ESL 408F 4/24/2012

SAMET KARATAS reflection essay

At the beginning, I was apathetic about writing but then I was being curios for writing day by day when I started to writing as homework. I learned to write a journal, keep a portfolio, and had to do many essays. I was worried, thinking it would be difficult, but once I started to write on a topic I realized I would come up with really good things and observations to write about. essays where fun to write, it was hardest in my opinion because I took low grades and at first I didnt know what to expect. However , all this changed when my teacher taught me the importance of paragraph organizations and transaction Then, I realized that I like writing. I like writing because I can say the things which I cant say in speech. This recognizing initiated the last stage, addiction. In addiction stage, I started to do my homework as my hobby. I learned to look at directions more carefully and edit my papers better. I had to remove unnecessary wording and make my statement clear and to the point. In my opinion such programs helped me understand and contribute to learning They have been not homework anymore because I was doing them willingly. I have got pleasure. But the vital thing is how these improvements happened. I want to explain that with writing skills which we learned and I have been good at. We have learned lots of skills like: topic sentences, hooks, thesis statements, transitions between ideas, specific words and transitions for a genre of essays, coherence, certain types of organization, supporting and developing our opinions and thoughts through

persuasive methods, comparing and contrasting, cause-effect, classifying and developing an idea with details and examples. But according to me, most important skill among these is hook. Like its original meaning, hooks are for catching the readers, taking their attention and forcing them to continue reading. I am sure that I have mastered at this skill because if I havent, you cannot keep on reading until this line. In addition, I can use quotes successfully; it can be seen on my essays. Moreover, coherence is other characteristic of my essay. I have always maintained main theme on my essay and I have supported and decorated them with examples, details and similes harmoniously. Alright, but how can I mastered at these skills? Of course, with rewriting. It helped me not just on my English writing skills but also helped me learn to explore other ways to gather information from several sources to support your idea. you can find this in books , internet, and magazines. for example when I did library research it was a great tool for gathering information, and writing. I have been able to expand my personal boundaries by working with groups of people , who come from backgrounds that are different then my own. I have developed confidence in group communication and improved skills in understanding, reading, and writing by using different types of writing skills

Like Isaac Bashevis said The wastebasket is a writer's best friend. Actually this proverb explains the circumstances which I have been in. I always have rewritten my essays and it is named drafts. They have been really helpful for my efforts to develop

my writing skills. I have seen all my mistakes when I have looked last draft and I could have fixed them. The best aspect of drafts is recognizing the decreasing of number of mistakes In spite of my developments, I think, I have to increase myself on thesis statement. In general, I clearly know my thesis and weave the ideas on it like a net but I am a bit unlucky about representing the thesis as a statement. In this class challenges that I had to face where, submit the assignments on time , attend all the classes throughout the semester and understand what was the basic foundation of the course. In my opinion my portfolio shows how much I have approved since the first semester. I can confidently say that this class has given great experiences and taught me many lessons that will aid me not only in my career life but also in my personal life as well.

Finally, I believe that I have made headway with giant steps. Because I started ESL407 at neglect stage and I continue my life on addiction stage. I am also sure about my progress because I write as necessity now like William Wordsworth said Fill your paper with the breathings of your heart.