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At the beginning of the semester, my goal was to genuinely improve my writing skills. Since English is my second language, writing in it always felt uncomfortable. I struggled to fully express my thoughts in writing, which was a significant challenge for me. However, free writing and the research paper assignment helped me improve my writing skills a lot. Free writing taught me how to write quickly, and creating sentences on the spot helped me become faster and more confident.

The biggest improvement came from writing the research paper. It was my first time writing a long essay. Reading long sources and putting the information into my own words was difficult at first. It felt like it would take forever. But I found the topic I chose interesting, so the process wasn’t painful. I also learned new vocabulary by looking up new words as I read and then using them in my writing. That cycle, reading, learning, and using new words, helped me improve a lot. I also learned how to develop and organize a clear argument in my writing.

Another important area of growth was my perspective on revising and editing. At first, I wanted to write a perfect essay from the beginning. But I realized that a mindset does not make any progress. I learned that just starting to write brings up the idea. That helped the writing process move forward. I am no longer afraid of making mistakes, because revising makes for better writing.

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In my research proposal, I focused on a topic I am genuinely interested in. That was fermented food. My main statement was “Why fermented food is healthy?”. I generated inquiries about the relationship between fermented food and human health, especially related to Japanese cuisine. I connected my cultural background with research questions about nutrition, fermented foods, and Japanese well-being. Developing this proposal helped me think critically about cultural perspectives. I research and read various sources and gather information about fermented food. I became even more fascinated by how fermentation works and how it’s connected to health. Digging deeper into this topic made me want to explore further questions. This topic was even more meaningful for me because it was about my culture. I had always been curious about traditional Japanese foods like Natto and Miso.

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As I researched and wrote the literature review, the data report was an analysis of the survey that I took. Through this process, I achieved the ability to evaluate primary and secondary source material. I focused on avoiding personal bias and made sure not to include my own opinions. The data was collected from 19 participants about their consumption habits, experiences, and opinions on fermented foods. I carefully analyzed their responses without mixing up individual experiences. I represented participants’ responses honestly and respectfully in the data report. This project helped me improve how I gather, evaluate, and report data in a clear, ethical, and respectful way.

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Through my research paper “Why are Japanese foods healthy?”, I explored the relationships between traditional Japanese cuisine, focusing on fermented foods, and their relationship with health. The research proposal improved my ability to navigate academic research by synthesizing sources, building a literature review, research proposal, data report, analysis, references, discussion, and conclusion. The process explored fermented food, specifically focusing on natto and miso. It also developed my critical evaluation. These supported claims about the nutrition and health of fermented food. Presented the information in a way of academic and public genre. This research paper reflects my growth in presenting complex information clearly. And the information I research is related to all human beings since it is about human health. The Research paper reflects my ability to adapt research writing for an academic genre and covering cultural significance and health effects.

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The Socratic Seminar helped me to improve my engagement with the debate circle, and I compared my statements to my classmates’ statements. It was not easy for me to speak out in the class, but I tried my best to be part of the Socratic Seminar. Comparing statements was interesting because I was able to understand other perspectives and get feedback from others. I took a lot of time to prepare for the Socratic Seminar. I read all the sentences to understand deeply, and to support my strong statement and text evidence. Preparation for Socratic Seminar and interpretation with classmates leads to learning and new understanding. Those made me improve at drawing conclusions and analysis.

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During the workshop, feedback from my classmates was especially valuable. I believed that our script was strong, but they pointed out that each character needed a clearer background and purpose for their actions. This perspective helped us revise the script to add depth to the story. Feedback from Ms. Dubois has improved my writing a lot. I learned the correct formats for both a research paper and a script. Understanding structure gave me the confidence to write. Before revision, my writing was disorganized, and my grammar needed a fix. After revising, I rebuilt paragraphs, removed unnecessary sentences, and refined my ideas. These revisions significantly improved the clarity and strength of my writing. I learned that revision isn’t just fixing errors, it is a process for shaping my writing.