Prior to this class, I believed I had a somewhat decent writing process. Because I was in high school, we would typically spend quite a bit of time reading, then we would go into writing a draft. When I was drafting, I would usually start with a thesis, create topic sentences, then find evidence and sometimes analysis for the evidence I selected. We analyzed texts like, The Catcher in the Rye, The Brief and wondrous life of Oscer Wao, Animal Farm, The Kite Runner, and more. I used this process for all of the texts I’ve listed, and had a somewhat smooth writing process. When I began this class, I held on to the structure I used in high school, but adapted it based on some new things I’ve learned. 

For our first major writing assignment, I had a harder time with what to write. In highschool we would do some personal narratives, but we would focus more on literary analysis. When our first assignment was a narrative essay, I struggled. I typically wouldnt have a hard time writing about myself, but the topics we had to choose from didn’t relate to me at all. Who had to write about our family and immigration, or cultural traditions. Seeming as my family has been in the US for generations, (and my dads side of the family Native American), I  didn’t have much to write. Because of this, I chose to write about my family dynamic. I also used this opportunity to focus on literary devices, for instance ,”My mom’s eyes darted between my sister and me”(PN.Docx), “Her eyes softened almost instinctively”(PN.docx), “I clenched my stomach. The chilly classroom felt like an oven.”(PN.Docks). I used these devices because we were told to of course, but also as reassurance. I knew what I had to say was good enough, but I wanted to ensure that It would be okay for me to write about something different. I learned how to better apply literary devices, and write about something that I’m not too familiar with. This helped me improve my writing because I got to expand on topics I wasn’t familiar with. And because I had a harder time writing this piece, I learned how to better overcome challenges when I’m writing, and use free writing to help get me going. The main course learning outcome I found myself incorporating/ using was number three. I looked to others’ writing for inspiration, since I was struggling during the beginning. Additionally, I had multiple people read and listen to my piece to ensure it made sense and to get as many suggestions as possible. 

For my second major writing assignment, I had a stronger drafting stage. I started by creating a thesis, and from there I created my introduction. I thought my thesis; “Through the use of literary devices such as dialogue and symbolism, Paley suggests that religion is a spectrum, and that people’s perspectives can change.”(LAE.Docx), was pretty strong and could set up the rest of my writing really well. I already knew what my body paragraphs would focus on, since I had chosen specific literary devices to discuss. I then decided which devices would be covered in each paragraph and began gathering evidence to support my assertions. I had already felt like I had learned how to structure my draft from the previous writing assignment, so the writing process for this one was much smoother. The course learning outcome I focused on this time was number two. Writing this piece was much less of a challenge. I believe that’s primarily because I had several essays to choose from. Reading a variety of works categorized as Jewish literature was helpful in gaining insight on what I would then write about. This overall gave me more knowledge, and I now feel more well educated in the topic of jewish literature overall. 

For my third and final major writing assignment, I used a different approach. I found myself ready to begin this assignment, because at this point in the year we had already covered so much material. I began with a thesis statement and introductory paragraph, similar to my previous assignment. I had to revise that paragraph (I’ll leave a screenshot of the final paragraph below), which really set the stage for how I would continue my piece. After that, I didn’t compose topic sentences and collect evidence for my body paragraphs to come. Instead I took some time to collect quotes from the articles I needed to back up my claim. That was pretty straightforward, and despite not having any topic sentences, was still helpful in creating my body paragraphs. I had never used a database before, and this was helpful in giving me insight into possible future projects. From there, I wrote my body paragraphs as they came to me. I composed a topic sentence, and collected evidence as I was writing, which isn’t normal for me. I was fine with this approach, but I much prefer the more structured methods that I had used prior. Perhaps I was compelled to write using a different method because this piece was different from the previous literary analysis of one text. Because I had to include information from articles as well, maybe this led me to choose a different way to write my piece. The course learning outcomes incorporated for this assignment were numbers three and eight. With getting my introduction looked at by my professor, and the entirety of my writing looked at by classmates, I was able to effectively edit simple grammatical mistakes and overall write my piece more effectively. This was essential in writing my piece, because I was able to write better because of constructive criticism. I also used course learning outcome number eight, because I had to cite the various articles that I incorporated in my assignment.

(screenshot LAE3.Docx). 

Overall, I learned an incredible amount in this class. Not only did I gain knowledge on Jewish life, culture, traditions, and customs, but I learned how to be a better writer. I previously found myself searching for different synonyms to use in my writing before, but now I find that those words come to me automatically. I feel as though I’m a better writer and am more punctual. I have a better sense of where to look for grammatical mistakes, writing more fluently, and using better word choice. I will use these skills in life because it’s very important to have adequate writing skills in a work environment or simply in everyday life.