Chloe McCann Ms.

Ingram English 1102-95 February 25, 2014 Midterm Questions 1) As of right now in the semester, I believe the grade I deserve is a B. I think as of right now my work is above average, but not exemplary. I think there is the potential to get it to that level. I am able to see my strengths and weaknesses in my writing as well as see my growth with key concepts. I have contributed in class as well as turned in needed assignments on time. I think that this has also helped my understanding of key concepts that I will add to my Extended Inquiry Project. So far I think that my Weebly Site is easy to view and pleasing to the eye. To be honest, I think that I have done quite a bit of independent inquiry and provided and received copious amounts of feedback. As far as independent inquiry in English 1102, I have used it when starting both my Exploratory Essay and my annotated bibliography. In my Exploratory Essay, I really needed to ask myself what my passions were and more importantly, why. I could easily list off my passions to my group members, but I could not pinpoint where it started. While starting to write my essay, I thought and thought and from there it all flowed. I still have a long ways to go and more thinking to do. In my annotated bibliography, I did not even know where to start. I had never done one before and the thought of it kind of was unsettling to me. I read the assignment page and read countless sources to find ones that I needed. I think that so far I have done a decent job and I can only improve from there.

In English 1102, we have had several opportunities to give and receive feedback. I love to get constructive feedback from my writing because I feel like it boosts my writing the most. I have learned so many different resources to giving feedback as well. I think this key concept has been continuously growing from English 1101 as well.

2) I decided to analyze Jonathan Longs E-portfolio. While first glancing at his Weebly site, it is so easy to use, and really easy to find all of his papers. Using Logos, I can see it makes sense the way he organized his pages by each assignment. I didnt have any trouble understanding what each piece was and its purpose in the E-portfolio. As a reader, I can see that the purpose of his portfolio is to relay all of his work in English 1101. It is to explain his progress and growth during his time in English. The intended audience is first and foremost Ms. Ingram, but other English students also use his website as guidelines to their own Weebly sites. Looking at his work and writing and through Ethos, I see a great deal of professionalism and sophistication. I can tell Jonathan is extremely well knowledgeable and has a big understanding of the goals of English 1101. Through Pathos, I am impressed and I feel motivated to make my writing even more professional. I think that any reader would see this as well. Using the 5 modes to analyze Jonathans portfolio, I kind of see it differently. There are some modes that are not quite as evident. With the Linguistic mode, I think it shows on every page and in every piece written. It is well organized, concise, put together with much thought and effective. The visual mode to me could use a little work. It is very basic, but to me kind of bland. To me, the color and layout is what brings the reader in and it needs to be inviting. The aural and gestural modes were not really present in the

portfolio, but I can understand why it necessarily wouldnt be. Spatial mode is extremely evident all over the website. The way each page was set up with two columns and some just one column all played a role in the spatial mode. Overall, I truly believe that his portfolio was successful. I would definitely give it an A no question. I truly believe his work and his portfolio essay is exemplary. He describes his work with key concepts and you can clearly see his growth from his first writings to his last.

3) My main inquiry question that is driving my research is, Why does one get so much benefit out of helping others? More specifically, kids? I have always been someone who is drawn to helping people, but there is a special place in my heart for children. I want to research this because I want to know if there are reasons why I feel this way. I know I am not the only one who feels this way either, and I think that getting other peoples opinion will also help me define my answer. If I were with others that were invested in my topic I would be with child psychologists, experienced teachers, Mother Teresa, and people currently reaching their degree. I would want to meet with them to receive different types of feedback. Speaking to a child psychologist, I would see the science behind how kids act the way they do. I think when I hear what they have to say, I could easily relate my feelings towards kids and their behavior. Once I know the science behind their behavior, Ill want to know how others view children. Because I know others are drawn to kids, I want to know why experienced teachers have chosen their profession. I want to know their thought process and journey

to get where they are today. I also want to ask college students who are about to finish their college career and see why they decided on this path. I want different perspectives because I want to know how they feel about children and how it relates. I want to be able to make a general consensus of why beginners and experienced teachers have a desire to help children learn. I want Mother Teresa at my table because she is known for helping others and giving her time to others. I would want her perspective on the benefits of helping others. I want to know how she grows from her experiences. Talking and thinking with these people, I truly believe that I will be able to better answer my Inquiry question. I believe that these people wit help shape my understanding of the benefits of helping children. They will share their stories and past, then I will relate it to my story and my dreams.