CHAPTER THREE: Arrangement.
Eugenia Lehman




Image Source:http://www.lariverkayaksafari.org/thesis-paper-writers/

Personal reaction:
Even if I didn't find chapter three to be a very captivating reading, it was full of useful information to help me understand where I need to improve my so I can write better essay.
It covered all the key elements for a properly structured essay and also writing tips for each it's different parts.
It thought it was a very clear and easy to follow path to write a good essay. The various example paragraphs also helped me to understand all the concepts.

Professional reaction:
The efficiency with which  the chapter covers all the aspects of essay writing , gives the students the
tools necessary to improver their essay writing.
Chapter 3 takes the reader from the identification of the type of essay, to the introduction, body and conclusion. Every part is explained in a clear and simple way, and the use of examples help the students to see everything more clear.
The chapter also gives tips for the structure of the introduction, body and conclusion as well as an explanation of how to transition and how to support the theories exposed in the essay.
This chapter is a very helpful read for all those who wish to polish their writing technique

Chapter 3: Arrangement - Clayton Peppler

My Personal Reaction: After reading chapter three, the thing that stuck out to me was the part about how to make the body paragraphs more coherent. According to the book, the coherence of a paragraph can be strengthened in three ways: repetition of key words, the use of pronouns for key nouns in previous sentences and transitions. I found this to be very helpful and something that I plan on referring to when I write my next essay. I also found the conclusion portion of the chapter to be very informative. For years, I was taught that to conclude an essay you restate your thesis in different words; however, the chapter clearly states three separate conclusion strategies.

My Professional Reaction: Chapter three provides a vast amount of information regarding the introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion of an essay. In accordance to the type of essay (narrative, research, etc.…), the chapter emphasizes how to approach introductions and conclusions.  For example, when writing an exam essay, beginning with background information is particularly successful as there is no time for subtlety. Or, when concluding a discussion, it is effective to end with a recommendation of a course of action. Without knowing the different strategies, you could end up writing an introduction or conclusion that is less effective. While the book stresses introduction and conclusion strategies, it also wants the reader to focus on a few crucial points when writing a body paragraph. These points include making sure that each paragraph relates back to the thesis, the paragraph’s sentences support the topic sentence, and the paragraph has ample support. This chapter is very thorough in covering the material, leaving no question unanswered.

 Clayton Peppler

                                                                                                 Work Cited

TYPES OF ESSAYS. Digital image. The Different Types Of Essays Slideshare   Images. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Aug. 2015.

Patterns Chapter Three: Arrangement

Arrangement and Essays

Personal Reaction:

This chapter was very straight-forward to me. There wasn't anything that stood out as being very important, new, information. I actually felt a little bored during this chapter. I do think, however, that if you weren't aware of the arrangement of an essay, it would be very helpful in explaining the parts that make one up. I'm excited to move further into this book because I'm hoping the way it covered this topic is the same way it will cover topics that I actually don't understand. 

Professional Reaction:

It appeared to just be a fairly mundane chapter to continue to get the class rolling while reintroducing important things that everyone in the class may or may not know. The chapter was done very well and was informative without giving excess information. Chapter three, as opposed to chapter one, was a lot about structure, and it did a very good job of moving more towards visuals in order to help the audience understand. Arrangement is something that can be overlooked, and that people may assume is obvious, but it is actually very important to any piece of writing. 

Conclusion:

Arrangement is nothing too exciting, and the chapter-while short- seemed to be repetitive not of itself but of knowledge that I had already learned year after year. As I said earlier, I am excited to see how this book works with me when trying to teach me new things, as opposed to reintroducing me to old ideas.

-Kristen Skuba

photo: rit.edu

Chapter 3: Arrangement

Personal Reaction:
I thought the segment on constructing a formal outline was interesting. I think prewriting and outlining is a very important step to writing a successful essay. I think planning everything and constructing a formal outline can be very helpful when trying to connect ideas into a strong essay. A formal outline is a good place to make sure all the correct information is in place, and to add in key pieces from the rubric. If the rubric requires a counter argument, it's important to write in where the corner argument will go on the formal outline. It's important to decide the thesis statement before writing the formal outline. The nice part about an outline is it can always be edited. It might in fact be a good idea to edit your formal outline often, depending on how fast your ideas change. Eventually a final formal outline including all key topics and transitions should be created and followed.

Professional Reaction:
This chapter provided key information on each part of an essay, including the introduction, body paragraphs and the conclusion. The thesis statement goes in the introduction paragraph, as well as any key background information needed for understanding the essay. The body paragraphs should develop the thesis. The body paragraphs support the thesis and provide facts, evidence, key information, and examples in order for the audience to understand and take a stance on the topic. The conclusion paragraph should wrap the essay up, and conclude the evidence for the thesis. There are many different ways to end an essay, and it all depends on what the topic of the essay is, and the writing style.

Photo from schoolatoz.nsw.edu (http://www.schoolatoz.nsw.edu.au/homework-and-study/homework-tips/10-tips-for-writing-an-essay)

Day One Interview: Summer Eisert-Wiemelt

Day One Interview: Summer Eisert-Wiemelt 

By: Kristen Skuba

Summer is a smart young lady in the middle of a technological world, and she utilizes her resources. When I sat down to ask her a few questions about technology and ENG 121, she showed me how capable she was technologically, and how organized and ready she was in the classroom. She told me about some of the ways she uses technology. Later, she told me about her goals for the class, and she knows what she wants. 

Q: What forms of writing do you use most often? 

A: Mostly texting, the occasional e-mail.

Q: Do you write e-mails to friends? 

A: Occasionally, if there are no other means of communication.

Q: How do you feel about to-do lists? 

A: I try to do a daily plan and a to-do list, I like to plan things about my day. 

Q: Anything other writing you do every day?

A: I love writing in my journal, but I don’t always remember to. 

Q: Any good or bad previous experiences with writing instruction?

A: I don’t remember anything, but my mom used to be an english teacher.

Q: Have you ever participated in peer workshopping?

A: I did a few times throughout high school, if that’s what you mean.

Q: Are you familiar with computers?

A: Yes, I actually own a computer. [laughs] It’s a funny story, I bought a pc and returned it after four days, after that I bought a mac and I’ve been a fangirl ever since.

Q: How experienced are you at e-mail and navigating the internet?

A: Very experienced. I’ve been using the internet for a long time now. 

Q: How about social media?

A: I do a few things when I’m on the computer, the order goes; Facebook, Reddit, Gmail, Reddit, Gmail, Reddit, Gmail, Facebook.

Q: How familiar are you with our campus library? Are you new to FRCC?

A: I’ve got to say I’m not very familiar with the library. I walked in for 30 seconds, realized I was lost, and then I left. This is my second day at FRCC. So pretty new.

After that we spoke about our goals, I realized Summer and I felt the same way about some things. We both wanted to work on our thesis writing abilities. However, one of her other priorities is learning how to stay on topic longer. While my other goal is trying to make my papers smoother and to work on better transitions. Neither of us really foresaw any problems happening in the class, we were both reasonably excited and feel we are prepared. 

photo: www.smiaware.com

Interview with Kristen Skuba

I recently had the pleasure of talking to Kristen Skuba, a new student at Font Range community college, who gave me an in depth look into her experiences with writing and the english department. On any given day you might find Kristen lounging in her backyard, enjoying the sun, and writing in her journal. “Writing relaxes me, eventually I’d like to be writing more often, but for now, any writing is better than none”, says Kristen. Aside from journal writing, Kristen also enjoys writing poetry. “I like to be organized”, explains Kristen, who enjoys using to-do lists in order to remember important details of her day. Kristen mainly writes for school, although she does not consider it a chore, “writing is great, in all contexts”, she says. 

Kristen first learned she enjoyed writing when she met her eighth grade writing teacher, who showed her that writing can be fun. “He was very nice and informative”, says Kristen, happily. Luckily, Kristen has had no bad experiences with writing or english in her past, and she hopes to keep it that way. When Kristen was attending high school, she enjoyed peer writing workshops, which helped her understand different types of writing styles, and also the importance of peer review. Kristen is looking forward to learning more about writing now that she is in college, and hopes that she will be able to learn things she never did in high school. 

Kristen has been using a computer since she was a young girl, she even jokingly proclaimed herself as “master of the internet”. She enjoys browsing the web for entertainment, and for useful information. Kristen is not a pc user, and has always enjoyed using a mac, she also prefers to use mac’s version of Microsoft office, including pages, numbers, and keynote. Kristen also expressed that she is not a fan of websites like Facebook and Twitter, “I don’t like social networking because I don’t like people”, she said jokingly. 

Kristen is taking english 121 for the first time this year, and she has set herself a goal. “I’m hoping to be more comfortable writing essays by the end of this class. I think it’s really important to understand the basics of writing an informative essay before I start more advanced classes”, she says. Just like writing to-do lists to stay organized, Kristen also see’s the importance of setting goals for herself. Being a new student anywhere is hard, and Kristen know’s first handedly what that’s like “I still don’t know where the library is”, she says. Kristen is excited to see where college takes her, and she is also excited to see how her college writing progresses. After my interview with Kristen, we walked around campus, and let’s just say, Kristen now know’s where the library is.

Into the Life of Lucas Calderon

After taking nine years off from college to focus on work and life experiences, Lucas is back at FRCC eager to complete his degree. Lucas plans on getting his Associate of Arts from FRCC, then using this degree to transfer to the University of Colorado Denver where he intends to become a Medical Positions Assistant.

While continuing to work two jobs at two different construction sites, Lucas is returning to FRCC as a full-time student, taking sixteen credit hours this semester. In accordance to his job duties, Lucas has to write many business emails but occasionally, when he has free time, he writes “songs for [his] guitar and performs them for [his] dog” said Lucas. Lucas is very familiar with Microsoft Word and navigating his email, as these are what he uses on a regular basis, but when it comes to navigating the World Wide Web, Lucas is pretty new. Lucas said that “[he] grew up before computers were really popular”, so he never had the desire to explore the internet. With the rare exception of catching up with friends on Facebook, Lucas does not use social media, as he believes that it is “pointless and stupid”.

Being away from an English class for over ten years, and email being the extent of his writing upkeep, Lucas is worried about remembering all of the rules of writing, specifically Lucas mentioned “citing and parentheticals”. Lucas’ main goal for English 121 is to see any type of improvement in his writing skills. One of Lucas’ main worries for the school year is being able to manage his time. Lucas explained that “between classes, work, and having a life, finding a balance is going to be difficult”. For myself, I agree with Lucas, in the sense that I feel that it is going to be difficult to find a balance. I too work, am taking nineteen credit hours this semester, and want to have some kind of social life. Even though it may be difficult, I plan on finding this balance that way I can achieve success. Through this class, I am hoping to learn to remove the fluff to make my writing clear and concise. Lucas’ favorite genre of music is 60’s and 70’s rock, as that is what he grew up on. According to Lucas, “[his] mother was a hippy that would only listen to this music, Bob Dylan in particular”. I grew up on all genres of music, so I pretty much will listen to anything. I would say that my top three genres of music are country, pop and alternative.

Work Cited

Field, Jennifer. Bob Dylan Photo. Digital image. Bob Dylan Net Worth. N.p., 4 Aug. 2015. Web.

26 Aug. 2015.

Leyba, Mark F. Construction Site. Digital image. Digitalizing the Construction Industry. N.p., 8    

July 2014. Web. 26 Aug. 2015.

Interview With...

Image source:                                                        http://daddyelk.com/best-of-times-worst-of-times/

ENG 121

WRITER'S BLOCK.
Interview with Amin Shrestha

By Eugenia Lehman

English Composition can be a feared subject by many who decide to enter college. Previous experiences during the high school years, and the well-known writers block we have all had in the past, when we sat pencil in hand and blank faced not knowing how to start an assignment, has predisposed many of us students, and has made us doubt about our abilities. Maybe this stereotypical negative idea of what English Composition is, gets in our way to embrace our natural born qualities as communicators. Human beings were not born to be in isolation without communicating with one another. We talk, tell stories, sing songs in such a natural way that I wonder if given the proper tools during this semester, could we feel more confident and more at ease when we have to lay down all what we have to say in a blank piece of paper. We all know how to write down isolated ideas. What will become of our writers destinies when will have the tools to connect them fluidly and be able to compose a great essay?

I had the opportunity to sit with Amin Shrestha, a student in the English Composition Class at Front Range Community College for the fall semester 2015, and learn more about him and his writing experience, and proficiency in English Composition.

Amin is studying International Business. He has finished several classes but he has been holding on English Composition 101 because he doesn’t like writing. He does enjoy reading books and favors Greek Mythology. He doesn’t consider himself a poet but he appreciates rap music. We must ask ourselves, what is RAP but a form of modern poetry telling the stories and conflicts of our society? Does Amin actually like poetry without knowing it? He does seem to have the appreciation of it.

This is the first attempt for Amin at English Composition 121. When we talked about his previous experiences in writing during his high school education, Amin told me about the typical struggles with how to start the paper, difficulty with inspiration and then with structure. He is also aware that mastering this class will help him in the nearby future, first for rest of his college education but also in the professional world. 

Amin has the advantage of his age, he belongs to the generation of iPhone and Facebook pages. He is more than proficient with computers, writing software and browsing the internet. He feels at ease with social media and networking. Nowadays writers have to be able to navigate blogging sites and twitter posts and accounts. He feels so natural in the permanent accessible encyclopedia of the wide web than, even if he is on his 3^rd semester, he has never been to the library.

We ended our conversation talking about the goals he wants to achieve and the obstacles he foresees for this class. Amin wants of course to pass the class, and he is aware of his problems with punctuation, and wants to work on those.

When I asked him how this class could help him in the future in a concrete way, he mentioned that it will be very helpful for writing resumes cover letter in a concise and professional manner.

It was a great insight to talk with Amin and I can’t wait to see what he will be able to accomplish this semester.

E.L

Interview

                                                                                Lucas Calderon

                                                                                                                                                 English                                                                                                                                              Composition 1

                                                                                                                                                   8/27/15

 http://www.fastcoexist.com/3023455/the-cars-in-iceland-will-be-powered-volcano                                                                    

                                                      

        

                                                                               

                       Interview with Clayton Peppler

In this brief essay I will discuss a fellow class mates writing experiences, hopes and goals.

I had the chance to sit down with Clayton Peppler and ask him a little about his life.

Clayton, though not a poet, does enjoy sending the occasional email to a friend here and there. He seems much more comfortable texting friends and writing to-do lists to keep himself on track. Clayton expressed appreciation for almost all of his previous teachers describing them as helpful in advancing him with his writing skills.

Social media and the internet as a whole are a comfortable fit for Clayton, but where he finds his bliss is in the obsessive research of products that he would like to own. In a recent event, Clayton had purchased a Ford focus which unfortunately for him turned out to be a lemon. After this experience he took to the internet and researched everything he could find about the new car that he was interested in buying, the Ford Taurus.

New to Front Range, Clayton has not yet been to the library - in fact, he expressed skepticism as to the very existence of a library. Clayton’s eventual goal of attending medical school starts at Front Range with an Associate’s of Science degree. I have confidence that he will at least at some point visit the library.

Clayton is taking 19 credits this semester and I asked if he feels like there might be a problem that could arise with this heavy a course load. He felt that time management would be the one he could foresee, but he does also feel like he might have an issue conveying ideas in a clear and concise manner.

Another dream of Clayton’s is to one day visit Hawaii and if possible hike a volcano, relax on one of the many beautiful beaches and perhaps take part in a few games of volleyball.

Let Steroids into the Hall of Fame

deviantart.com/killacap25

1. What is the writer's general subject?
Steroid use by baseball hall of fame stars.
2. What is the writer's main point?
To allow steroid use into major league baseball.
3. What are the writer's key supporting points?
If everybody used drugs, it would be an even playing field.
4. Does the writer seem to have a particular purpose in mind?
To convince people to allow steroid use into major league sports.
5. What kind of audience is the writer addressing?
The author seems to be addressing baseball fans.
6. What are the writer's assumptions about audience? About subject?
He is assuming that his audience cares about sports. He is assuming that steroids only enhance the game.
7. Are the writer's ideas consistent with your own?
None of us agreed with what the writer was saying.
8. Does the writer reveal any biases?
He is biased in that he thinks steroids are beneficial to the game.
9. Do you have any knowledge that challenges the writer's ideas?
Steroids are commonly talked about with a negative connotation because they are widely known to have bad side-effects on the body.
10. Is any information missing?
The author is missing a counterargument. Making the piece feel very one-sided.
11. Are any sequential or logical links missing?
The author brings up children and the control of their usage of steroids, it is a random thought that has no substance outside of that statement.
12. Can you identify themes or ideas that also appear in other works you have read?
When an author writes about a topic that they don't have a solid counter-argument for, they are more likely to avoid the proper ways of writing, like counterarguments and debunking them.
13. Can you identify parallel's with your own experience?
None of us have had any experiences with steroids of our own accord.