Dr.

Leslie Bruce
Department of English, Comparative Literature, and Linguistics
California State University, Fullerton
Fullerton, CA 92834

Dear Dr. Bruce,
The goal of this letter is to illustrate my advances in my writing, to elaborate on my choices
as a writer, and to convey to you that I will only continue to make advances in the future as a writer.
I will do this by discussing a few choice assignments I had throughout the semester in English 301,
and how these assignments helped me to learn throughout the class and achieve each Student
Learning Outcome (SLO) necessary for the course. The pieces of writing I believe prove this are (in
order) my Argumentative Paper, Writers Notebook, and Peer Reviews. I have put them in this
order according the relevance each assignment had not only in the course, but on my improvements
as a writer.
I put my argumentative paper first, seeing that this paper displays my best efforts and
improvement. Throughout this paper, I managed to successfully convey rhetorical focus,
maintaining a professional and formal voice while being able to incorporate some of my own voice
as well (SLO 1). I kept the paper third person throughout, keeping it professional, yet persuasive. I
used my own opinion and tone to convey a message that I believe in, while also addressing and
discussing opposing views (SLO 3). This, in my unrevised draft and in my profile was a weakness I
struggled with, but was able to fix in my final draft. After doing more research, I added a new
resource to my reference list, and dedicated a new paragraph to risks of water birth, and problems
with current data on the benefits. I was also able to use a total of nine sources throughout my paper
appropriately, citing them correctly, making the citations smooth and easy-to-read, as well as using
sources equally throughout. For example, in my argumentative paper I referred to both Judith Rooks
and Babycentre to discuss the historical context of water birth. Also, in my third paragraph, I
incorporated two sources to elaborate on the benefits associated with water birth. This shows not
only my growth and improvement, but also, my ability to research multiple sources, and use
information from more than just one to form one cohesive idea (SLO 3). Throughout my argument,
I organized my thoughts effectively, with my introduction and thesis, historical background,
benefits, risks (counter argument), integration into hospitals, and conclusion. I made my claim very
clear through my thesis, which stated my main point, also addressing the counterargument. I also
used testimonies from water birth mothers, which seems to be the most data available on the
subject, while also using a single study to illustrate other points on water birth (SLO 4). In addition, I
addressed both male and female genders in a typically gender-specific topic, as well as giving a
worldly point of view of water birth, fulfilling SLO 5 in gender and cultural sensitivity.
SLO 4 was also illustrated successfully in a Writers Notebook, by an exercise done in class
on Thesis building. I stated my topic, issue, rationale, qualification, and reverse, and put them
together in a smooth and well-worded thesis. I also corrected my own sentences from a past
assignment, my profile. I was able to make some of my verbs more active, while also addressing
choppiness in some sentences. This showed a successful way of me correcting my own writing,
while working well on sentence level literacy (SLO 5).
The last piece of writing I chose to incorporate was a peer review I gave and a peer review I
received. While working in a group, I was able to successfully collaborate, taking and receiving
critical feedback (SLO 6). Some of my group mates pointed things out such as confusing words and
unorganized thoughts, and also, lack of a strong counter argument (both very accurate critiques). I
gave my classmate critiques as well, helping to improve her citation smoothness, and biased tone.
My group and I achieved successful feedback through our informal peer reviews, working on
Google Docs, emailing, and collaborating in-class (SLO 1).
All of these assignments helped to improve my writing, address my weaknesses, and create
my own voice. I know I struggle with choppy sentences at times, making verbs passive and having
too many prepositional phrases. However, knowing that is my weakness, I can see the errors more
easily and fix them. I have also learned that it is crucial to address counter arguments, both in the
thesis, and throughout the body paragraphs; it will only enhance my credibility as a writer. I believe
that by analyzing myself and my habits, as well as having classmates to collaborate with in order to
improve, I made great strides as a writer this semester, and I hope that this portfolio proves just that.

Sincerely,
Kari Munoz