(no subject)
Patricia Beimford, Teacher
Granada High School
400 Wall Street
Livermore, CA 94550
Dear Ms. Beimford,
Over the past four years, I can honestly claim that I have become stronger in my communication by means of composition. I have found that my vocabulary, as well as my ability to construct sentences, has increased a great deal. Writing has also become easier and less painful for me within the past year; I actually enjoy writing now. I especially take pleasure in writing opinionated pieces and structured fact-based essays. With the right inspiration, I think that I could grow to be an exceptionally strong writer.
After reviewing essays and papers from previous English classes, I have noticed how much I have truly improved. I read a paper that I wrote during the first week of eighth grade and realized how far I have come. I had numerous misspellings, misplaced commas, and run-on sentences. For example, “Raindrops hit the window, there was a storm brewing outside on this Thursday night.” This specific run-on sentence happens to be the opening sentence for my autobiography. I was also unaware that there is a rule against directly acknowledging the reader by using the subject of “you”. The only types of papers that I wrote impressively were writing assignments that called for me to support my own opinion with evidence. I had a very difficult time describing object and stories. I used to try to be structured with my brainstorming and outlines, which have proved to be helpful to this day, but failed to help me at the time. I think that I just lacked good English teachers who would be willing to explain their corrections.
I have noticed that my writing has improved greatly within this past year. I have especially noticed the connection between my writing ability and the amount of time I spend reading for pleasure. Reading has helped to increase my vocabulary and my ability to adopt different styles of writing. I have a much easier time constructing paragraphs and making them flow smoother. Instead of sitting down with an outline and building an essay meticulously, I have learned how to sit down and freely express myself in a rough draft. Afterwards, I go back and rearrange the sentences to make my paper less scattered and more conformed. My regular method of writing is to sit down at my computer with as many distractions and try to zone in on my paper. I still find it extremely difficult to write when being put on the spot. For example, writing an essay for the SATs or finals is challenging for me. My entire vocabulary usually disintegrates while my brain goes on vacation. I have also become better at citing sources. I’m pretty confident that I got marked off on almost every essay before junior year for lack of citations. Luckily, I have finally learned how to correctly support with evidence. My ability to pull outside sources into my own papers has also greatly improved in the past year. I feel more confident about my writing this year than I did in the past.
Throughout the past few years, I have learned that I have a unique way of writing that is still in the process of being formed. In the process, however, my writing has proved to be a little shaky. Slowly, but surely, I will mature enough in my writing that I will become comprehensible to all and, hopefully, insightful. I know that I still need work on sentence structure and learning how to proofread my own material. My hope for my writing has prompted me to sign up for Advanced Composition next year and I can’t wait.
Sincerely Yours,
Linda J. Reitz
Granada High School
400 Wall Street
Livermore, CA 94550
Dear Ms. Beimford,
Over the past four years, I can honestly claim that I have become stronger in my communication by means of composition. I have found that my vocabulary, as well as my ability to construct sentences, has increased a great deal. Writing has also become easier and less painful for me within the past year; I actually enjoy writing now. I especially take pleasure in writing opinionated pieces and structured fact-based essays. With the right inspiration, I think that I could grow to be an exceptionally strong writer.
After reviewing essays and papers from previous English classes, I have noticed how much I have truly improved. I read a paper that I wrote during the first week of eighth grade and realized how far I have come. I had numerous misspellings, misplaced commas, and run-on sentences. For example, “Raindrops hit the window, there was a storm brewing outside on this Thursday night.” This specific run-on sentence happens to be the opening sentence for my autobiography. I was also unaware that there is a rule against directly acknowledging the reader by using the subject of “you”. The only types of papers that I wrote impressively were writing assignments that called for me to support my own opinion with evidence. I had a very difficult time describing object and stories. I used to try to be structured with my brainstorming and outlines, which have proved to be helpful to this day, but failed to help me at the time. I think that I just lacked good English teachers who would be willing to explain their corrections.
I have noticed that my writing has improved greatly within this past year. I have especially noticed the connection between my writing ability and the amount of time I spend reading for pleasure. Reading has helped to increase my vocabulary and my ability to adopt different styles of writing. I have a much easier time constructing paragraphs and making them flow smoother. Instead of sitting down with an outline and building an essay meticulously, I have learned how to sit down and freely express myself in a rough draft. Afterwards, I go back and rearrange the sentences to make my paper less scattered and more conformed. My regular method of writing is to sit down at my computer with as many distractions and try to zone in on my paper. I still find it extremely difficult to write when being put on the spot. For example, writing an essay for the SATs or finals is challenging for me. My entire vocabulary usually disintegrates while my brain goes on vacation. I have also become better at citing sources. I’m pretty confident that I got marked off on almost every essay before junior year for lack of citations. Luckily, I have finally learned how to correctly support with evidence. My ability to pull outside sources into my own papers has also greatly improved in the past year. I feel more confident about my writing this year than I did in the past.
Throughout the past few years, I have learned that I have a unique way of writing that is still in the process of being formed. In the process, however, my writing has proved to be a little shaky. Slowly, but surely, I will mature enough in my writing that I will become comprehensible to all and, hopefully, insightful. I know that I still need work on sentence structure and learning how to proofread my own material. My hope for my writing has prompted me to sign up for Advanced Composition next year and I can’t wait.
Sincerely Yours,
Linda J. Reitz