Project One Visual Text/Thesis Statement Draft

In this Ted Talks video, the speaker employs the use of comedy, background information, scientific data, and strong images to persuade his audience into changing their perspective of vultures and to urge them to act in their defense.

http://www.ted.com/talks/munir_virani_why_i_love_vultures.html

Composing Process

Writing is not one of my favorite things to do. In the past, my most fierce procrastination has emerged when I have writing assignments, especially essays. However, I do believe I am getting better at controlling my procrastination. When a writing assignment is first announced, I usually take it home, read the prompts, and think about it over periods of time. I gather my thoughts about how I want to address the topic, think of different examples I can use, and find some key points that I want to point out or discuss. Occasionally, I write these on a sheet of paper or make a note of it on my phone. When I start the assignment depends on the difficulty and the time I estimate will take me to complete it. In most instances, I have done the assignments in one sitting, except for when I have several questions about the assignment or just want to make sure I am doing things correctly. In this case, I begin writing the assignment and go to my teacher with any questions. I usually give him or her an example of what I have written just to make sure that I'm on the right track. Once I feel comfortable with my understanding of the assignment, I commence writing. I like to sit at a desk while I am composing because it gives me the right posture and the sort of "feel" that I associate with doing homework. Most of the time, I try to write in a place that is devoid of many sounds that can distract me or make it hard for me to concentrate. Thankfully, since I lived only with my mom, I didn't have to worry about background noises such as music, talking, or children cheering (not that I have anything against it, it's just annoying when you have to focus). If I ever do have to deal with sounds, I go to another room or try to zone it out. While I'm writing, I like to use my computer's dictionary/thesaurus as much as possible and have the prompt or guidelines to the assignment nearby. I often read over each sentence or paragraph and try to avoid using the same words, especially transitions, close to each other. The dictionary also helps me whenever I have difficulty finding the right word to express my thought. Whenever I get overcome with writer's block initiating or finishing a paragraph, I try to think it over and over. When that doesn't work, I take a break away from the computer or discuss my problem with someone else. In addition, I sometimes take breaks whenever I've reached a halfway mark or when I am only missing a couple of paragraphs to finish. Once I have completed the assignment, I read it over and ask someone to read it for me. I consider any input, edit if I have to, and do one last, quick check before I send it to the printer. Through this class, I hope to overcome my procrastinating habits, expand my vocabulary, be exposed to more authors, books, and styles of writing, and maybe even increase my fondness of composing. I also hope to improve my writing, but especially my critical thinking abilities.

A little bio...

Hello! I'm Alvaro Giraldo. My friends call me Alvaro, Al, Alvy, and so on. I was born in Cali, Colombia, where I attended the Lycée Français Paul Valery for 6 years. In the summer of 2006, when I was 11, my mom and I moved to the United States. After jumping around different states, we finally ended up in the small town of McBee, SC. I attended high school there and was a part of the music program from 8th to 12th grade. I played trumpet in several different ensembles and sang in the chorus and the all-male a cappella group. Now, I am a part of Tiger Band and plan to join other ensembles in the next years. In addition to English, I also speak Spanish and a small amount of French. I plan to major in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Music and later pursue a graduate degree in Aerospace Engineering.