European Humanities
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 college level essays. Think about the following questions before writing your essay, but organize this essay around ONE MAIN IDEA.

 

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.)