Lessons Lerned about the Synthesis Paper

• Lessons learned about the synthesis paper:
  • How does a synthesis paper differ from a rhetorical analysis and an objective summary?

  A synthesis paper is when the author is critiquing, analyzing, and summarizing all within one paper. Throughout the paper you bring in three different articles that are all based upon the same information and you make them interact with one another. This paper requires an author to state their own personal opinion as well.

  • What is the goal of a synthesis paper?

  The purpose of  a synthesis paper is to discuss a particular topic and bring together different perspectives of that topic. Within the paper the articles “speak to each other” and from this a point can be made by the author.

  • What made this paper hard to write?

  This paper was difficult to write because it was hard using three different authors to bring the same topic together. I was unsure of if they authors were supposed to all agree with one another, disagree, or just have different stances on the topic.

  • What was easy about this paper?

  Once I had all of the information and sources gathered, and had a handle on the basic structure of how the paper should be formatted, pulling it all together was pretty simple.

  • How examples of synthesis do you see in your everyday life?

  Anytime you are having a conversation with a group of people on a topic you have knowledge on, you are basically using the structure of  a synthesis. You summarize, critique, and analyze.

Lessons Learned About Rhetorical Analysis

• How does a rhetorical analysis differ from an objective summary?

A rhetorical analysis differs from an objective summary in a few ways. One of the most noticeable ways they differ involves how the author goes about their argument. In a rhetorical analysis, the author is trying to get a view across to their reader, and the reader is determining how they are going about that. In an objective summary is your views on a particular argument another author has made.

• What is the goal of a rhetorical analysis?

The goal of a rhetorical analysis paper is to demonstrate your knowledge on a particular argument and to explain through different writing strategies why this is your message you wish to get across.

• What made this paper hard to write?

This paper was difficult to write because it was a lot like the objective summaries, but it had a lot more depth, personal opinion and techniques that differed from the objective summary we had previously written.

• What part of this paper was easy?

The summary of the article, I would say, was the “easiest” part. We had already had practice with how to go about this part of the paper through the objective summaries, so it was the least difficult part to take on.

• How might you use rhetorical analysis in your life?

You can use rhetorical analysis in your everyday life when you are trying to persuade someone to agree with your opinion or view on a subject. You give them a convincing argument that brings them to your side of the argument while explaining why your view is better than the other.

Reflection on Research Topic…

What does your preliminary research reveal about your topic?

• There are a few different parts to Inclusion in the classroom. There is full inclusion where the typical students and special education students all learn together and there is no division. There is also partial or regular inclusion where students still receive assistance and education outside of the typical classroom. They also receive aides and services outside the classroom.

What are the controversies surrounding your topic?

• One major controversy on the topic of inclusion in the classroom is the debate of whether it is best for the student or not. Many believe that it is best for students to learn in an environment with their “like” peers. Others find that submerging them into a different atmosphere with typical peers has a greater positive effect on the special education student both socially and academically.

What position do you take in these controversies?

• My stance on the controversy is that inclusion is best for the student. We can not all learn in the same environment with the same people around us everyday. There is no benefit from this. It is important to show typical students that there is no reason to fear special needs students, and it is also important for the special needs students to be able to interact with their typical peers.

How do you plan to gather more information on this topic?

• I prefer to do internet research because I feel you can gain the most information this way. I plan on also gathering information from professionals in the field. I know a few teachers that work with special education whether it is in a self-contained classroom or an inclusive classroom with typical students and special education students. I feel that through internet research and personal interviews I can learn a lot about the topic and see a couple different views on it.

Top 5 Reasons to Study Abroad in Ireland

I am sure that there are many people out there that have never even batted an eye at the thought of studying abroad. If you have thought about it you most likely turned the opportunity down due to financial reasons, time, or academics. There was a point in time where I was in the same boat. After much research and thought though, I have decided that studying abroad is the right choice for me. I believe it will provide me with experiences and knowledge that I cannot gain from a classroom at my home university. Through my research I found a blogger that listed the Top 5 Reasons for Studying Abroad in Ireland which I have listed below:

• Dynamic, modern country with a young population.
• Internationally recognized for being safe and friendly.
• Huge emphasis on education.
• Technologically oriented economy.
• Despite modern direction of recent years, respect for tradition continues.

So, if these are not good enough reasons for you to travel to the Emerald Isle than take some time to do individual research. You will find it to be a fascinating place filled with culture and tradition.

I chose this blog because it had a very good list that would attract many individuals that are thinking of studying in Ireland. I believe it will gain the attention of those that are interested and encourage them to do more research themselves.

Study Ireland

Ireland has continuously been ranked the 9th most popular destination to travel and study abroad for students in the U.S.A.  There are many features of the country that are attracting students there. Not only are the school campus’ beautiful but the education that the students are receiving in the Emerald Isle is very good as well. About 7,000 students from the states chose to study in Ireland for at least one semester and often times two. There are several different campus’ that students can check out when looking into studying in Ireland. University College Cork is a highly recommended institution by many former students. When looking at locations to study abroad, take a closer look at Europe, and more specifically, Ireland for a truly remarkable experience.

 

I chose this blog to share along with my background knowledge on Ireland because it provided a students opinion of the UCC campus. The student gave their perspective of the university and I feel like this is insight that many individuals looking into study abroad would benefit from. I did find the structure of the blog to be a bit bland but if you continue searching other posts by this blogger you can really gather a lot of information about UCC.

Big Brother Big Sister Mentors

Have you ever thought how about how great it would be for the youth in today’s society to have mentors? Fortunately there is an organization out there that provides this type of opportunity for children and teenagers. The Big Brother Big Sister mentoring programs provide this guidance and support that many young people need. This organization will work with individuals of varying ages, backgrounds and abilities.This program is very desirable for many families and parents because they mentors go through strict background checks to ensure the child’s safety and the organization works closely with the families to best suit the needs of the child.

I chose to share this post because I think it is important for people in the community to be aware that there are programs like this out there for our youth. They are specifically designed to help the younger generation and lead them in to a successful future. I liked this particular blog because it gave some background knowledge on the program and also provided more links for readers to continue their search.

Rhetorical Analysis Peer Review

Today in class we did the peer reviews of the rhetorical analysis papers. I typically do not enjoy doing peer reviews because I was have always been encouraged to make actual changes to the papers I was reviewing. I liked doing the peer reviews on the computer, because i was able to make suggestions on improvement rather than the changes themselves.

Another reason I really liked doing the peer reviews is because I was able to receive helpful feedback myself. I got comments that explained where I could include more detail, where I did things correctly, and overall impressions of my paper. I feel that through this peer review I will be able to turn in a more polished paper that fits the appropriate criteria for the assignment.

Objective Summary Experience

Last weeks assignment was to write an objective summary on obesity from an essay in our book “They Say, I Say”. I wrote about the essay “What You eat Is Your Business” by Radley Balko. I did not find too much difficulty in writing this assignment. It gave me a greater outlook on the intensity of the obesity debates going on in our country. I did find it a bit challenging to find the main focus of the essay because the author did jump around a bit. I am looking forward to writing the next essay for class because I think I learned a lot through writing this one, and I can improve the next time around.

Autism Has A Voice

“Carly’s Voice” is about a young woman in high school that has Autism. Until very recently, she was completely nonverbal. She discovered that through typing on a computer, she could communicate with the world. Carly has explained her story through interviews with CNN, ABC, and CTV (Canada). She thinks it is important to share her story because a lot of people get there information from “experts” but Carly says who can be a better expert on Autism than someone with Autism themselves.

The reason that I chose to write about this topic is because I believe a lot of people have preconceived ideas on disabilities. Many place disabilities in one category. They have created a mold that they think disabilities should be placed in, but there are all different kinds. They do not fit one category or specific mold and I believe Carly’s story shows that. She was expected to never be able to communicate with the world, but proved everyone wrong when she picked up the computer and started typing one day. I believe “Carly’s Voice” is important for all of us to her about because it teaches us an important lesson about never putting restraints on an individual, because they will just break them off.

My Introduction

My name is Jennifer Duffy and am a sophomore special education major here at Northern. I am involved in the NIU Best Buddies chapter and the Newman Catholic Student Center. I love being involved on campus because it helps make me feel more like an individual and not just a number on such a large campus. I am going abroad second semester this year to Dublin, Ireland. I am really looking forward to this experience because it will be such a different environment to learn in. I am looking forward to this class because it is my first English course at NIU. I took ENGL 103 at The College of DuPage and did not really get much out of the course. I like to write, I just struggle with getting started and citing information. I hope that this English class will help to improve my writing skills and prepare me appropriately for my future.