TOW #27 A REFLECTION

In my earlier TOW assignments, I struggled with the initial concept of what a TOW really was. I took parts of the summer assignment rubric and used that as guidelines for what my TOWs needed. I often explained the context of the article (text etc.) and what it was about, but I didn’t get into analysis. As my TOWs went on, they got more analytical, and I tried to explain my analysis instead of just presenting it. I could still work on this, as I find it hard to explain my analysis and the why and how of why it was happening in the piece. 

I think I mastered the ability to pick apart a text and get the main purpose very well. Then I also can get examples and rhetorical devices that contribute to the overall purpose of the text. Finding the purpose and argument helped me immensely in writing my TOWs. When I found the purpose, the rest was pretty much in front of me. All that I had to do was explain the analysis. Being able to focus on this skill made my ability to write TOWs, and in fact my TOWs overall, greater than I could have done before. With these TOWs my analytical writing improved, and I am better off because of it. I think with the help of these TOWs I strengthened my skills for argument essays, as I have shown in both grade improvement on essays and overall quality in TOWs. However, i do think that the TOW system could be reworked to provide an opportunity for students to practice ALL types of essays. That would be even better. I gained lots of skills, but most importantly practice which, in terms of writing, is the best thing that one can have.