Writing Theory Assignment:SLOs 

Rhetorical Knowledge 
Rhetorical knowledge is the ability to analyze and understand audience, purpose, 
situation and how it relates to good writing regarding your topic. An articulate writer 
uses their own structures and processes, but also utilizes rhetorical knowledge as the 
basis for good writing. ​By developing rhetorical knowledge, writers can adapt to 
different purposes, audiences, and contexts in a way that is clear an interesting to their 
readers. 
 

 
This assignment was called Introducing Ourselves and it employs the use of rhetorical 
knowledge due to Mrs.Thomas being the primary audience, it can be informal and 
casual. It is through the use of audience as an aspect of rhetorical knowledge that 
affects the tone in which a writer speaks.  
 
 
  
In contrast to the previous assignment shown above , this assignment, my inquiry 
research paper has to have a formal and intelligent tone based on its content. This is 
due to it being presented to a multi-spectrum audience and not just one individual. 
This, again, is a demonstration of using rhetorical knowledge by writing according to 
your audience. 
 
 
Critical Reading 
Critical reading is a reader’s ability to analyze, interpret, understand, and deconstruct 
pieces of writing. An articulate writer is able to critically review the work of themselves 
and others in a constructive way, evaluate other works such as journals and essays and 
compare the development and purposes of those writings to each other. Critical 
reading is an important asset to a beginning writers toolbox, and can be expanded 
over time.  
  
Earlier in the semester we were tasked with analyzing Martin Luther King’s “Letter 
from Birmingham Jail”. If you’ve ever read it before, you know that it is a fairly complex 
text to dissect. It was in this piece that we began to evaluate the importance of critical 
reading by explaining the way that King utilizes critical reading himself. In King’s letter 
he uses multiple complicated viewpoints from scholars such as Socrates and 
St.Augustine. He understands the work of others by using critical reading, and expands 
on it to further his own writing and standpoint.  
  
In our inquiry synthesis paper, a collaboration of our inquiry synthesis summaries, we 
were required to critically read and determine what sources were both reliable and 
credible. Given that critical reading is used for inquiry, learning and discovery, we used 
these multiple texts as an assertion of our own evidence for our synthesis assignment. 
In order to do so we had to delve into the purposes of these authors and use their 
knowledge to our advantage. 
 
Composing Processes 
Composing processes are the ways in which a writer writes. It involves being able to 
flexible draft assignments, edit and finalize assignments, work with others, and 
research before following through with an assignment. An articulate writer is able to 
use composing processes as their method of writing, it is the way they personally edit 
and revise their work, as well as provide feedback to others and receive it. A good 
writer will often be able to change their process based on the purpose and surrounding 
factors of their text.  
 
  
For our podcast assignment, as writers we had to adjust our composing processes. 
Personally, I’ve never had to write or carry out the interviews to compete a podcast, 
therefore,in order to do so, I had to vary the way that I usually work. Although it was a 
fairly simple assignment, we had to do more planning in regards to this project than we 
have had to do historically with others. This project also relied majorly on the 
collaboration of others, and being able to use our skills to interview different people.  
 
  
In our final thesis papers, we used a great deal of our composing processes. We had to 
research our topic, possibly adjust our inquiry topic, have our papers reviewed, review 
the work of our peers, reread and revise or rewrite or drafts until we finalized or end 
product. All of those things are examples of our composing processes, and we utilize 
them everytime we write, they just vary from assignment to assignment. Throughout 
the paper, I had to make adjustments after our peer reviewing session before turning 
my final draft.  
 
Knowledge of Conventions 
Knowledge of conventions are the formal rules and informal guidelines of writing that 
largely influence the design of your work. This included the style, organization, and 
graphics as well as the general correctness of you paper, for instance, spelling and 
punctuation. An articulate writer uses their knowledge of conventions to ensure that 
their paper is not only grammatically correct, but also formatted in a way that seems 
reasonable and appropriate. These conventions are adopted and improved through 
practice.  
  
For our e-portfolio assignment for instance, we are supposed to be creating a website, 
design, organization and formatting would obviously play a large role in the 
construction of a website.  
  
Knowledge of conventions applies to grammar and punctuation too. For our inquiry 
thesis papers, we had to be very particular about the punctuation we were using since 
it was a very academic paper. For example, this line, pictured above ,shows many 
demonstrations of conventions. :” ​Vice President of Programs at the American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention, Dr. Doreen Marshall, presents this idea that “College students today also
face challenges that are particular to their generation, such as greater financial stress and an
increasingly digital world that replaces face-to-face connection and may contribute to sensations
of loneliness and isolation.”(Marshall, 2019). ​The capital at the beginning of the sentence, 
commas to separate thoughts, the quotation marks to cite quotes, and the period at 
the end of the sentence.  
 
  
The proper formatting and alphabetical display and organization of my works cited 
page, is also an example of how conventions are used. 
 
 
Critical Reflection 
Critical reflection is the way a writer explains what they are thinking, and the evidence 
behind why they are thinking that. It is also the ability to respond and address the 
feedback they have been given by readers in regards to their work. An articulate writer 
would use this to demonstrate rhetorical awareness and use of thorough explanation 
in their writing.  
  
In our chapter 2 assignment for They Say, I Say, the authors depict the importance of 
thoroughly explaining your view to your reader, so that they are not lost when trying to 
determine your argument, addressing your rhetorical situation is normally also a factor 
of this.  
 
  
Receiving feedback and responding to that feedback is a major part of critical 
reflection, and that’s exactly what we did during our peer review session for our final 
drafts. Fo example, you may get feedback that tells you to expand on something, 
reword, or add some transitions to make a paper flow better, and you adjust 
accordingly. It’s always important to appreciate the help and constructive criticism you 
receive from your readers, because your writing can always get better.