My Writing Process [4]

As it becomes time to revise my biography to complete my genre assignment, I still dread the difficult, but necessary, task of adjusting my paper to APA format.  Having used MLA format for most of my academic career using APA format can sometimes be difficult, although I think it is just something that will  practice I will get used to.  I do understand the importance of writing and citing papers in the  proper format, it's just a tedious process that I have yet to master.  

While revising my paper I will also re-read it and check for spelling and grammar mistakes, because there are always several of them in my first drafts.  I have also recently started using the feature on Microsoft Word that will read my paper to me which I find is  very helpful in catching mistakes.  I find that when I reread my own papers I miss a lot of the mistakes because I just read it in my head as I intended to write it, not as what is actually written.  When my paper is read to me it is easier to hear the things that don't sound right.  Using this tool has definitely helped me edit my papers more effectively and has made revision more of an enjoyable part of my writing process, as opposed to just another tedious task that I did not really look forward to.  

I think teaching students the importance of revising and properly citing papers is important because although these tasks may seem tedious initially, when done effectively they can be manageable and enjoyable.  I also think that by teaching students different tools to use when revising, students with many different methods of learning can be successful. 

My Writing Process [3]

I found the second part of the genre writing assignment came more easily to me.  To write my own biography I started by pre-writing.  I first had to decide who I wanted to write a biography about.  I wrote a list of potential athletes, musicians, and other public figures that I could write a biography on to choose from.  I think that was the hardest part of writing the actual biography because I'm really bad at making decisions.  However, I eventually decided to write my biography on Ashley Fiolek, a deaf professional women's motocross racer.  I chose to write my biography about her because I think she is a very interesting and inspiring person and she wrote an autobiography, which I read in high school and really enjoyed.

After deciding on the subject of my paper I made a list of important events that I needed to mention highlight in my paper.  I also made a list of quotes from both the subject and individuals who knew the subject to include in my biography.  I found that this helped me when it came time to write my paper.  

When I started to write my paper I found it very easy to write since I had already mapped out the key points I needed to include.  Even though it is longer than the first part of the assignment, describing the genre, it took a lot less time to write and it seemed to come together more easily.  I think this is because I really enjoyed writing it because it is something that I am interested in.  

This experience made me look at this assignment as a whole from another perspective and gain an appreciation for teaching students different genres because when they find something that is interesting to them or that they enjoy it can fuel their desire to read and write.     

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.CCRA.R.3

I think that by looking at the anchor standards at different grade levels it becomes clear how the expectations change and how the anchor standards scaffold student learning over twelve years of public education to reach an ultimate goal of college or career readiness.  I think the anchor standards are a good idea because they highlight the importance of mastering the particular skill and help teachers get students to mastery by breaking them into grade appropriate objectives.