Rapp 1 Katherine Rapp Portfolio Introduction Section HA McGough December 16, 2013 Introduction to English Addendum In most English

h classes, the purpose is to teach students how to be better writers. English 250 Honors is no exception. However, my experience this semester has shown me that this class takes it a step further. Instead of helping students simply building onto strengths they already have, this class teaches new information by challenging us students to step outside of our comfort zone. In this class, I learned how to improve my drafting and editing process, how to think critically about the audiences of literary works, how to use the skills I have to be successful in writing and presenting in the future. Before entering this class, my drafting and editing process was very simple. I would mentally make an outline of the main points I wanted to cover, sit down and write the paper in one sitting, and read through it one time before submitting. Being in a college-level English class has taught me that it is more effective to go back several times and reread your essay; doing this catches small errors and choppy sentence structure. I especially used this in composing my rhetorical analyses because I could correct the instances in which I used confusing phrasing in my reflections. I also learned to read things aloud to an audience before submitting them. For example, before presenting my proposal assignment, I practiced my presentation with my group and then in front of my roommate. This helped me pick up on small mistakes and poorly-worded phrases. Learning about the communication process in this class also revealed to me the vast importance of writing to a specific audience. Not any subject should be presented to every person in the same manner. Writing a paper with an audience in mind challenges me to write my paper in the way it can be most appreciated by those reading it. For the Argument 2 assignment, I initially wrote my paper to an audience of parents of elementary-age children. When we learned that the intended audience was in fact junior high students, I knew that I had to change my paper a great amount. A change in audience can lead to needed changes in vocabulary, sentence structure, and message. By reworking this essay, I realized the true extent of the importance of targeting each message to a specific group. In reflecting on the semester as a whole, I can point to a few specific skills that have aided me in being successful in this class. This portfolio will support my skills of proper grammar usage and topic organization. Grammar has always been very important to me, and this gave me an advantage in constructing essays. I conveyed more authority in my arguments by speaking in a polished,

Rapp 2 professional way. I also have put my skill of topic organization to use. One thing that comes easily to me is the ability to quickly organize main points into an outline that will most successfully convey a message. I use this skill by creating an outline for my papers before I write them. This allows me to not take a long time deciding how to convey my message before actually constructing the paper. My efforts in this class can be divided into the following categories: written, electrical, visual, and oral. I have utilized my ability to easily outline a wellconstructed essay, which demonstrates my written skills. Electrical skills are a newly acquired component of my English compositions, specifically in dealing with presentations. Also specific to my presentations are visual skills. Presentation slides and pictures in essays are effective ways to convey an idea to an audience, and I have mastered how to utilize them. Finally, I have finetuned my oral communication skills by practicing on mastering the skills I already have. Being confident in the use of these four areas of skills ensures the success of written works and presentations in my future.