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Gabriela Diaz
Professor Longhurst
English 2010
Reflective cover letter
November 18, 2016
During this semester of English 2010 we worked almost entirely in a group and wrote
numerous genre papers that revolved around the same topic. Our group chose food insecurity in
Utah as our topic and over the course of the class we were able to put together a research
proposal, report, profile, evaluation, causal argument and a proposed solution paper. By writing
many different styles of paper but maintaining the same topic we were able to learn how to apply
our research and analytical skills to various different goals and audiences. I was able to learn
how to better evaluate a topic and put together a coherent argument complete with
counterarguments and rebuttals. In addition to these analytical, evaluation, and argumentation
skills I also learned how to work together in a group to create a cohesive set of documents while
also maintaining each member of the groups ideas and contributions.
We primarily learned through example and revision, we first heard the lecture and were
given instructions by the professor and then reviewed each genre document with our group to
receive feedback and suggestions for our final draft. During the lecture we were given examples
of how to formulate the documents as well as the goal of the document and what our purpose and
audience was. Other important elements of writing including counterarguments and a strong intro
and conclusion were also discussed. After the lecture we were able to talk in groups, by doing
this I could present my own ideas and work within the group to formulate a plan as to what we
wanted to wrote and how we would share the work. Working in a group helped solidify the
concepts in my mind and I had a much better understanding of argumentation than I would have
had I worked by myself. By working in a group you have to actually argue with one another and

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debate. When you actually discuss with others as opposed to writing by yourself without prior
discussion you lack the real world application of argumentation and lose out on this important
real world skill. Argumentation is both used in almost all industries and other college classes as
every research paper has a thesis and supporting evidence. By working in a group I was able to
sharpen this skill and practice it with real people who were working together. That situation
mirrors most job positions. I also benefited from reviewing, after bringing in the rough draft we
were able to discuss it and gain feedback. In most classes and in the professional business world
understanding how to use constructive criticism is essential as the person giving it is more
familiar with the purpose and audience and is trying to help you to create a more focused and
effective document. In other classes you will not work as much in groups but will still receive
feedback from a teacher and you must understand how to use it.
By far the hardest but best piece of writing in this portfolio was the SNAP or
supplemental nutrition assistance program evaluation where we were to evaluate the program
and decide whether it was a positive or negative program for our issue of food insecurity. The
SNAP evaluation combined all the skills together and took numerous hours of revision and
discussion to make it work. We had to do large amounts of research on the history, policies, and
effectiveness of SNAP as well as downsides to be used in our counterarguments. We had to
personally evaluate SNAP and cite reasons for why is a beneficial program. As SNAP tends to a
be a maligned program the counterarguments where used much more in this genre piece than the
others and required additional research but ultimately the many hours of hard work researching,
discussing, arguing, drafting, and revising paid off and is reflected by the skills I learned in
English 2010 through a well-constructed and cohesive argument in support of a relatively
controversial program in the United States.

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