Redha Al-Hamoud Professor Jan Rieman English 1101 April 30, 2013 Dear Dr.

Rieman,

This course has made me face many interesting challenges. Since we started, I have seen how I interacted with certain readings in a way that I have not done in other classes. In this class, you made us participate in different types of literacy, which made me explore more about reading and writing.

One of things that has changed in me as a writer was to focus more on the writing process. We spoke a lot about that during classes. Now, I know many strategies which could help me start my assignments in a useful way, look at my paper in a different way, and balance between following the comments I receive and my own style of writing.

In my midterm reflection, I wrote to you about the things I wished to know more about. One of them was to get more involved in creative writing. Although I did try that type of writing in my Writing to Explore papers, I wanted to get more information about it. You saw how I tried to write a dialogue in of my pieces, but I still do not know that strategies of prewriting such a thing, or reviewing it. I also believe the STROL assignment needed creativity in someway, and that is why I really enjoyed making it.

Another major thing I learned about this semester is portfolios. The textbook Portfolio Keeping gave me a lot of information about the methods that could be used to build a good

portfolio. Before this class, I had so little information about this topic, but now, I feel I have enough information to share. In the process of making my portfolio, I had to start by keeping my files and documents organized in one place. And believe me, the organization of my files saved me a lot of time. Another challenge I faced in making my portfolio was to choose the pieces I wanted to share, and you know how hard that could be. I just imagined my papers like they were in a contest, and I was the judge. I began with eliminating the papers that I am least proud of, and then, I started comparing between my favorite pieces. I also tried to use new ideas in my portfolio, and take advantage of it being digital.

Finally, this class was one of the most challenging classes I took this semester. I am glad I participated in different types of literacy. Although I still need more information about some literacy topics, I do think I gain considerable amount of information.

Thank you, Redha Al-Hamoud