E-Portfolio
A compilation of works
presented to the
presented to the
English Department
In partial fulfillment of the
course requirements in
ENGLCOM (Writting Component)
Vasquez, Isabella Bianca D.
C-36
August 29, 2012
Miyerkules, Agosto 29, 2012
Cover Letter
Dear Mentor,
The essays
regarding my diagnostic, goals, extended definition, and argumentative are
evidences that show that I have achieved the desired learning results and the
goals that I have set in my English course. From the drafts that I have posted,
readers or the audience of my blog can see the difference between the first
draft and the final. This indicates that there is a learning process that I
have developed in doing such kind of evidences.
I have
found difficulties in generating different ideas with regards to writing essays
because I am not used to read. But because of this, I have learned to love
reading articles because I need to, which I think is really good for me to
improve my vocabularies and my knowledge as well. I have also tried to play
different games that can help me achieve my goals such as scrabble, hangman,
and word for the day and other related games.
I am most
proud of my Argumentative essay and my extended definition essay because I have
exerted my 100% effort in doing these essays. Also, I have gained different
informations when I’m doing these. I have learned how to cite my sources to
avoid plagiarism, how to predict the meaning of a word used in a context, how
to summarize and paraphrase a sentence in different manner.
I think
online activities are helpful in achieving my personal goals in English course.
Online activities include blogging, giving critiques, suggesting and
commenting. By these ways, I have improved myself in terms of my vocabularies,
effective communication and other goals.
I think
blogging helps me in developing my reading and writing skills. Of course, when
you are going to make an essay you need to generate different ideas about the
topic. In this way, reading skills were developed because we need to read in
order for us to gain informations regarding the topic. We can develop skimming
and scanning skills to take note of every important details. In this way,
reading and writing are really connected to each other.
I have
learned to accept critiques from my other blockmates. I have learned how to
develop my reading, writing and even my interpersonal skills. I have also
learned that blogging can really help you express yourself and makes you a
critical thinker as a writer.
I have learned different styles of writing in
my English course. I have learned how make my introduction an aye-catcher to
make my readers interested and make them continue to read.
Accepting
comments and suggestions from my peers and my mentor as well really helped me
to revise my major essays. One good example of this is that I have received
comments stating that I have good introduction but I am not that careful with
the tenses of the verb that I used, so I checked my essays and found out that
there are some. My revision includes the improvement on the appropriate words
to be used, proper citation and good supporting details.
Table of Contents
1. Revised Argumentative essay
2. Argumentative essay(Draft)
3. Outline for Argumentative essay
4. Revised Extended Definition essay
5. Extended Definition essay (Draft)
6. Outline for Extended Definition essay
7. My goals in English course (revised)
8. My goals in English course (draft)
9. Diagnostic Essay
10. Critiques of sample essays
Revised Argumentative Essay
Good or Bad?
Water is considered to be the universal solvent
and one of the most important liquids on Earth. It is really important and
plays a vital role in life of a person. Without water, life is not possible. In
chemistry, we are all aware that water is consisting of very small molecules.
Each of them has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom that forms a chemical
formula H2O. Through successive developments of science, different studies were
conducted about how water and Alkalization exists. It was formed by the words
Alkaline and Ionization. It is a process of lowering acid in a solution and
alkaline is the product of this systematic process.
An alkaline is commonly used as a
synonym for base or basic. It is any substance that contains pH level greater
than 7. Then, alkaline water is a water having a pH level higher than 7 approximately
8. It is commonly known as ionized water and helps neutralize the chemical
imbalances of the body because of being a basic substance. Although alkaline
water can lessen the acidic waste in the body and can cause body rejuvenation,
I believe that it is very unnatural and can cause cardiovascular disease and
metabolic imbalances.
According to an alternative and natural medicine
study, drinking alkaline water brings a healthy body. Alkaline water is known
as an antioxidant. Meaning, it helps to fight cancer and other related
diseases. It helps flushes away the toxin in the body and helps in getting rid
of free radicals. It supplies health-sustaining minerals such as Ca, K, Na, Mg
to the body. Alkaline water also helps the cells in our body to live longer. Second, findings
state that alkaline water is a
term used when the pH is above 7. The effect of alkaline water in the
body is enormous. Normally, our body was greatly affected by the food and
drinks that we eat that makes it acidic. After ingestion, alkaline water is
almost immediately neutralized by hydrochloric acid present in the stomach.
After leaving the stomach, water is combined with pancreatic enzymes,
transforming the final product into an alkaline agent once again. Drinking water with a
pH around 8- 10 helps neutralize and bring balance in the body.
(Backhouse, 2010) Another amazing effect of such water (Backhouse, 2011) is that by drinking alkaline water, it helps reduce
the acidic waste in the body, making us less susceptible to diseases and
illness. Body rejuvenation is another wonderful effect of alkaline water that
helps build a stronger immune system.
After identifying the different good effects of
alkaline water, there are also studies that were conducted to investigate on
the negative effects of alkaline water. Biological Terrain Analysis helps in
the realization that water with a strongly negative ORP value is way out of
balance for the human body. It controls the reducing
power of a substance without the altering effects of pH. It may originally reduce the
free radical load but continued consumption and the aggressive neutralization
of oxygen radicals upsets cellular redox balance, which plays a vital role in
immune function and metabolic homeostasis (Pangman, 2004). Studies that “ionized”
waters are antioxidants are not true; hypochlorites (present in most such water)
are in fact oxidizing agents. (Lower, 2011) Medical research proves that their
absence is as dangerous as their profusion. The continuing consumption of
alkaline water tips the balance and it opens the way for other related
metabolic problems. (Evans, 2003) Other studies,
specifically the new science of water, found out that since the metabolic process
begins in the stomach—an extremely acidic environment— person or people must be
thinking of the effects of drinking alkaline water in digestion process. According
to some articles such as Genesis Framework showing this kind of statistics, fifty
percent of people over the age of 60 are hypochlorhydric. This means that the stomach
can not produce enough stomach acid particularly gastric acid. This situation
presents a serious problem regarding digestion. The third strongest negative point according to
the studies of eMedicine: Alkalosis, drinking alkaline water can cause chemical
changes within the body that affects the stability and function of our heart.
In a study published in the Journal of Toxicology Science in 1998, researchers
conducted a study regarding alkaline water and they used rats as one of the
experimental variable. They found out that the rats suffered from hardening of
heart muscles. Drinking alkaline water leads to increased enzymes, potassium
levels and weight gain and resulted in damage to the rats' hearts. They also
tried to let the rats drink tap water, and they found out that rats were not
affected or they did not suffer from any related disease.
With these findings, I believe that drinking alkaline
water has no empirical evidence that it has noticeable effect on the body.
There are no credible evidence in scientific manner to support claims that
alkaline water has greater health effects or health benefits than drinking
natural water. “There is no reason to believe that water formed from the
process of ionization can heal any disease or makes a person strong.” (Monique,
2011) I can also conclude that most of the evidence used to support claims on
health benefits for alkaline water came from personal recommendation and is not
parallel with some results of some researches that were conducted.
References:
References:
Draft- Argumentative Essay
Good or Bad?
Water is the most important liquid on Earth. It
has been important for people for thousands of years. Without water, there
would be no life on earth. In chemistry, water consists of very small
molecules. Each of them has two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom that forms a
chemical formula H2O. Through successive developments of science, different
studies were conducted about water and Alkalization exists. It was formed by
the words Alkaline and Ionization. It is a process of lowering acid in a
solution and alkaline is the product of this systematic process.
An alkaline is commonly used as a
synonym for base or basic. In chemistry, it is any substance that contains pH
level greater than 7. Then, alkaline water is a water having a pH level higher
than 7 approximately 8. It is commonly known as ionized water and helps neutralize
the chemical imbalances of the body because of being a basic substance.
Although alkaline water can lessen the acidic waste in the body and can cause
body rejuvenation, I believe that it is very unnatural and can cause
cardiovascular disease and metabolic imbalances.
According to an alternative and natural medicine
study, the effect of alkaline water brings a healthy body. The most popular
effect of alkaline water is as antioxidant. It helps flushes away the toxin in
the body and helps in getting rid of free radicals. It supplies
health-sustaining minerals such as Ca, K, Na, Mg to the body. Alkaline water also
helps the cells in your body to live longer. Second, findings states that alkaline water is a term use when the pH is above
7. The effect of alkaline water in the body is enormous. Normally, our
body is acidic, it is because of the food that we eat and drink. After
ingestion, alkaline water is almost immediately neutralized by hydrochloric
acid present in the stomach. After leaving the stomach, water is combined with
pancreatic enzymes, transforming the final product into an alkaline agent once
again. Drinking water with a
pH around 8- 10 helps neutralize and bring balance in the body.
(Backhouse, 2010) Another amazing effect of such water (Backhouse, 2011) is that by drinking alkaline water, it helps
lessen the acidic waste in the body making us less susceptible to diseases
and illness. Body rejuvenation is another wonderful effect of alkaline water
that helps build a stronger immune system.
On the other hand, studies were also conducted to
know the negative effects of drinking alkaline water. Biological Terrain
Analysis helps in the realization that water with a strongly negative ORP value
is way out of balance for the human body. It measures the reducing
power of a substance without the skewing effects of pH. It may initially reduce the
free radical load but continued consumption and the aggressive neutralization
of oxygen radicals upsets cellular redox balance, which plays a pivotal role in
immune function and metabolic homeostasis. (Pangman, 2004) Claims that
“ionized” waters are antioxidants are untrue; hypochlorites (present in most
such water) are in fact oxidizing agents. (Lower, 2011) Medical research verifies that their absence
is equally as harmful as their overabundance. The ongoing consumption of
alkaline ionized water tips the balance and it opens the way for other serious
metabolic consequences. (Evans, 2003) Other studies
specifically the new science of water, found out that since the digestive
process begins in the stomach—an extremely acidic environment—a person must ask
the question: What is the impact of alkaline water on the digestive process?
Fifty percent of people over the age of 60 are hypochlorhydric. This means that
they can no longer produce enough stomach acid for optimal digestion. For these
individuals, the consumption of alkaline water presents a
significant problem. The
third strongest negative point according to the studies of eMedicine:
Alkalosis, drinking alkaline water causes chemical changes within the body that
affect the health and function of your heart. In a study published in the
Journal of Toxicology Science in 1998, researchers found that rats given
alkaline water to drink suffered from hardening and cell damage of the heart
muscles. Drinking alkaline water lead to increased enzymes, potassium levels
and weight gain and resulted in damage to the rats' hearts. When rats were
given regular tap water, none of the rats experienced any of these changes.
With these findings, I believe that drinking alkaline
water has no empirical evidence that it has noticeable effect on the body.
There are no credible evidences in scientific literature to support claims that
alkaline water has greater health effects or health benefits than drinking
natural water. “There is no reason to expect that water formed when alkaline
hydroxide ion is neutralized will retain any special characteristics of healing
any disease.” (Monique, 2011) I can also conclude that most of the evidence
used to support claims health benefits for alkaline water is in the form of
testimonials instead of having a well constructed scientific studies. Because
of modernization, we should be aware that technologies don’t always have
positive effects; it can also lead to negative effects.
Outline- Argumentative Essay
Topic: The use of Alkaline Water
Pros
- Alkaline water brings a
healthy body.
- It helps neutralize and
bring balance to the body.
- Alkaline water can lead
to body rejuvenation where in your body has a stronger immune system.
Cons
- It is unnatural.
- Alkaline water
causes metabolic imbalances.
- Alkaline water causes chemical changes within the body that affect
the health and function of the heart and can lead to a cardiovascular
disease.
OUTLINE
I.
Introduction
1.
Introduction about water
2.
Background information about Alkaline Water
3.
Thesis Statement
II.
Pro-arguments
1.
Alkaline
water brings a healthy body.
2.
It helps neutralize and bring balance to the
body.
3.
Alkaline
water can lead to body rejuvenation where in your body has a stronger immune
system.
III.
Con-arguments
1.
It is unnatural.
2.
Alkaline water causes metabolic imbalances.
3.
Alkaline water causes chemical changes within the
body that affect the health and function of our heart and can lead to a
cardiovascular disease.
IV.
Conclusion
Thesis Statement: Although Alkaline water can lessen the
acidic waste in the body and can cause body rejuvenation, I believe that it is
very unnatural and can cause cardiovascular disease and metabolic imbalances.
Mag-subscribe sa:
Mga Komento (Atom)