https://docs.google.com/a/odu.edu/document/d/13AjUABeuK1S7oGjrec9Be8idP09PZG99rgdJTKUsRvs/edit?usp=sharing

First, off I do not have any writing assignments from this semester from any other class. So I will be taking one of my writing assignments from last semester to consider for essay #4. Both of the writings I used some of the same devices. For example, in every class they want the writer to have its own voice and tone. Also, in my other class my teacher wanted to make sure I had good organization, good sentence structure and all the things that I have to use in my essays for Univ 150. Another, thing that is similar to this class is that we in a lot of our essays we have to write about what other people have already wrote about, analyzing their work and that is what we are doing in essay number four. However, in this class we focus more on the development of the essay and not on the information that we are talking about in the essay. For example, I wrote a paper analyzing a poem and in my English class she focused more on the information in my essay more than if I had active or passive sentences. However, in Univ 150 my teacher focusing more on all the grammatical errors. The skills that seem the most transferable from our class to this assignment is making sure I have organization in this essay, making sure I have good sentence structure and also making sure I try not to have a lot of grammar mistakes.

https://docs.google.com/a/odu.edu/document/d/1Lm_y_RSh5PgPVMdc4hYcU5jWqe4m80GXpFbgVXT8zow/edit?usp=sharing

With all of the feed back I got on my essay I will first plan to make my conclusion a little longer. I already reached 500 words for my essay but I still feel I need to say more to end off my essay. My group members did point out to me that I did not use any headers. So in my final I will make sure I use a header with my name, my teachers and the date and everything I am supposed to have. I also have to use better transition words. For example, words like first, second because in my essay I really did not use many of them. My thesis statement was good and detailed also my topic sentences. Yes I will add to my checklist about when to use are/is because that was always a problem for me but now since we had a class on it I feel stronger in choosing the correct one for my essay. Everything else is pretty much good. My plan is to start looking over my essay now and not wait until the last minute. Waiting for the last minute will only cause my essay to be unpolished. Also, I will use all my time over the weekend to focus on all the things we talk about in class. For example, making sure everything is organized, there are no spelling mistakes and things of that sort. This class has been a big help so far and now when I am looking over my essay I found myself looking for the right mistakes.

https://docs.google.com/a/odu.edu/document/d/1Lm_y_RSh5PgPVMdc4hYcU5jWqe4m80GXpFbgVXT8zow/edit?usp=sharing

I think the thing that has been the most helpful for me so far is the lesson on commas. That lesson was so important to me because I never really knew how to use them and this made me get a lot of stuff wrong in my essays because I would be using commas where they were not supposed to be causing sentence errors. Also, the class we had on clauses really helped also because I knew about the different clauses but I did not really look for them and use them the right way in my essays. I really need more practice on where to use the commas because now that I  know how to use them I can start to develop my okay essay into a great essay because of the smaller amount of sentence errors. I also, need more instruction on grammar because that is one of my very weak points even though the final does not really account for spelling errors I still need help with it for my future.  I know that out side of class I can read more to help me  with my grammar but sometimes it is hard because there is so much work that has to be done in my other classes. I think we could practice more on how to brainstorm and I say this because when we brainstorm do we have to have something specific on what direction we should go. I feel that in class we can keep working on bringing to my knowledge what people look for when they are grading our essays and how we can recognize when we are doing something wrong.

When I was taking the midterm my plan helped me more than I thought it would. My plan helped me stay focused by me knowing what I was trying to accomplish and I knew it was going to be hard but I had to keep a opinion mind. Yes I used my editing checklist. I used it mostly after I finished writing my essay. For example, I am a writer that as soon as I get started I do like a free write. I do not worry about grammar and I do not worry about anything else. I just makes sure I meet the minimal amount of words I have to reach. Then when I am done I use my checklist to go back line through line and look for any mistake, comas, voice, tone, and even organization. This step is the hardest for me and that is why I take the most time on it. In my opinion, I feel like the plan I made way very affective and I do not think I will change it up by much if any. Improving my plan will be hard because I took all of my weaknesses and put them on the checklist so I could make sure I went step by step to accomplish all the categories of a good essay. The only thing I feel I could do now is just get better on knowing what makes an okay essay great. I have to recognize when I make a mistake. When I was trying to revise my essay I found that my time was running out so next time I know I have to be faster in writing and planning my essay so I have enough time to fix my mistakes. I prefer an essay that is not timed because I do not feel rush and I have enough time as I need to fix up my essay. Timed essays are more rushed than essays that are not timed and I think a timed essay they look more on sentence structure and mistakes but on a non timed essay they look more on content in the essay.

My plans for the Midterm is to make sure I am relaxed and not stressed out about taking this test.  When I am relaxed while I am doing something important I tend to do better on the assignment. I will make sure I am not rush in any way because every minute matters in a test like this. In other words, I will try not to wait until the last minute and if I do I will make sure I have enough time to finish my midterm and also have extra time incase I have internet problems. I will make sure the environment I am in will have no distractions and is very quite. Therefore, I choose to take this test in the comfort of my own home because I am a commuter student. I will make sure before I start the test I have enough sleep, enough food in my stomach and I will use the bathroom. I will also have a snake by my side and water in case I need to take a mental break during the exam. I will make sure I have paper and a pencil in order to outline my thought before I start writing. Also, I will have my notes from class to lead me in the right direction in writing the essay. I will use my editing checklist to help me focus more on coma use, sentence structure and organization. Looking at independent clause and dependent clause will help me do good on my exam. I will not rush like I did the first one I will take my time and hopefully it will help me pass.