Phase Reflection 

Throughout my FIQWS Literature class I’ve learned many different writing skills. Once I got to understand these skills, I got to know how useful they are. When I first came to class, I saw the essay prompts had a minimum limit, before I only used to write essays that were two pages long. Now, I’m in a class that requires me to write at least 3-4 pages for each essay prompt. I didn’t know how I was going to think of something to write about to create a longer essay. But, the class had phases with different prompts, and from each phase I got to learn a new skill. 

In the phase one assignment, I had to write about an experience that helped my writing and literacy skills. For a while I didn’t know what to write about, but as the classes went on, I was able to think of many different ideas. The first essay really helped “develop strategies for reading, drafting, collaborating, revising, and editing.” I had to do some critical thinking and was able to write my first draft. I thought about writing about my high school experience, and how my English class helped my writing and literacy skills. Though my first draft wasn’t very good, in class I was able to do peer reviews and got many different ideas from other classmates on how I can improve my own essay. I gave more details, and talked more about different times that took place in my experience. I was able to develop my writing skills from drafting and revising. By collaborating and revising, I was able to get different ideas and apply it to my own writing for improvement. Learning these strategies was the beginning of my essay writing skills.

For the phase two assignment, I decided to write a book review with my rhetorical analysis. I got to learn about rhetorical strategies, which played a big factor into writing my analysis and review. From this phase, I was able to “Explore and analyze, in writing and reading, a variety of genres and rhetorical situations.” In my book review, I had to be able to do a deep reading into the story, so I wouldn’t miss anything. I was able to understand what the author’s purpose, audience, and message was. I did my book review on a different version of Cinderella that took place in the Caribbean. In my book review, I gave an interpretation on many different things in the story. I talked about what every character represents, and what every event that took place symbolizes. I gave an authentic review for potential readers who may be thinking about reading this story. To give a good rhetorical analysis, I had to analyze different genres and themes in the story. I wrote about the significance of setting and who the targeted audience was. Furthermore, I also had to identify different rhetorical situations. I wrote about the author’s message and subject to help improve my essay.

During my phase three assignment, I had to write a research paper, which had many different parts. I had to find sources, give proper citations, and correctly quote the authors. In this phase, I got to develop my skills of “Locat[ing] research sources in the library’s databases or archives on the Internet and evaluate them for credibility, accuracy, timeliness, and bias.” In class, we had two library days that taught how to use the college library and look for various sources on websites. Finding proper sources was difficult at first- I had to find many sources that would connect with my writing, and to make sure the sources were verified. To make sure the sources were good, I looked into the author, the time the article was published, and if the author was biased. Once I got to verify these aspects, I knew I had good sources. I got very good at using the college resources for my research essay, and was able to quote my sources in my essay. During this phase, I also learned about MLA citations, a proper way to cite my sources. and I had a whole page called works cited to be able to give credibility. I’ve really enjoyed doing this assignment. Throughout my experience in the third phase, I was able to find reliable sources and properly add them to my writing. 

Throughout my FIQWS Literature class I’ve learned many new and different writing skills. Once I got to understand these skills, I got to know how useful they are. My experience in my FIQWS really helped my understanding of writing. I got to learn many different skills and strategies. There were many aspects of writing that I didn’t know about, but throughout my time in class I was able to gain new skills that helped me improve my writing.