TOW #28: TOW Reflection

Whether I can believe it or not, this school year is already coming to an end and this is my second to last TOW post for APELC. Although it is hard to believe that I completed an entire AP level English course, the progressions and changes that are apparent in the TOWs provide evidence that this year is coming to an end. During the beginning of the year, my TOWs were primarily focused on summarizing the nonfiction text and presenting two or three rhetorical devices that the author uses in the text. These paragraphs were very formulaic and direct to the point. As the year progressed, I began to incorporate a creative hook to introduce the text that I read and summarized what I read very briefly. Instead of simply listing the rhetorical devices used by the author in a very formulaic way, I began to analyze the effect of these devices and whether if the author successfully used these devices to strengthen their point or not. Not only with the TOWs, but also with our practiced timed essays, I mastered how to find the rhetorical device used by the author quickly. Also, I can decipher author’s purpose more quickly and accurately compared to the beginning of the year. Not only that, I think my general English level improved as well with the writing practice that comes with the TOWs as we were expected to do one TOW entry every week. Although my English and writing skills improved, I could still improve on fixing the awkwardness of my wording especially when I am not given the chance to proofread my writing. I definitely benefited from the TOW assignments because they forced me to write and read every weekend during my freetime. Assigning the TOW as homework made me try to improve my writing. Although I do have to admit that not all TOWs had the same effort put into them, this fluctuation actually motivated me to try my best on the TOW post after the one with less effort put in. For next year, I think it could be more helpful if Mr. Yost or Mrs. Pronko could grade more TOWs. Since I turned in the TOW that I thought was the most well written for a grade, the teachers’ feedback on that TOW made me fix the mistakes that I tend to make when writing.