Academic Strategies for the Business Professional Two-Digit

Academic Strategies for the Business Professional

Two-digit Section #:

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Paragraph Writing

My mother has, and continues to have, an enormous impact in my life. My family has not had the smoothest of runs, but all through, mum has managed to demonstrate calmness, contentment, peace, integrity, empathy, perseverance, and compassion even in the face of enormous life challenges. She has always maintained an open mind, an open heart, humor, and joy even when she's going through the toughest of challenges; and even when it does not seem okay, she still wears a smile, and says 'it will be okay'. To her, this kind of attitude is the foundation of life, and she wishes that we take up the same, teaching by example, and hoping for possibilities even when there seems to be none. My peers love to describe me as daring, but what they actually mean is 'open-minded', and it is one of the greatest life skills I learnt from my mother. In the same spirit of open-mindedness, I can conclude that this far, numerous people have influenced me in numerous different ways, but the effect my mother has had on me outshines them all.

Paragraph #2:

Purpose: Detailed Demonstration

Note-taking, reading comprehension and effective writing are some of the skills that are considered really crucial for academic excellence. It is always challenging, and almost impossible to remember specific and critical details from a lecture without proper notes. On another note, being able to comprehend and retain read information, as well as identify and appeal to the audience through writing also go a long way in helping one succeed in school. Towards this end, I have embarked on a number of strategies geared at improving my overall academic performance by strengthening each of the three areas above. Well, my reading comprehension skills have remained relatively poor despite the enormous attempts I always put in to ensure minimal disruptions and sufficient mental rest. I have since realized that the problem is that I focus too much on the reading process, and tend to forget that what one does before, and after the reading process, also determines how much information they are able to retain. In this regard, I will employ the SQ4R strategy, which basically involves surveying the reading material to get a general feel of what it is about; formulating possible questions to be answered by the article; carefully reading the article; reciting the main points in a way that I can best understand; recording the recited points in the form of notes, and finally; reviewing the written notes within the context of the questions formulated earlier on. The same strategy will be used in strengthening my note-taking skills before, during, and after a lecture. The last stage is of particular importance in this case as it will help me assess how relevant the notes I take are to the lesson's overall learning objectives. Finally, I plan to engage in peer reviews as a way of improving my writing skills. If I am able to read and respond to other students' writings, I obviously will be able to respond to, and improve my own. I believe that if I can implement these strategies effectively, I can raise my performance standards at school significantly.

Unit 5 Assignment Grading Rubric

Quantitative Analysis: (point breakdown)

Points possible

Points earned

Paragraph #1 Describe: Follow standard paragraph format as instructed (minimum 5 sentences).

5.0

Paragraph #2 Share an Opinion: Follow standard paragraph format as instructed (minimum 8 sentences).

15.0

Paragraph #3 Demonstrate: Follow standard paragraph format as instructed (minimum 11 sentences).

20.0

Style (spelling, grammar, and sentence structure) - 20% as outlined in the Assignment grading rubric located in the Syllabus.

Total points