(On a scale of 1 being the worst and 5 being the best)
- 4 – I gave this grade to myself because I think that my paragraphs have a good flow to them. There can always be room for improvement in writing but I feel that my paragraphs are easy to read and overall make “sense.”
- 4 – “Despite the fact that gene editing has been shown to have enourmous benefits, we must first look at the bigger picture before diving headfirst into the unknown.” I think that my thesis is strong. Not only does it start with a subordinate clause but it also uses the word “must” which shows a strong position on the point that I am trying to make. I didn’t give myself a 5 because the words “bigger picture” are not very specific and it gives the reader room to make their own interpretations of what I am trying to say which is not always a good thing.
- 3.5 – For this section I think I deserve this grade because although each individual paragraph flows well within itself, I think I can still work on transitioning into a new paragraph. Within my draft I am still unsure of where to put the transitioning sentence and also how to word it in a way so that it doesn’t sound like I am just repeating myself.
- 4.5 – For the mastery of a TRIAC paragraph I think that I did a very goof job of this in my draft. In each paragraph I have a topic sentence, restriction, illustration, analysis, and a concluding sentence. One thing within the TRIAC I think I still need to work on is the restriction element. I attempted this in my draft but I think I still need more practice in order to master this skill.
- 3.5 – The Barclay’s paragraph was a new concept for me because I had never been introduced to this before. I gave myself this grade because I think for it being my first time, I did a good job of relating two sources together to form an argument around one idea.
- 2 – “Genetically modifying food has been seen to have enourmous benefits such as faster growing plants, tastier food, and increased supply of food.” This was my NAYSAYER sentence, and after reading the rubric I can see that it needs a lot of work. First, it is only a sentence long and I should’ve expander this idea to make it at least a couple of sentences. Also, it did not start this sentence “some may argue.”
- 3.75 – Within my draft I think that my paragraphs flow in a way that makes sense and also supports my thesis. Also, my claim sentences in each paragraph support the ideas that I am trying to get across in each paragraph.
- 3.5 – I think that each of my quotes do a good job of relating to my claim sentences. An area where I can improve upon is the use of active signal words. Looking back at my draft it is apparent that I use the word “says” or “discusses” a lot.
- 4.5 – Compared to our first essay that we wrote, I think that I did a much better job of using the MLA format for my citations. In my first essay I didn’t indent the second line whereas in this draft I fixed my mistake and formatted the citations correctly. Also, for the in text citations, I used the authors last name and page number if provided which is the correct way to cite a source within a paragraph.
- 3.75 – My thesis is clearly stated in my intro. A place where I can improve upon is using a hook sentence before I introduce my thesis. All of my sources are clearly introduced and I think I did a good job of explaining what gene editing is and also what the CRISPR method is.
- 2 – The conclusion of an essay has always been something that I struggle with since high school. In this draft I have clearly restated/repackages my thesis from the introduction paragraph. In the conclusion I think that I can improve upon the act of leaving the reader compelled. Although I did a good job or warning readers about what would happen if my plan isn’t followed, I think I could still do a better job of explaining my plan in more detail and using a rhetorical device.
