Q&R 1

Question:How do readings about writing help students?

When students read about what writing actually is and what it consists of, they are able to understand writing more and they can also learn about new things that they can use in their essays. Also, readings about writing can really help students improve in their writing skills because they are learning new techniques and they will be able to write better papers. Articles or books or any type of reading about writing focuses on certain materials that will help students in their essays. Students have experienced problems about writing throughout their lives and so these readings about writing focus on the issues that many students may have had or do have with writing..Students who struggle with writing can read articles that contain information about the strategies that they need to help them improve. Students also realize that there is more to writing than just writing; there is more to it. They have to learn certain skills that are required to write a good paper. Furthermore, if a student reads about writing and does not understand something, then they are prone to ask a teacher about it. The teacher can then clarify and articulate what they are asking and thus this helps the student more because he is receiving more information about writing and understands better. Also, readings about writing provide examples for their audience. The student can then put those examples into practice and start learning how to improve their writing skills and hence do a better job on their essays. In the beginning of this class, I didn’t really know what English 1301 was about. My expectations were simple; I just expected to write essays on certain topics and materials covered in class. I didn't even consider that there were other things involved with writing that just writing. However, after reading the Downs and Wardle article, I realized that I really had no idea what writing was. This article showed me that there was actually more to writing than simply writing things on a piece of paper. The article explained that in order to improve a student's writing, the student should understand writing itself, rhetoric and literacy. I may have learned this in my previous years of school but just completely forgot about them. So reading about writing really does help a student more by opening their eyes to useful and effective strategies they can use when they write a paper. You get well informed and it refreshes your mind with new information and that helps a student understand what writing is all about and how they can use it in their own essays. A student gains more knowledge with readings about writing because they show many techniques they can use. I myself do not know any "special" techniques that can help me make my essays better but I know that by reading more about writing I will be able to obtain the information I need and the skills to help me improve. As a student I really recommend that other students read articles about writing because they are really helpful. You learn things about writing that you did not know did not know about writing and once you do learn them, they will sooner or later come in handy when you have to write your next essay.

Denise Valdez