WCA #2 Ch.10 questions The Prairie

WCA   “That Morning on the Prairie”

Page #139

1. In the first three paragraphs of his essay, the writer describes Highland.

Cite passages that do or do not help you see the setting. What mood

Or feeling does the description evoke?

On some beautiful early fall days out here on the emerald cusp of the

Great Plains, it’s hard to believe that we are where we are. Warm southern

Breezes swing up from Texas, the sun smiles with a gentleness not seen since

June, and the spacious sky reigns over everything in azure glory.

The description of the highland evokes feelings of peace, an escape from the busy demands that pull me in several directions. It is like one of my fondest childhood memories during the summer, wind blowing through my hair, sun shining on my face and not a care in the world.

2. James C. Schaap, himself a writer, takes his students to Highland,

Where he asks them to use the setting as a writing prompt. What

Could students learn from the experience? Why?

I believe they could learn to take a minute or a break to really take in all the beauty around them without any outside disturbances and truly experience the awe of where they were at.

3. Schaap concludes the essay by saying that his students’ presence in

Highland on September 11 was “a kind of blessing.” What does

he mean?

I think the on the day of 9-11, them being where they were and experiencing what they did, sheltered them from the horror on T.V. and all around that horrible day. They did later that day find out of the tragedy but at least they will have had experienced a piece of beauty and peace amongst the chaos and pain.

4. What do you think the writer is trying to say in the last several lines?

I believe he is saying that you can experience peace and still see the beauty in things despite whats going on around you.

WCA #1 CH.3 Question 1

1. Author Ken Macrorie claims that "Good writing is formed partly
through plan and partly through accident." Do you agree? Why or
why not? Relate Macrorie’s idea to your own writing experiences.
How carefully do you plan? How much do you leave to accident?
I would have to agree with Ken Macrorie. I did a paper on a specific song by a specific artist and in the process of researching the history of the song I discovered so much more than I even set out to do. With the song I chose which was Samba Pa Ti, I ended up learning about the history of the samba dance, how and where it originated and that is was a form of expression through both music and dance. The paper I did definitely was a better piece because of what I discovered and when I set out to do the paper I had no Idea of the history I would discover.

Outline for Introduction Unit

The writing process (Introducton unit)           

I.          Just how much thought & preparation goes into writing?

A.        There are several steps in the writing process and all are important if you want to write a good piece.

B.         Its important to pick your topic and decide what you want to convey to your reader.

C.        Its important to read, review, edit and make the necessary changes.

II.        Planning - How much planning & what kind of planning are necessary before I can start my writing?

A.        You will need to pick a subject, know your audience and do the necessary research to do a thorough and effective job.

B.         Its also important to know or decide your purpose for your writing.

C.        You can use several different methods for getting your ideas onto paper or deciding what areas of importance you would like to focus on.

III.       Drafting - Is drafting really important or necessary?

A.        Drafting is a great way to check your writing for any corrections that need to be made.

B.         You can proofread your draft and make sure you have the correct structure for your writing.

C.        Use a drafting checklist for a guide.

IV.       Revising, Editing, Proofreading- Are revising, editing and proofreading the same thing?

 -

A.        With revising it’s not important to pay attention to grammar so much as it is to make sure your ideas and voice are heard as well as organized properly.

B.         With editing and proofreading it’s important to check for sentence structure as well as misleading or biased words.

C.        Spelling and punctuation need to be correct as well.

Where do you stand with regard to Writting?

Where do you stand with regard to writing?
Feet
1. What do I stand for as a foundation?
My foundation of my writing stems from my ideas, thoughts, feelings or view on a specific topic or subject depending on what the writing is based on.
Stomach
2. What upsets me about writing?
What can be upsetting to me is when I start to write about something and I tend to ramble on a bit and then have to somehow go back and condense or omit from my writing.
Heart
3. What do I love about writing?
I love to express my ideas and perspectives on issues and I love to hear other peoples as well.
Hands
4. What do I feel about writing?
I feel writing is a very important tool & is a form of therapy, especially during the free writing process.
Ears
5. What do I hear about writing?
I hear writing is a good way to get ideas, feelings and thoughts out onto paper and then you can go back and get them organized.
Eyes
6. What do I see about writing?
I see that I use writing a lot so that I can get my thoughts on paper and to help me stay organized.
Brain
7. What do I think about writing?
I think writing is an important tool for a lot of different reasons, depending on what you’re writing about and what you do with your writing.

Reflection for Introduction Unit The Writing Process

                                   The first unit of the textbook reviewed the necessary steps of the writing process. I liked how the chapters were divided up and how all the important components of a good writing were reviewed. Some of the information was review, but even despite that it was good review. I found that there are a lot of good points that were discussed in all the areas of writing as far as the do’s and don’ts. I found it very helpful and brought quite a bit of some of my own errors to my attention, even things that I didn’t give much thought about before or realize I was doing in error.

                                       In the first unit it covered descriptive words that were acceptable when describing an individual’s job title to even the ethnicity. It covered basic sentence structure and pointed out overuse of words, and also went over the passive and aggressive approach to a subject. I really want to start putting more of the skills I have learned in this unit into practice.