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Fall 2014 - MW Teams

Expository Essay Rubric

Expository Essay Rubric
Expository Essay Rubric

Writing Rubric


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Sunday, September 7, 2014

Reflection – Sept. 8 – Sec. 3 -Descriptive Essay

Visit URL:  http://mnrivera1.com/Four_Major_Essays.pdf In your own words, discuss what a descriptive essay is. View the topics listed. Discuss which descriptive topic you would select and why.  Please note that this will also be reviewed for Test #1. Further reflect on today’s overall activities.

57 comments:

  1. A descriptive essay is essentially a expression of the idea and perception of the writer's understanding of a given topic that can relate to their own personal experiences. They write from what they think and refine those ideas from the recursive writing process. In the writing process, writers conjure up topics and ideas right off there mind. Then they would write out a draft that would hold all the raw material that the writer generally wants to concentrate. Then the writer would go back and forth revising and refining their work. They would eliminate, add, or rewrite to make their message more understandable for the intended audience.

    For my topic for a descriptive essay, I think I want to talk about my study routines here in UOG. In order for me to study effectively, there is great attention to detail and surroundings. Thus I feel I can write a thorough description. That would also include it shortcomings and difficulties while studying. I wan to write about my routines because I believe it could serve as a form of self reflection and self-analysis for improvement. Thus, my many shortcomings should also be included.

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    1. Your definition of a descriptive essay is interesting. I like how you included the recursive writing process.

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    2. I love that definition! I like the word "refine" used in that one phrase.

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    3. I love how you described the descriptive essay so formally. Most descriptive essays really do begin with raw material, we always have to begin with what we have in our minds. That way, ideas just start to come when you've pull out the roots to your main topic.

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    4. I liked how you showed how writing a descriptive essay, or any essay for that matter, you must go back and revise it. There is always room for improvement. When you write a descriptive essay, you must go back every now and then to make it more better.

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    5. As you mention in your reply you speak about writing with a sense of creativity however considering the topic at hand isn't the use of imagination rather a given? Also as for your essay topic I'd say considering where we both came from you and I both know that you could do better than an unimaginative topic such as your study schedule :).

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    6. I really enjoyed reading your post, your word choice is outstanding!

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  2. A descriptive essay in my own words would be an essay written based off of our own experiences and the use of the 5 forms senses. Basically we are writing an essay based off what we visualize in said topic. For example if i were to have a topic about computers then I'd write about the different visual parts of a computer its contrast the feeling how it operates and what it could be used for etc.

    As for my topic for my descriptive essay I would likely go with a famous historical person. The reason I would chose this topic is simply because I have a strong interest in the many revolutionary changes these famous people cause through there actions and how it contributes to what our current society has become. Finally as for our activities today we as a class were able to learn about how to differentiate between a proper and improper topic sentence/thesis.

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    1. Writing a descriptive essay about well known historical figures is cool! How you intend of writing about it is awesome.

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    2. I like how you defined descriptive essay and the topic you chose seems to be very interesting.

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    3. Not only do you just write about what you sense, but there also has to some level of creativity. We are in college now. Literary aesthetics is what matters here. There needs to quality meat in the writing.

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    4. That was so cool! I like how you would describe a computer!

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    5. Pretty interesting about describing historical figures to make a thesis feel very powerful.

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    6. I like your topic for your descriptive essay. I am considering doing an historical figure.

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    7. I would like to hear your descriptive essay about historical figures, it seems really interesting!

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  3. I think a descriptive essay is an essay that describes something. It is related to our experience. We can descriptive a flower, a tree, a kind of food, a kind of fruit, etc.We can write about an event, such as a party, an accident. We also can describe a place or a person.
    As for my topic for my descriptive essay I would like to choose "Study routine".I will talk about my ways of studying and my study routines, including my weak skills.
    As for our activities today, I learned about the stage two, writing the controlling idea and organizing and developing support. An effective controlling idea has both subject and focus. It helps me know about how to write an essay.

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    1. What we learned today really does help a lot with writing essays.

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    2. I'm thinking about doing an essay about my study routines too. I also want to bring out my weak points so that I can do a self assessment of what I need to change. Plus, it's easy for me to describe.

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    3. That's a really cool definition of a descriptive essay! I think you are the second person to choose study routine for a topic, that's really cool.

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    4. By any chance, i hope i get to see your descriptive essay on studying. I would like to get some ideas about your study habits, and how I can incorporate some of those ideas into my study routine as well.

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    5. Your essay topic is perfect. I would like to hear it.

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  4. A Descriptive Essay is an essay that describes what their topic may be in any way they want and also based on their own life experiences and their knowledge about it. It describes a person, an event, a place, a thing, experience or any other topics in details. Descriptive essay shows the readers precise and very detailed information on what the essay is all about.
    For my Descriptive Essay, my topic would be about my friend. I chose this topic because I want to write about my experiences with my friends and how important they are and how important it is to choose friends wisely because they can influence anyone in either a positive or negative way. Today we learned about effective and ineffective topics and we also learned how to determine a subject or focus. We also did a lot of exercises today, which really helped me understand the lesson.

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    1. I can relate to your take on a descriptive essay. Your descriptive topic is very interesting!

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    2. Detail is essential to descriptive essays. Bland language and diction wouldn't make the topic so interesting.

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    3. This is a really spot-on definition! i also like the way you described Monday's class.

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    4. I agree with Kenneth's comment, I really enjoyed Monday's class. Our class is so engaging, it really helps us to understand our lesson better.

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    5. Remember to make great use of how you would pertain to a experience rather than what a crowd would respond in a sense you could even cal it your own story.

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  5. A descriptive essay is an essay which is written to thoroughly describe and explain an individual's personal experiences or a noun in general: person, place or thing. A descriptive essay is written in order for readers to understand what the writer felt or has experienced through their eyes. It gives the reader the chance to view the subject by feeling as if they can see or be there for themselves. In all, a descriptive essay provides clear information as well as proper imagery used in order to make the subject effective for the reader to completely understand.

    For my descriptive essay, I chose the topic of going to a new school. The first day of being at a new school. I chose this topic because it was the first line to catch my eye. The thought of my first day at a new school made me remember the memorable experience I had during my freshman year, and I can clearly remember every single thing that went on during that day. Therefore, I feel that it will be a very exciting and fun essay to write.
    During today's class discussion, I enjoyed being able to practice creating and structuring topic sentences'. The class discussion towards the exercises made it even more effective because we were able to share our experiences of having to create thesis' and topic sentences' and how difficult it can be at times. Therefore, I was able to help others and be helped as well.

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    1. The topic of going to a new school seems like the perfect fit! Freshmen year of high school seems like it was yesterday!!

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    2. I agree. I also enjoy today's exercises. It really does help a lot with with writing an essay.

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    3. Not only should an essay be refined to be understandable, but also enjoyable. Make it entertaining for people to read.

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    4. Your definition about a descriptive essay is well defined and very thorough! (:

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    5. Yes, having to create a thesis statement is really difficult sometimes. but it's nice to have exercises in class to get more ideas about it.

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    6. In contrast to popular belief i would actually invoke that the opinion in which thoroughly laying out facts as statements would lead to a bland reading experience. Maybe broaden your approach and add that little bit of spark that gets a reader going.

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  6. A descriptive essay is an essay in which the writer includes specific depiction and characterization. The intense description allows the readers to experience/empathize the writer's emotions and view the plot as the writer does. A descriptive essay greatly uses two literary devices: imagery and diction. Imagery allows the writer to trigger the readers' sense of emotions, further permitting the readers to emotionally experience the plot. Diction, on the other hand, allows the writers to choose appropriate words to aid an effective descriptive essay.
    I chose my current job as my descriptive topic because it's something that I experience 4/7 times a week. Since I've been working at the current location for approximately a month, I have an abundance of feelings/thoughts about it. Concluding, I believe that descriptive topic is a great fit for me.
    Today's activities were extremely beneficial. Joe Cruz's presentation on the Trio Presentation was new and intriguing information. It is definitely an advantage for many students who fit the requirement(s). As for the class exercises, I found Exercise 3 (Writing Topic Sentences) a bit challenging and also a bit confusing. However, it was an effective exercise for me. The last activity for the day, the brian stretcher activity, was exciting!

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    1. You described the descriptive essay really well. It would be nice to hear about your experiences on your job since I've never experienced working before.

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    2. Imagery and diction::the senses and the meat
      Those are the basics to a good essay. I'm glad you pointed it out.
      PS: The Trio Program is interesting, but I can't be eligible. :(

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    3. I agree with Faith. I really think you chose the right words to describe what a descriptive essay is because I surely didn't know what to say on mine after reading yours. (:

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    4. The trio program was definitely eye opening and is a great option to seek as a individual receiving Fafsa my only complaint would be not knowing sooner.

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  7. A descriptive essay is an essay that invites the reader to step into the writers shoes and to be able to experience the writer's experience while the writer talks them through it. A descriptive essay allows the writer's imagination run wild when trying to describe the sensation to the reader.
    For my topic, i chose falling in love... Seriously. I chose this topic because the feelings would be easy to explain and i would be free to express my thoughts in any way possible. It wouldn't even have to make sense, because no one can tell me that i feel wrong. Because of the strong feelings, i can access that memory easier than other memories. For example, if i were to describe a pizza, i would have to think long and hard about food, then i would get hungry, then i would never finish my essay because I'm so hungry.
    I thought Monday's class was fun, especially that trio part. All i heard was money and i was instantly hooked. I still don't have a book yet though, so it gets difficult at times. I also enjoyed the finishing topic sentences part, because we were able to write whatever we wanted, and we were even allowed to mess things up!

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    1. I love the topic you chose! You are definitely right, no one can tell you if you're wrong or right about falling in love. Also, I thought the pizza part was pretty funny because I would feel the exact same way, hungry!

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    2. I chose to describe food but now I am reconsidering it. I might never do the essay. Your topic is nice. Love is an interesting topic to hear about. Everyone has their own opinion on what love is and nobody is ever wrong about their beliefs.

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    3. It's pretty solid topic. Yes food is very hard to describe how you would feel about delicious food! At least you have some programs to take in part in though.

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    4. You seem to always know how to end your paragraphs in a funny note, Kenneth. Looking forward to reading about that topic, it's really nice! That pizza bit is so true, just thinking about it makes me hungry.

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    5. Hahaha! Your post was very entertaining! I like the topic you chose, it's easy to explain my thoughts in an essay, but it's hard for me to show it in person. Very brave, very brave indeed...

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  8. A descriptive essay is an essay that clearly describes an object, place, smell, situation, experience, or anything that the writer is describing in his/her essay. The writer must describe into further depth so that the reader will be able to surely identify what is being described. Also, you would want them to feel the way you felt in your essay. In a descriptive essay, even the littlest detail is worth the space. Every detail counts.

    The topic I would choose to write my descriptive essay about would be my friend. I chose that topic because I have been friends with three people for more than 10 years. We attended the same school from elementary to high school. After high school, a few things changed, but of course we still stay in contact and hang out when we all have time. I think that is something to write deeply about because not everyone is blessed with that special friendship.

    On September 8, we learned how to write a topic sentence, how to evaluate topic sentences, and distinguished the subject and the focus of a sentence. I was one of the designee to share their topic sentence and I thought that was really helpful. It helped me because if I was wrong and needed help, I was able to get help from Professor Rivera and my fellow colleagues.

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    1. "Every detail counts.".. so true. Sometimes just a variation of words can convey the author's feelings or intentions better.

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  9. A descriptive essay is a type of essay that describes anything in particular. Could be about a person, thing, place, etc, or simply your experiences in life. They must have a vivid description about it because, anything to vague might not make the cut. A descriptive essay encourages us to explore all the ideas and facts that we have for a certain topic.

    As I read all the different types of topics given in the separate URL, i'm caught between wanting to write about everything because, I just have so much to say. But, when I really think about it, if there is one essay topic that i would genuinely have many things to say about it would be, relating to feelings. Talking about the emotions that we feel in our everyday life is something I would write about in my descriptive essay because, as a human being, we've experienced so much in our life that has triggered the emotions we feel from an every day to day basis.

    As of Monday's lesson, i enjoyed it. I actually love how our class are always engaged in the lesson. There are some exercises that may be difficult, but having our classmates incorporate their ideas and thoughts has really helped me understand some of our exercises better.

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    1. I agree with you on how the whole class gets a chance to participate. It's nice that we get to hear everyone's ideas and thoughts and compare it to our own, instead of always hearing from the same core group. Plus it helps create a more comfortable learning environment (:

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  10. A descriptive essay is an essay that is describing an object such as a person, place or a thing. A perfect descriptive essay should make your reader have a perfect image in their head of what you are describing. You must be specific and on point. If your reader still has some question marks on what you're talking about then your essay isn't as clear as it could be.

    The topic I would like to choose is food. I feel like food is something that a descriptive essay will explain perfectly. First off you would want to talk about the ingredients. Next you would describe the process of cooking whatever your food may be. Lastly you would want your reader to have an idea about how it taste. Is it sweet or savory? Is it both? That would be my job as a writer to make sure my reader gets the perfect idea of how my food is.

    Monday's lesson was great. We learned about topic sentences and thesis. I have always struggled with creating a thesis but now I am opening up to getting better at it. Ultimately this will make me a much better writer. Once you have your topic sentence and thesis down, your essay will flow so much better.

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    1. Ooh, definitely would be looking forward to reading an essay all about food. That seems like a really fun topic (:

      Same, I always have a problem starting off my paper. Hopefully we could improve and soon rid of writer's block.

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    2. I like food! I'll be looking forward to your essay if you were to present it!

      I most definitely agree with you about your essay flowing much better once you have your topic sentence and thesis, with those you can center your essay around it.

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  11. For me, the main purpose of a descriptive essay is to paint a picture for the readers, to make them feel as if they're incorporated into the story. Employing the senses and paying close attention to details are certain ways to achieve this. Not sure who had taught me this, but the goal of a descriptive essay should be "to show, not tell." Although sometimes we tend to "ramble" on about our topic, writers must remember that the audience should be able to relate and take something from what they had just read.

    If I had to choose a topic for my descriptive essay, it would be on my cousin's wedding ceremony in San Jose which I was a bridesmaid for. The ceremony itself was held in a Cathedral Basilica built over two centuries ago and the reception venue overlooked mountain hills. Now talk about breathtaking …

    Last class, aside from hearing my classmates' work which is always fun, we learned about the importance of topic sentences. We learned that it's not good to start off too vague or narrow, or simply just state a fact or opinion. Topic sentences should open up to the key points without giving away too much information.

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  12. A descriptive essay to me is an essay that puts the reader in the authors perspective. There are many ways to write a descriptive essay. Key word describe. Basically you have to use the major senses to provide vivid detail of the event or object or even an experience you are writing about. You are supposed to make the reader feel as if they are there with you in the story or make them visualize what you are describing.
    The topic I would like to write about is an accident in my life. I’m going to write about the day I broke my arm. I chose this topic because I remember it very well and it has traumatized me since. I feel comfortable writing about this and I can describe what happened very thoroughly. Writing about this will help improve my writing skills and hopefully people will learn something new about me.

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  13. A descriptive essay is an essay that describes something. Using your five senses, you can help the reader visualize what you are describing. Waves crashing onto the reef, a nice ocean breeze, on the soft sand, I am describing a beach. Describing what you see, feel, smell, touch, or hear can help the reader understand or see what you are talking about. You are trying to connect with the reader by describing.
    The topic I would like to choose is tennis. I would choose tennis, because it is one of my favorite sports and the one I play most. I have experienced it and can describe the events that happen well, from the ball being an inch into the base line, to hairs that come out of the ball while making contact with it.
    Monday was fun! I enjoyed the brain stretchers. Listening to the stories or words my classmates come up with just from one postcard is entertaining.

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  14. A descriptive essay is describing meaning to be able to give more details. In this type of essay, you perceive the audience to view your description using the five senses. To let your audience indicate what you are describing, you explain what you feel, see, smell, hear, or touch to let your audience interpret your story. A descriptive essay helps you clarify your topic in your perspective. However, we learned that we shouldn't be too vague or narrow. Stating a fact is not a good approach as well, because we can not have our topic all summed up in general.

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