Throughout this semester, we have focused on a broad range of writings skills and concepts that

have ultimately aided in the development of students as educated writers not only in the
classroom, but also throughout various aspects of their daily lives. These techniques allow us to
advance our writing skills to better construct our intended argument or purpose while also better
serving the readers interests.

I believe a notable display of Rhetorical Knowledge was exhibited through the planning and
development of our Inquiry Project, as this was our longer project which was also our last,
allowing for ample time to research and collect ideas. I therefore felt this assignment allowed me
to best display the culmination of strategies that proved to be most effective to my individual
writing styles throughout the semester. I quickly learned it was important to determine my
intended audience to understand how to best approach the essay as a whole by examining
techniques that I felt would be most effective in substantiating my argument with educated
evidence.

I thought another example of Critical Reading was also shown through the in-class daybook
writing assignment that encouraged students to annotate a provided excerpt before reviewing and
reflecting on peer’s comments concerning the same article. Though this activity also
demonstrates an excellent example of student collaboration, I found this article to pertain to
Critical Reading skills due to the fact that it required students to consider the provided text
before dissecting the meanings and values associated with the said excerpt. This process of
intense thought and evaluation can be seen through the erratic placement of student comments
and suggestions that might look like a mess to a careless eye, though this process of feedback
further shows how students are encouraged to consider multiple perspectives.
As I searched for an in-class writing or project that I felt best display my composing processes, I
found myself drawn towards an in-class activity that we completed at the beginning of the
semester in which students utilized five colored flashcards to assist in planning their essays.
These cards each display a differing perspective or angle that could be taken in my essay
concerning my experience learning to play the guitar, so the collection of thoughts is meant to
help me generate more ideas as to how I could make my paper more cohesive and audience
effective. Though this planning was ultimately pre-emptive to our first major project regarding
Language and Literacy, I felt that these questions regarding the overall structure or intent of our
essay were a good exemplifier of the composing process that I relied on at this point in time,
despite the fact that these qualities could come to change and develop many various
characteristics of my writing throughout the semester.
Considering possible displays of our Knowledge of Conventions throughout the semester led me
to examine my Final Portfolio as a culmination of these principles that ultimately determine the
effectiveness of a writing. I believe this concept also explains some of the troubles I experienced
the semester, as I had initial difficulty in properly identifying my audience before understanding
how I could allow my work to cater to their individual tendencies or preferences. This shows the
necessity of a cohesive understand regarding how these principles can affect your reader while
simultaneously shaping the structure or intent of your paper due to the fact that this product is
meant for a target audience that is primarily focused on the display of academic skill.

Beginning to search for an example of Critical Reflection led me to consider times we have been
encouraged to reflect on the decisions made throughout our writing, as I felt this would best
display my understanding of how these choices come together to structure and shape my essay as
a whole. I thought that our Writer’s Reflections for our Major projects (Language & Literacy +
Inquiry) were a great display of this Critical Reflection due to the fact that they required students
to reflect on the writing they completed and consider possible changes they could make or apply
to their work. I have attached an excerpt from the beginning of my most recent reflection on our
Inquiry project due to the fact that this best represents my skills concerning this type of writing.