From: Rosanna Suarez Date: Spring 2016

Subject: ENG120 Portfolio Submission

Portfolio Grading Committee:
As I finish my second semester of college I realize more than ever how crucial it is to
evolve as a strong writer and build confidence in my writing assignments and how
English120 has helped strengthen these skills. The course goals are various but we
managed to build assignments as a class and with the instructor that would help us
understand these goals through the semester. In ENGL120 I analyzed rhetorical
situations in terms of audience, context, purpose, and medium in order to improve
as a writer by identifying the purpose of each assignment and being able to use
different methods of writing to portray the different genres. One of the main
challenges for me was being able to distinguish different types of writing
assignments with detail such as argumentative essay, Informative essays, and
literary analysis.
Rhetorical Situation and Genre
In ENG120 we focused on developing an audience for our writing assignments and
understanding as individuals how to introduce an issue or a set of constraints. By
identifying persuasive qualities of a genre I was able to develop the assignments
introduced throughout the course. For example our literary analysis assignment was
based off of the film Star Wars the Force awakens With this film we had to analyze
the rhetorical situation that we identified with social justice themes related to race,
class, and sexuality using sources that would support these themes. One of the
main issues I identified as I completed the project was my method of analyzing
these themes rather than identifying the relationship the reviews had with social
justice I was just summarizing others opinions on the film. I became more aware of
this aspect when we began our peer reviews when Allison my assigned partner
commented Instead of using these ideas and summarizing, I would advise for you
to first identify the themes and how they connect. I was originally expressing
different points of view for these topics and finding a connection to the theme As
expressed in this article race was a main controversy throughout the film and the
roles the actors played once I understood the main focus in identifying the
rhetorical situation I as able to identify the audience and introduce my topics in a
broader sense for better understanding. One of them is that the film used more
diversity and it is a huge stepping stone and leading the way of diversity. The other
comment portrayed is the idea that people do not support the diversity of roles. I
improved my writing using this process by learning to identify different styles of
writing and I can use this in my future courses to identify what my professors are
requiring as a written assignment.

Writing as Social Act

In ENG120 I used writing as a social art to help my statements with supporting and
opposing views. I learned that it is important to identify the audiences at a national,

international, or community level for any literal document. The importance is that
by identifying these we are able to approach our point better and create the
connection with the right audience. For the second project our audience was more
international because we picked a cultural practice of our choosing while our
assigned partner chose an opposing one, and ultimately came to a conclusion by
creating an argument. In my case we chose the idea of Christmas in the Austria
cultural practice versus the United States. While creating my argument I had to
identify what conclusion I would create socially for this idea and I was also referring
to. Because of the difference in culture I had to address the Austria beliefs in a way
that would be identified by outsiders and the same country itself would be able to
identify the way I am portraying the traditional aspects of the Christmas
celebration. Being able to portray the right message through a writing assignment
as a social act will be crucial to create writing pieces for different genres.
Writing as a Process
In ENG120 I used writing as a process in every project we did throughout the
course. The drafting process was something I became used to after the first project
Outlines, bibliographies, sources, and rough drafts helped obtain the final draft.
These methods of working on our papers helped me identify my errors and
understand what the learning outcome is for the specific project. Using drafts, prewriting, and editing in my writing process helped be obtain a finished piece of
writing. The stages in the writing were different throughout the projects, for
example in our brochures we used more peer review because it is different then and
argumentative essay a brochure is more informative. For our final project as we
separate roles to create a satirical website as a class our drafts and review process
is created in cited images, correct sources, and good content. Throughout the
course I learned to identify different ways of portraying information such as essays,
websites, videos, and brochures. This helped me develop my audience and the
process of drafting in a written assignment. For example for writing an
argumentative essay our final project was developing a brochure introducing two
different ways of portraying two cultural practices. I used my argumentative essay
as a resource for my brochure by taking sections of my argumentative essay and
developing them in a informative way. In my future writing courses and as I evolve
as a writer I want to always keep in mind there are different ways of portraying
information. Essays are not much fun for me but by being able to identify different
ways of portraying information I may enjoy future writing assignments
Grammar and Usage
In ENGL120 I used grammar usage as a means of creating good structured papers
and informative projects like brochures, reviews, and blogs. Using the correct
punctuation grammar and sentence structure was crucial. It is something I have
always struggled with. When I finished my first project which consisted of creating a
blog my instructor commented on my structure sentence and review skills and how
to improve them by mentioning I needed to review my work and focus on my
sentence structure. This was helpful for papers in my other courses and for our final
project. I focused on getting more feedback from my peers to help my fix my

approach in writing and making it better for my audience and readers. I improved in
my writing by using feedback rather than ignoring it and working longer on fixing
grammar errors. Writing instruction is something that comes with learning and
doing, Because Spanish was my first language I am able to identify the meaning of
words easily but I also have a tough time with my sentence structure. I do not
believe my writing is where I want it to be however I do believe I have evolved as a
writer and discovered being challenged has helped my skills become much stronger.
Reflection
In English120 I developed as a writer because I was more challenged. The projects e
did throughout the course constantly changed and we knew the learning outcomes
for each. Before beginning our argumentative essay we had a discussion as a class
to make sure we understood exactly the structure of the paper. As a writer my
confidence grew I always have a tough time grammatically trying to get my point
across in my writing. Even though it is still something I need to work on obtaining
feedback in this course has helped me pay attention to it more and focus on
revising my work. Writing is extremely important in almost every career, and as Ii
pursue law this will be essential I feel the skills I have learned in this course will help
me succeed in other courses throughout my years at UNM.
Research
In ENG120 I used research in my writing to support my arguments, ideas, and
statements. The development and application of evidence and resources helps build
a better paper. For example in our argumentative essay we chose a cultural practice
of our own and used evidence to support one idea of celebration rather than the
other. Make sure you use evidence and resources rather than just stating a
personal opinion our instructor really made sure we understood the concept.
Originally my argumentative essay was my own opinion I think the celebration of
Austria is better than the traditional aspect because I personally like the idea of
double the celebration versus my outcome after peer review that used the
psychological benefits for children of the practices Austria makes and using the
sources adequately to my argumentative
essay. We also focused on the idea of distinguishing between texts and contain
proper citations. Evidence supported my research, facts, and details to strengthen
my argument.
Conclusion
Obtaining feedback in this course was very helpful and will be the most helpful
throughout my career. My professor gave me feedback such as I'd like you to either
practice reading your papers out loud or asking a friend to proofread them. On a
number of occasions you use the wrong words (i.e. "where" for "were") and some of
your sentences end oddly or abruptly. From the first project introduced to the
course and I was able to apply this to my other classes as well by focusing more on
the content and how individuals would read the content, I used resources on
campus to proof read my documents and obtain feedback which was something I

did not do previously. Revision and grammar are crucial to help readers focus on the
main idea rather than the dramatic errors. My personal conclusion of ENGL120 is
that I was able to develop more confidence to seek resources and focus on the
structure of my paper. I understand as I take higher courses more would be
expected of my writing and my effort. Transitioning from high school to college level
writing is a challenge that is ongoing as a student expands there knowledge of
writing tactics, but I am willing to work on that development because I see the
improvement and I know the resources I have will help me evolve into the writer I
eventually want to be. The ENLG120 course was a good influence in my
development.