Everest English Blog

 Prompt Response: I first started by editing my quotes to make sure my context for the quotes were included so they made sense. Next I revised my main claim at the beginning of the body paragraph to make it more concise. The most mental effort I put into editing was changing commentary from more claims to elaborating. My commentary wasn't commentating anything it was summarizing what the reader already knows from the book. Once I sat back and found a way to articulate myself in a manner that elaborated on my quotes I believe my paragraph came together nicely.  Summary: In class we took time to edit our body paragraphs and ask questions about what we need to revise in our body paragraphs.  Reflection: It was humbling to see 25/50 for points. Though it was good for me. It made me realize my writing had gotten rusty and I needed a kick start to really get those gears moving again. I'm happy for this opportunity to improve once more. 

 Prompt Response: It is important to write essays in your own voice rather than using AI because you will never develop the appropriate skills to write/think later in life when it may be required. By using AI you cheat yourself out of the academic integrity of the school or whichever board of education you are pursuing.  Summary: I was absent.  Reflection: I have never used AI before to write my own essays or assignments. Though I can see the appeal of using it if you are running low on time or lazy. I think a helpful use of AI would be to develop an outline with AI along with brainstorming.   

  Prompt Response: What I found most difficult was finding the right way to explain my quotes. I had to remind myself I wasn’t summarizing, and make sure every line was building off the point of the argument. Once I reminded myself of that, it began to flow well. I think it's more difficult to make an arguable claim, because if your claim is good then the rest will fall into place. But if you have an alright claim you’ll find holes in it later on making your paragraph less effective.  Summary: In class we went over body paragraph structures, and did a brainstorming idea activity.  Reflection: It was fun writing a body paragraph for class again. I think once I start writing more and we do more practice in class, the process will become a lot easier. I enjoy the process of writing and if I can imagine the argument working in my head, then it's only a matter of time until it works out on paper. 

 Prompt Response: My most intense writing experience was taking AP Lang last year. During that year my skill was pushed to its extreme and I found that finding quotes was the most annoying thing for me. I could always make good claims and find ways to explain them in ways that made sense but fitting a quote in the middle of that always felt awkward to me.  Summary: In class, we read chapter 16 of Wild, and went down essay format along with making some claims for ideas in the chapter.  Reflection: I like writing essay's unless the topic personally bores me. I can do it, its just a miserable process. If I can find passion in writing for something then I can make something out of it. 

 Prompt Response: The feedback on what your classmates said was helpful because it highlighted what was good about it. What they didn’t talk about you could use to improve on those parts.  Summary: In class we did a gallery walk of our classmate’s posters regarding their similes and metaphors.  Reflection: I enjoyed creating the similes and metaphors for the project but what I did not enjoy was decorating the poster. My weak point was creativity and how to look. Next time we do something similar to this, I think I’ll structure my text and images in a manner that is more digestible.