Core Value 1. My work demonstrates that I used a variety of social and interactive practices that involve recursive stages of exploration, discovery, conceptualization, and development.

Throughout the semester we had activities in class and for homework where we analyzed other classmates work and received feedback fr0m them to get more opinions and perspectives on our work. Also Mr. Hodges provided constructive feedback on all of our portfolio work to guarantee that our final drafts would become our best work that we could do. For example we made a Writing plan that we used to make our op-ed which explored a new way to prepare for a writing assignment and included sources, refutes, and ideas to use in our pieces. I feel I have greatly developed by having an abundance of opinions on my writing and looking at my own writing in a different way.

Core Value 2. My work demonstrates that I read critically, and that I placed texts into conversation with one another to create meaning by synthesizing ideas from various discourse communities. 

To complete many of the assignments in this class we had to do a lot of research in order to compile enough information to rightly argue the topic at hand. For instance in my Editorial I had to retain information about my topic and be able to relay that to the reader by agreeing or disagreeing with the information. I expressed my thoughts about the topic without overwhelming the reader with a bias of the topic. I also included the other side that way the reader gets many different views about the topic to draw their own conclusions. I included quotes and sited many sources that I used to back up my opinions which shows how I read the articles critically and was able to determine the important information.

Core Value 3. My work demonstrates that I rhetorically analyzed the purpose, audience, and contexts of my own writing and other texts and visual arguments.

Before starting any writing piece the writer themselves have to determine the purpose, audience, and context of the writing piece. In class we completed a Letter to the Editor where it was very important to have these components. The writer needs to have an informed opinion about the topic, which includes the research aspect of the process. The audience to me was most important for this writing piece because you are directly addressing the author and their ideas. In this case appealing to the reader and what they are interested in is a crucial part of the assignment to insure that the reader sees the importance and can apply it to their lives. The content of the writing has to directly relate to the article.

Core Value 4: My work demonstrates that I have met the expectations of academic writing by locating, evaluating, and incorporating illustrations and evidence to support my own ideas and interpretations.

To most accurately demonstrate that I have met the expectations of academic writing my Letter to the Editor includes locating, evaluating, and incorporating support for my ideas. For example I talked about the subject, put the evidence, and then stated my own opinion on the information. Other writing pieces of mine have also incorporated this type of expectations. It was important for me to use the sources I found to create a strong LTE draft and later an even better final LTE. Before this class I would not have looked so deeply into the research for the letter but after doing it and putting it all together it really does make a big difference in the content. This assignment opened up my eyes to the big changes small editing can do.

Core Value 5. My work demonstrates that I respect my ethical responsibility to represent complex ideas fairly and to the sources of my information with appropriate citation. 

Core value number five is most demonstrated by the Op-Ed because it was very important to site all of the ideas and facts that came from other sources. Throughout the whole piece I constantly referred back to multiple sites and quoted all that needed to be. I correctly hyperlinked any of the sources, which might I add was very difficult since I had never done it before. Also after taking into consideration the other resources I formed my own ideas about the topic while still representing the other writers ideas. I showed both sides of the argument with backup from other authors, and always make sure to give them credit for their work. I have been practicing using these skills since a young age and always being told by many teachers how important it is to represent others ideas.