McGraw,+Ashlie

=Ashlie McGraw's Portfolio=

Letter
Dear Ms. Justice,

In my portfolio you will find some pieces of writing that I have completed during English II that will show you how I have grown as a writer. I have developed a great amount of writing skills this semester but just like in everything else I do, I still have things that I would like to improve on.

The writing skills that I'm very prone to are use of grammar and staying focused. In my All About Me essay I used my grammar skills learned from our daily bell work to use proper grammar so that my essay would be easy for the audience to understand. This essay shows that I took advantage of the skills that you taught daily throughout the semester and applied them to my work. My focus skills are exemplified greatly in my This I Believe essay. Throughout the entire essay I never got off topic and I wrote only about my certain prompt. I always try to stay on topic in order to keep the interest of my audience in my work. It's important that I keep these skills to be successful in my future English and/or writing classes.

Although I have plenty of needed skills, there are still some other skills that I would like to grow in. One skill I would like to improve on is structuring paragraphs. For example, in my Drunk Driving essay, I had a hard time starting my paragraphs and figuring out ways to elaborate. If I learn how to start off my paragraphs, I could then focus on elaborating more on the subject. This would help add length to my essay because I often struggle on meeting the length requirements. It would benefit me greatly if I learned these writing skills. Once I develop these it'll come to me much easier in my other English/writing classes.

Creating this portfolio has made a constant reminder for me that I should remember and practice every skill that I learn daily.

Your student, Ashlie McGraw

This I Believe Essay
 Ever since I can remember I have been very close to my mom. We do just about everything together. I can tell her anything and she is open to listen to me. If I am struggling or need help making an important decision she is always here for me. That is what a mother-daughter relationship is to me. Having a loving mother that is always willing to be there for you and and help you no matter what. It is important to me to have an ever-lasting relationship with my mom because she will always need me, and I will always need her. Nothing should ever be able to get in the wayand interfere with our relationship. At least that is what I thought until this summer. It was the month of June, and school had just gotten out for summer break. I revealed to my mom about some things that had happened to me in the past. I had been holding it in for so long, I felt that if I just came out and told her, everything would be better. Unfortunately, quite the opposite happened. As I was telling her what had happened she just kept denying me and saying that I was lying to tear the family apart. I could not bring myself to believe that she thought I was lying. I was confused and frustrated, but most of all I was devastated. It had been a while since I had been living with my dad. I could not remember the last time we had spoken. It was heartbreaking. I had so much going on that I wanted to talk to her about for help but I was not able to. I missed all my sisters and my brother terribly. I did not think I would be able to live like this any longer. It was time for me to be the bigger person and build my bridges back with the ones that I loved. The first time that I called her I was really nervous. I was not sure if she would be happy or angry. Luckily, the conversation went smoothly and we worked things out. I call my mom and sisters everyday and try to see them about every other weekend. It is still very difficult living without them. It is just not the same and never will be. But thankfully, me and my mom are building our relationship back. I am glad we are, because I was a total wreck without her. It is good to know that I can come to her whenever I need to again. That is why everyone should at least try and put forth an effort to have a strong relationship with their mom. You will always need them.

All About Me Essay
My name is Ashlie McGraw and I was born and raised in New Bern, North Carolina. My parents split when I was about three years old. I'm an only child with my dad and I have four younger siblings with my mom. There are three girls and one boy. Makenzie is nine years old and is a little on the tomboy side. Logan is seven years old and loves the Disney Princesses. She's also a drama queen! Avery is six years old and absolutely loves Tinker Bell. Last but not least, is Zachary who is four years old. He is a John Deere tractor man! He even has his own toy tractor car that he drives around the yard! When he was born we found out that he is blind in his left eye and we don't know why. I recently had to move in with my dad and it's been super tough on me because I miss my mom and my siblings. In my free time I either go rollerblading, draw, play my guitar, or listen to music. I have a wide variety of music but my favorites are Rascal Flatts and Nickelback! I have three pets. A dog, a kitten, and a hamster. The dog's name is Bobo (short for Balboa) and he is very energetic but once he winds down he's a real cuddle bug. My kitten's name is Rico and he has a personality of his own and likes to explore the house. My hamster's name is Goldie and she just a cute, gold, puff ball! I love all of my pets dearly and treat them like family. I'm also a sporty girl. I play volleyball, lacrosse, run track, and play in the marching band. (Yes I consider marching band a sport!) I love to watch hockey! My favorite team is the Carolina Hurricanes! Well, I'd tell you much more but it looks like I'm cut short. These are just a few of the things about me! Hope you get to learn more about me in the future but for now it's audios amigos!

Drunk Driving Essay
Is drunk driving costly? When people get into a drunk driving accident their car insurance rate increases by thousands of dollars. At the same time it costs the state millions of dollars. There are three life-altering effects of drunk driving which include death, murder, and accidents. One of the major reasons for the death of many innocent people is drunk driving. There were 17,448 drunken driving deaths in 2001, up from 16,572 in 1999, the last time MADD conducted its “Rating the States” survey. This statistic is very awakening to me and should be to many other people. It seems that more and more people are driving after consuming alcohol. In terms of death per capital, the 2001 deaths were about a 1% increase over 1999. CBS Worldwide Inc. Too many people are deciding to be irresponsible and drive drunk. Alcohol is nothing more than a deadly weapon waiting to be consumed by people. The quote: “Letting drunks get behind the wheel of a two ton automobile is no different from handing them a loaded gun and setting them loose on the streets.” explains the seriousness of alcohol. When drunks drivers drive on the road they are taking the risk of killing themselves and others. Melanie Powell's life was taken by a drunk driver a few years ago. She didn't do anything to deserve to be killed by alcohol. People need to realize that the lives of innocent people are being taken by reckless drunk drivers!  The leading cause for automobile accidents is people driving while intoxicated (D.W.I). In September 19,1999, a drunk driver veered into the other lane and crashed into another automobile, killing two passengers and burning another. Had the driver just taken the responsibility to find a sober driver, the tragic accident could have been avoided. All it takes is a little effort to maintain your self-reliability. Accidents caused by drunk drivers not only involve themselves but every other innocent person. Many people have been sent to prison for involuntary manslaughter. It is a shame that over 20,00 people died out of other people's stupidity.