Homework: Self-Assessment Worksheet
o What strategies did you use to appeal to your audience? How effective do you feel you have been in convincing the readers to agree with your position? Mark any passages that need improvement or additional support. Pay attention to areas where your instructor has provided feedback.
o What part of this paper are you the proudest of? Include a quotation and/or description from your essay as an example. Explain why you think this part is effective. How might you amplify strengths like this in the final paper? Make a note to yourself within your draft to remind you where you want to expand on the strengths you've mentioned.
o Review your thesis statement in the introduction and any comments from your instructor and include it here on the worksheet. Is your thesis statement a complete sentence that reflects the main argument and does it contain 3 supporting reasons? If not, what changes will you make to revise it? (Review the readings related to writing and refining your thesis in the Week 1 learning activities if you need additional support.)
o How, specifically, did you get the reader's attention in the introduction? What style or approach did you use, and what did you hope to achieve by using it? If this part of your paper needs improvement, what strategy might you try instead? Why might this be a stronger strategy? Apply that change to the final paper.
o Examine the research you collected and used for support. In your rough draft, underline or highlight all the places where you have used evidence within the paper. Is each body paragraph supported by at least one piece of evidence, and is it compelling? Does the research come from multiple sources, of which at least one is peer-reviewed? Make a note to yourself about places within each paragraph where you will want to revise the evidence you present and where you might need to add research to support your ideas. Check the citations against the references. Do they match up? If not, what revision must you make?
o Do you feel that your paper shows a fair and balanced approach to your issue? If so, what did you do within the paper to ensure that was the case? If not, what specific changes will you make to be more balanced in your argument? How did you overcome any personal bias?
o Go to the last paragraph of your paper and read the last sentence of that paragraph. Does the sentence make sense? Does it use proper grammar, punctuation, and any APA style necessary? If not, make note of the changes you will need to make during revision. Do this same type of review moving backward through the essay, sentence by sentence. As you review your writing in this way, you might notice errors and patterns that you missed when reading from beginning to end. What did you discover in terms of research content, style, language, or grammar in your draft? What are at least 2 resources that you can use to help strengthen and support your writing in these areas?
o Use one of the reviewing services available in the Center for Writing Excellence to review this document. What are the next steps you will take to revise your draft and prepare to finalize your paper?
Format your homework according to the following formatting requirements:
o The answer should be typed, using Times New Roman font (size 12), double spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides.
o The response also includes a cover page containing the title of the homework, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
o Also include a reference page. The Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.