Mid Term: UWRT 1101

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A. It blows my mind that half of the semester and half of my UTOP experience is almost over.
Writing this blog turned out to be extremely bittersweet, sweet because I am overly excited to see
what August has in store for me yet bitter because UTOP is coming to an end and it has been a
blast thus far.
The next few questions are based on concerns I had during the first week but with three weeks
down, I can easily answer them:

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Are we allowed to add or edit our previous blogs throughout the semester?
Yes, we are allowed to revise our blogs throughout semester. If you ever get a new idea or
remember a detail that would benefit your writing, you can just go back and add it!
Why do we have central inquiry questions?
Central inquiry questions helps us reflect on our habits and style as a writer. When I
reflected on these question I learned what my strengths, weakness and rituals were.
Why do you prefer hard copies of our Reader Response Letters?
Hard copies makes it so much easier for you to give us fast feedback! I adore the fact that
you actually take your time to read all of our work, this is something that my high school
teachers did not do!

Now that half of the semester is over, I think I could give the incoming freshmen some
very valuable advice. I would start off by sharing three tips: stay on task, listen to the

instructions, and be an active participant during class discussions. I quickly found out that this
class would require a lot of outside work because you are constantly writing and editing papers.
Therefore, being on task is very important because if you fall behind it would be difficult to
catch back up. Unlike most writing classes, this one is not dreadful or boring so staying on task
should not be a huge challenge. Listening to the instructions is another crucial tip in this class.
Summer classes are not as nearly as long as a regular semester so there are no room for mistakes.
I learned this rule the hard way when I accidentally did not follow the writing prompt but
thankfully I was able to work around it! Lastly, class discussions are very informative especially
if you are having a hard time understanding a topic or assignment. Engaging in these discussion
will help you form a better understanding and allow you to connect with your classmates and
professor. I believe that if you follow these three rules and work really hard, it will be nearly
impossible to not succeed.

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B. I think I have improved in many of the key concepts during the past few weeks. The Literacy
Narrative, really helped me understand the importance of the writing process and revision.
Before, I would not pay much attention to the writing process or take the time to completely
revise my work. After spending time completing a few drafts and working with my peers in peer
review, I could easily see the dramatic difference in my work. Overall, I gained a better overlook
and appreciation on the writing process.
Peer review helped me feel confident about several of the key concepts. At first, peer review was
very nerve wrecking and it was definitely something that was out of my comfort zone. Without
trying it, I assumed that it was not going to be beneficial to my writing. However, it surprisingly

became one of my favorite things to do in this class because it allowed me to hear my peers
opinions, collaborate and develop new ideas. Peer review definitely helped me form connections
with my classmates. We all could easily relate with each other since we are all facing similar
challenges and in the same age group. By reading their narratives, not only was I able to connect
with them personally but also as a writer.

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However, there are a few key concepts that I have yet to grasp. For instance, I think developing
critical thinking skills is challenging. I have always had a really hard time trying my thoughts or
feelings on paper. Due to this struggle, I tend to hold back on how I truly feel, which has a huge
impact on my writing. If my critical thinking skills improved, I would be able to clearly express
myself through my writings!
Another concept that is challenging for me is multi-modality and digital texts. I have never
focused on the importance or reasoning behind the way you should format your text. I tend to
write in big paragraphs, which makes the reader confused or become lost. Hopefully, by working
and experimenting with my blog I can learn more about multi-modality.

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C. In my literacy paper, I wrote about my attempt to become bilingual. In my twelfth grade year
I was trying to become somewhat literate in Spanish, unfortunately I did not get the chance to do
so. I think my definition of literacy in my narrative, is quite similar to my original definition. In
my original definition, I stated that literacy was the ability to read, write, and comprehend a
message. Being literate does not restrict to one language or even one concept. While working
with my peers I realized that you can become literate in topics such as, music or art.

I think language and power relates to each other because if you have enough power,
within yourself, you are capable of expanding your language. In my narrative, I held all the
power, however, I failed to use that power correctly. Instead, of standing up for myself I allowed
my teacher to make the wrong decisions for me; this gave her all the power. If I could back I
would use my power to build confidence and trust within myself because with these two traits it
would have helped me, not only stand up for myself, but to work hard and prove my teacher
wrong!

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D. My academic goal for the second half of the semester is to continue to pursue an A in this
class. In order to achieve this goal I will need to maintain my focus and remember the main
reason why I decided to participate in UTOP, which is to build a solid foundation for the fall.
One thing that I struggle with is time management. With all the activities UTOP provides us it is
very easy to get distracted. Even though we have study hall, I often find myself staying up late at
night trying to finish my assignments. My procrastination problem, does not make my time
management issue any easier to solve. That is why I am going to try to prioritize my assignments
and set daily goals.
Since I would like to major in Biology, my academic goal for my Intro to Biology class is to
completely understand all the material since it consists of all the basic information. So far, I have
attended all of the study group sessions and spent countless hours studying. Staying devoted and
updated requires a lot of extra work but I know that it will benefit me in the long run. Hopefully
with hard work and support from my UTOP family I will be able to achieve both of these goals!