Self-Assesment Essay
Overview
Mike Palmquist, the author of our textbook The Bedford Researcher, says that “Thinking about writing as a form of conversation allows you to build on skills you already possess” (Palmquist 4). Maybe we already recognize the truth of this idea or we are just starting to think about the fact that we all bring writing skills with us into this course. For this essay assignment, you are going to assess your own growth as a writer to this point in your life and your readiness for WRIT 201.
Assignment
There is a set of skills everyone taking WRIT 201 should be able to do and feel
comfortable with by the end of the semester—these are laid out as outcomes in the
WRIT 201 syllabus and align with the habits of mind for successful college writers laid
out in the document Framework for Success in Post Secondary Writing
(Links to an external site.)
. We have all come into this semester with different levels of preparedness and interest as well as with a unique set of experiences with writing.
While brainstorming for this essay, you might consider the any of following ideas:
● What lessons have you learned from your past writing experiences?
● How has your history with writing contributed to your confidence (or lack of
confidence) in yourself as a writer?
● How prepared and comfortable do you feel approaching this college writing
course based on the syllabus?
● Where do you see strengths and weaknesses in yourself when it comes to
the habits of mind from the Framework For Success?
● How will your attitude toward/approach to WRIT 201 be similar to or different
from writing classes or experiences you have had in the past?
While drafting your essay, you should look for ways to incorporate the WRIT 201
syllabus, Frameworks for Success in Post-Secondary Writing, the opening chapter of
the Bedford Researcher (if you read it early), and/or any other source you would like to support and perhaps guide your writing.
● Your essay should be carefully organized. It should have an introduction,
multiple body paragraphs to develop your ideas, and a conclusion. Your
essay should be a maximum of 3 pages long.
● Your thesis (a statement of the essay’s main idea) should offer a
well-developed discussion about how your writing life to this point helped you
develop your current level of preparedness for the work we will be doing in
WRIT 201. You should draw on your previous experience and the course
readings for this unit.
● Your essay should incorporate specific supporting evidence for your claims
(including from your own past experiences with academic reading and writing,
the activities we do/will do in class, and the readings for this unit).
● Your essay should express your ideas as clearly as possible and follow the
guidelines of MLA or APA formatting for in-text citations and the Works
Cited/Reference page.
● Final drafts submitted to Dr. M for evaluation will be accompanied by a
reflective author’s note as a separate assignment.