English Eleven
Fall 2011
Mr. Spragins

Portrait of Myself as a Writer

Describe yourself as a writer. Tell me what you will need to do this year to develop into a student capable of writing a college level essay. Answer the following questions in your essay:

· Do you understand basic essay form?

· Do you devise good thesis statements?

· Are your paragraphs organized around strong topic sentences which are directly related to your thesis?

· Do you cite specific evidence from the text to support your argument?

· Do you quote the text often in support of your argument?

Think also about the clarity of your writing, your grammar and usage.

· Do you know how to punctuate properly?

· Do you know how to cite the text using proper MLA format?

· What kinds of comments have teachers used to describe your writing in the past?

Do you enjoy creative writing?

· Do you keep a journal?

· What type of creative writing do you enjoy most: poetry, short stories or plays?

Our goal is to have you writing college level essays by the end of the first semester.

· What will you need to do in order to meet this overall goal?

· (Take this question seriously because we will be evaluating you this semester based on these criteria.)