Reflection


Memoir- This was our first assignment. It was to write an essay about a memory or something that happened to us. I wrote about the first time i tried to jump a ramp on my bike.
Nature Essay- During this essay we were learning about Emerson and Thoreau and how they were transparent eyeballs. We were also learning about Transcendentalism and how we related to it. We went out to the woods to become transparent eyeballs just like them. This essay was an account of our experiences in the woods. We had to have one quote from Emerson and one from Thoreau in our essay.

From this class i have learned that
a) you have to have a good introduction and AGD in your writing
b) try to use active voice in your writing
c) Have a good conclusion that summarizes they key points and ends with a clincher sentence.

Revisions
In my memoir i needed to revise because i used a lot of numbers and i didn't spell them out. I learned from Mrs. Turner that when you are writing, numbers one to ninety nine need to be written out. I also used a lot of passive voice in my memoir. I still have a few passive voice sentences in that piece but Mrs. Turner Highlighted them and i was able to change most of them to active voice.

In my nature essay i needed to revise my introduction because i didnt have a thesis statement. I needed to revise my conclusion because it was short and terrible. I failed to summmarize the key points in my paper before bringing it to a close. I posted the nature essay with Mrs. Turner's comments on there but it has already been revised.

Learn From Others
1) I Learned from Brooke that it helps to have good organization in your piece and also using big words makes you sound really smart. Maybe i should invest in a thesaurus. http://www.brookeworks.blogspot.com
2) I learned from one of Elizabeth Baker's pieces that it helps you understand if the writer uses a lot of details and describes the situation in the story really well. Http://www.ebthatsme.blogspot.com
3) I learned from Erika Verbeck That it is easy to understand a paper if it has many examples to illustrate what the writer is trying to say. Http://www.ErikaVerbeck.blogspot.com

-A good start!. I like your sarcastic voice, but you don't need to tell the reader you are being sarcastic. Choose words that would show that. You had some great insights about Thoreau. Suggestions for Revison: Read notes within the paper. Add Emerson. Add sensory details to your description. Kristinaturner 10/19/07 8:26 AM

Nature Essay
By: Turner Welborn

In my English III Honors class, we are talking about Emerson and Thoreau, so a few days ago we went into the woods to become "transparent eyeballs" and get in touch with ourselves while surrounded by nature. What little woods we had near our school was enough for me even though it is within earshot of cars passing on highway 81 and littered with wrappers, cans ,and bottles. Despite this we had a wonderful time getting in touch with ourselves in nature.
I was lucky enough to have chosen to wear a longsleved black shirt and long pants on the day we were supposed to go outside. How great for me. It was probably around 85 or 90 degrees when we got out there with no breeze and the humidity was very high because it had recently rained. However, once we got to the woods we were in the shade and it was a little cooler. I immediately remembered how much i loved being in the woods and seeing all of the amazing things god has done with our world. Some of the things I noticed were the small paths that water had made through the sand, how cool the sun looked going through the leaves of the trees, and okay in the end. Also, it does not need anything to run and keep producing and living. I thought about this when i was in the woods, and i thought that was pretty cool. Henry David Thoreau said: "Generally speaking, a howling wilderness does not howl: it is the imagination of the traveler that does the howling". I think that he is saying that. that nature is what you make it. If you think nature is ugly then you have made it that way, and if you think nature is beautiful then you have made it that way. I completely agree with this.
In conclusion a few minutes in nature can change you for life. Through this nature walk i remembered my love for the woods and it reminded me the amazing things that god created. I encourage anyone to try it because you will come out of the woods as a changed individual.

Summarize the key ideas in your essay. -Kristinaturner 10/19/07 8:26 AM

I Got Like 3 Feet of Air That Time
By:Turner Welborn

As a child I lived in the country. I had no kids around me to play with. I really didn’t watch TV or play inside either, because I only had two sisters to play with, and one was a baby. So, I played outside by myself or with my dog. Mostly I would ride my bike. I loved to ride my bike, and some days my dad would take me on a bike ride up the street to the cull-de-sac and back. A boy lived at the top of our street who had a dirt bike and he had made a small jump for it. Every time I went up there with my dad I would ask to jump it, but he would always say no. I was around five years old at the time and I had seen people jump on bikes and dirt bikes before so I figured that it wasn’t too hard. One day, just like any other, I waited for my dad to get home from work so we could go on a bike ride. When we got to the top of the hill I asked yet again to jump the jump. He finally said it was OK. I thought, “Hey this will be easy.” Boy was I wrong. Sweaty and determined, I pedaled as fast as I could towards the jump. Mind racing I approached the jump. I saw my dad watching and the puddle off to the side. I hit the jump full speed and sailed through the air. The only bad part was that my bike was still on the ground. I had flown over the handlebars. I panicked in mid air and hit the ground hard. I got a face full of dirt and my right leg landed in the puddle. It was soaking wet. Wincing in pain, I rolled over onto my back, and my dad came running over to me. He said, “You can’t hit it on your first time like Evil Knievel.” We went home and I was mad that I couldn’t do it. I wouldn't try it again for a long time. Eventually, I overcame my fears and still to this day I enjoy a good bike jump. In conclusion, that is the story of the first time I jumped on a bike and fell flat on my face. I hope you got a laugh out of it.