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.

My thesis statement is Even though so many students live on or near campus it was a good decision for ODU to cancel school on wed. Feb 18th because it is dangerous for the students that have to travel a long distance, it is not fare that because a student cannot get to class because of weather conditions that students will be behind some students, and no matter where the students live if it is unsafe for any students to get to school then no one should have to go to school.

Topic Sentence #1: One reason it was a good idea for school to be closed is because it could force students to get on road that will put them in dangerous situations.

Topic Sentence #2: Another reason it was a good idea for school to be closed is because if they did not it would have gave people that live on near campus an unfair advantage and commuters would be struggling to catch up with the other students.

Topic Sentence #3: The final reason it was a good idea for school to be closed is because commuters are apart of the school also and if one part of the school cannot make it to school than the other part of the school should not have school also.

Through Essay #2 I learned that my learning style is visual. This means that I learn more affectively when I see pictures or examples how to do something before I actually get started doing it. I also learned that my learning style is not just about how I learn but it also has to do with someone of the things I do and how I act. For example, people that are visual learners plan goals for themselves all the time and they try to accomplish their goals everyday which I do all the time. Also, I always picture things in my head before I do them so I can plan the outcome of the situation I am in. I use my learning style everyday in college because I am always making a list of the things I need to do for each of my classes and also if I do not understand something we went over in class I will find a YouTube video on it and that will help me understand because the pictures. The thing that makes writing easy for me is that I always have so much to talk about because I pre plan everything in my head.
Also I was able to think about all the times I use my learning style in school to think of good examples. My learning style makes spelling for me a little difficult because in my head I can not picture what the words like to be able to spell them right because when I was younger I never used to read.

https://docs.google.com/a/odu.edu/document/d/1Zi-gHbdgRl1nEWKGFMz2qZFZ9fJD-sS1htD0JEuglzQ/edit?usp=sharing

    Most of the comments I had were all about grammar mistakes and even things like my essay title was not creative enough. I struggle with grammar, that is my weak point and I have already learned that. I am not good at spelling or using commas and grammatical symbols. Sometimes I even if I write an easy on word Microsoft  I have to get someone to prof read my work because I always have spelling issues.  Another, issue I have is that I do not always use the right verb tenses. I tend to flip and flop between had, and has and were and was because I never know which one to use. Also, sometimes when I write Microsoft Word will not say a word is wrong because it is a word in a the dictionary, however it is not the right word to go in my sentence. For example, sometimes I mean to say board but I end up saying broad. Some of my sentences did not make since to my classmates but when I was rereading my essay to myself it did not sound like nothing was wrong with it but when my group read it they said it was a little confusion. It is going to be very hard for me to try to fix my grammar issues because in my mind I think it is right but it is not. I need a lot of practice on spelling and I have to read more in order to improve on the problem I am having in writing. Also, I need to take more time to look over my essay because my content in my essay are always good, however my grammar is not always on point.