Course Objectives

1. Develop the ability to work well with others on composing tasks.

I feel that we have done this extensively in our English class. From the beginning on our fist paper we got into our peer review groups. I was nervous at first about these because I didn't know anyone and I also am really self- conscious of my writing. Through the peer reviews I have become more comfortable with others critiquing my writing. Getting critiques from the intensive reviews has also been a tremendous help to composing and revising my writings. Going into the intensive reviews I was very anxious as to what my peers had to say, but in the end I feel that this was the best thing that we did with our peers in this class. It was nice to hear all of the suggestions and positive feedback. The blogs have also been away for us to work with others in collaborating ideas for our writings. Overall I feel that this class has really accomplished this objective of working with others on composing tasks. 

2. Develop strategies for becoming more critical and careful readers of both your own and others’ texts. 

Through the peer reviews and intensive reviews I have been able to critique other's writings. It has given me a chance to think about the writing and offer any suggestions that I may have to improve the paper. When I was being intensively reviewed or peer reviewed I enjoyed hearing what others had to say, because it was getting feedback from your audience, and since we write for our audience it was a good way to see how we could revise our papers to make it more appealing to our audience. Also having Mr. McArdle look over our papers and giving feedback has helped me. Since he is more experienced in this field it his critiques of my writings allowed me to improve. Overall I feel that this class has accomplished the goal of becoming more critical and careful readers of both my own and others' texts. 

3. Reflect (orally and textually) on the rhetorical choices and decisions they are required to make as authors to shape a text for a specific audience and purpose.  

I don't really understand what this objective is asking. I don't think that we really did any reflecting in this class over the decisions that we made, at least not publicly. I know in my head and if Mr. McArdle commented on my paper I thought about it, but I don't think we completely and fully did this objective at least orally or textually. 

4. Work with others to solve life’s common problems. 

In this class we worked with others, but I don't think that we really solved life's common problems. I don't really know what common problems through life that we would be able to solve in this English class.