Cerda 1
Cerda, Esmeralda
English 113B
Professor Spitler-Lawson
12 May 2017
Word Count: 616
The Portfolio Reflection Essay
After working on each Project and considering steps such as:
drafting, peer review workshops, re-reading, revising, and editing, I
was able to develop strong points that helped support my thesis
statement and it also helped me improve my writing skills.
Furthermore, workshops and discussions in class helped further my
ideas and incorporate the research properly. I was aware of the
resources that California State University, Northridge had to offer; for
example, like the databases on the Oviatt Library website. This helped
develop my ideas for each assignment, including my research papers
and also conduct a stronger paper. For minor assignments, I still
considered using further research although it was not necessary. This
process helped me in many ways when it came down to writing the
assignment. I was able to use his knowledge on my assignment and it
helped further my ideas. Incorporating these sources on my major
assignments helped improve my writing skills. Peer review workshops
also gave me the benefit of including sources with the correct format,
developing a clear essay, achieving the minimum requirements, and
correcting minor mistakes. After successfully completing these
assignments, I realized that what I learned could also be used outside
of this course
Cerda 2
and throughout my academic career at California State University,
Northridge. Writing is an essential skill that everyone should obtain in
order to understand the basics in the workplace, in college, and in the
community. This class has influenced my writing significantly in various
ways; for example, it helped me write well developed research papers
outside of my English class, improve the main point of my papers,
include sufficient details in order to support my main point. I was also
able to acknowledge my mistakes and distinguish how I could have
improved my papers. After successfully completing my portfolio, each
assignment presented has been carefully read and I realized that there
are minor mistakes that you can always correct and make a huge
difference to strive for the highest grade mark possible. The class
exposed my classmates as well as myself to the different styles of
writing and how we can analyze a piece of work. I learned how to
narrow my topic, focus on certain areas of writing when it comes to
developing an arguable thesis statement, and understand the context
of different writing styles. Using these strategies helped expand my
body paragraphs to make a clear point. As I reread, reviewed, and
edited the assignments in my portfolio, I became aware of the
organization of my essays and how I can improve my writing skills. I
realized that I was not providing sufficient examples throughout my
writing tasks and this affected my writing significantly. After revising
and editing my final assignments, I was able to support my thesis
statement with sufficient details and expand my ideas. Throughout this
semester, I learned how to develop a strong thesis statement, ways to
support my point with reliable information, and developing strong body
paragraphs in my essay
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to improve my writing skills. One thing I struggled with was inserting
quotes from sources. This was a common problem for me when I was
required to write a research paper for other classes. The feedback I had
received from my peers as well as from my professor helped me
become aware of the minor errors in my writing and exposed me to a
variety of ideas that I could have taken into consideration to receive a
better grade. In fact, this course impacted my writing skills inside and
outside of my academic career. I was able to provide most of what I
learned inside of this course on my tasks assigned in the workplace.
