were able to acknowledge the different tones and language in each assignment since they included different genres. Our first assignment was a poem. Then we had an interview assignment with another student, an Op-Ed essay, and a digital story. Each assignment had a different tone and writing style. The poem “Where I’m From” was used as a template to formulate our own poems. The second assignment had a more conversational tone since it was an interview, and it was written in the same way. The third assignment had a more opinionated and informative tone since the goal was to prove your claim. The last assignment was a digital story that was based on the Op-Ed; we were able to choose a similar topic based on our Op-Ed. The tone depended on your purpose and audience. In writing the script, the one I used was a more inspirational tone with the goal to inform and convince my audience. Each assignment used a different language to convey different feelings and ideas.

We were able to enhance strategies for reading, drafting, revising, editing, and self-assessment. We consistently improved our writing for each assignment because of peer review and group work. It was required that each group gave feedback for the individual assignments. As a result, we had to revise our work based on those comments.

We were able to negotiate our own writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of genre, medium, and rhetorical situations. For some of the assignments, we had to be clear on the type of audience we were writing for. We focused on this more on our Op-Ed and Digital Story assignments. With group work, we were able to discuss who we were creating this for and if our message was getting across the way we wanted it to. People were grouped by how they were going to execute the project. My group and I had similar goals for our audience, as well as the type of audience.

We were able to develop and engage in the collective and social aspects of our writing processes. Through discussions, breakout rooms in Zoom, and group work, we helped each other analyze the assignments. This helped develop our work further since we got feedback from our peers, whether it was through breakout rooms provided during class or creating a shared google drive to comment on each other’s work. Breakout rooms occurred in almost every class session. Some may have been more productive than most. Commented on other students’ work was mostly for the Interview, the Digital Story, and the Op-Ed assignment to help improve the writing. But giving feedback happened for all assignments.

We were able to formulate and articulate a stance through and in our writing. Each of us had different topics that clearly showed our stance. Through peer review and showing work during class, we were able to comment on if our thesis was clear. In my Op-Ed, for example, it was clear what my stance was for my thesis, even though my thesis was not clear. I was able to improve on making my thesis more clear.

We had the chance to practice using various library resources, online databases, and the internet to locate sources appropriate to your writing projects. We were able to practice researching and using online reputable sources to provide factual evidence for our Op-Ed essay. We used paraphrasing and quotes from those sources to further prove our points and to strengthen our claims. We cited these sources by integrating footnotes and having an annotated bibliography. For my Op-Ed essay about the younger generation growing up with social media, I used two sources from the CCNY library, which consisted of one online text and one online article. I chose those sources since they gave me scientific proof and research that proves that social media has a great impact on the growth of teens and mental health.

My perception of writing had evolved in this class since each assignment touched on different writing styles. This is something I really enjoyed because it mostly involved creativity and your personality while still being formal with your writing. I used this class to express myself and my thoughts, and I can say that I was successful at it. Also, the “Where I’m From” poem could be more improved. Although the original poem was used as a template, there were ways to make it represent myself more or that I could have been more creative with it; I did not get the chance to do so. I feel most confident in the other three assignments since there was a lot of time for discussions, analysis, and revisions. In those assignments, my points, analysis, and explanations were strong. My writing mostly improved in the Op-Ed assignment. Going from the free-write and into the essay showed the most improvement in my writing.