Ellenia Van

Professor Sara Thames

ENC1102

Sept. 14, 2020

Reading Response 4

1. What is the importance of note-taking while you research? What note-taking strategies do

you plan to employ in this class and why?

Note taking plays a major role when it comes to research. It helps break down the

material that is being read and apply it to the topic. In our research, quotations help support our

topics so it is important to focus on quotes that help support the information. In ​EasyWriter,

Andrea Lunsford highlights the importance of “record enough information to help you recall…

to incorporate it into your research”(87). For example, when we were given a science project, our

teachers would emphasize evidence and research in our projects. Our projects could be broad

topics but we had to use our knowledge to sort out evidence. From the quotes collected and other

information, it will be easier to look at those parts and further analyze the information. Since our

annotated bibliography consists of a lot of note taking, Lunsford gave some good advice.

Researching is not just reading. As the reader, my job is to break down my many sources and try

to incorporate it into my assignment. Note taking is a way to help understand the information in

pieces rather as a whole.

 2. Reflect on a time you have engaged in a peer-review. What is something positive you

gained from it? What didn’t go as well as you would have liked? How does that

experience shape your perception of the peer-review activities in this class?

Peer-review is a great way teachers help engage students with one another. It is a chance

for us to learn our flaws and weaknesses but also recognize our strengths. I enjoy peer reviewing

in my english classes because it gives me an opportunity to learn from others. For example, if I

am reading a classmate’s writing sample and liked how they used different vocabulary and

transition styles, it motivates me to revise my writing to make it better as well. In

"Responding--Really Responding--to Other Students' Writing" by Richard Straub, he makes it

clear that students should not “set out to seek and destroy all errors and problems in writing”(45).

That was one of my first fears when peer reviewing. No one likes to be wrong, so it is important

to be aware of others when peer reviewing. Have questions like, how many I help my classmate

become a better writer in the end? It is also important to be open to criticism because errors are

all apart of the writing process.