Alejandra Prego

Process PreIace
As soon as I saw the topic 'Family Literacy History I knew it was the right one Ior me.
Being an immigrant, I Ielt a connection to this topic. Looking back at my language development,
it is obvious that my move to America had the biggest impact. Writing this essay was not
diIIicult Ior me because I can truly relate to this topic since it has been such a prominent part oI
my liIe.
When I started the writing process, I had a hard time Iinding the most important Iactors to
Iocus on because they were all very meaningIul to me. During the peer review, it was suggested
that I should Iocus on my hardships as an immigrant in a new school and how that inIluenced my
reading and writing. At Iirst, my introduction discussed my liIe in Nicaragua and how school
was Ior me there. I took their suggestion and completely changed my introduction to help with
the Iocus. I brieIly Iocused on my liIe in Nicaragua and transitioned into me moving to America.
I`m glad I made this decision because I think it will give the essay better Ilow and Iocus, since
the Iocus is on my growth as a reader and writer once I moved.
I Ieel strong about all my paragraphs, but I was hesitant about my conclusion. I always
have a hard time summarizing myselI without repeating everything and in order to avoid that, I
tend to write weak conclusions. Ms.Coco advised me to switch the Iocus in my conclusion Irom
my mother to myselI. I realized that ending the paper by talking about my mother did not bring
all my ideas together, so I added more details on my personal growth.
At Iirst, I wasn`t sure who my audience should be, but aIter hearing the Ieedback Irom
my peers, I chose teenage immigrants because I Ieel they can relate to this the most. The most
Iun part about this essay was choosing a title. I love creating witty titles because I think they`re
just as important as the essay itselI. When thinking oI a title I Iocused on how I Ielt during that
time; strange, awkward, unwanted. Immediately, Thing 3 came to me. I love this title because it
really ties in to my essay and it is original and creative.
I Ieel conIident about this essay and I truly enjoyed writing it. I thoroughly revised it and
made changes I Ielt would strengthened my paper such as showing certain emotions and scenes
instead oI telling them, adding speciIic details about Ieelings, Iace and gestures, and cutting out
unnecessary material. II I had more time, I would revise my conclusion and attempt to strengthen
it. I would also try the cut and paste activity because I wasn`t able to participate it in and I Ieel it
would have been very helpIul to my sentence structure.