COMM1085
Writing Assignment #5: Option A
COMM1085
Writing Assignment #5 (10%): Organizing and Supporting Ideas Option A
WHAT WHY
Demonstrate your ability to The ability to explain your opinion
organize and develop your opinion logically, clearly, and convincingly
on a topic in a clear and is valuable in a variety of academic
compelling way and workplace situations.
HOW
Complete the steps in this template to produce a well-developed paragraph that
responds to this prompt: Identify a movie, TV show, or book that portrays a life
experience similar to yours. Explain whether this narrative accurately reflects your
own experience.
1. a) Name a movie, TV show, or book that portrays a life experience that you are
personally familiar with, such as
A specific type of job you have worked.
A particular family structure that you grew up in.
A distinct community or sub-culture that you identify with.
I chose the TV show This Is Us on NBC 2016-2022
b) In the box below, provide a link to something that will help me identify the text –
e.g. a link to a trailer, Amazon page, or Wikipedia summary. *for template 1c, fix the
typo re: provide a link to a song
URL: This Is Us Season 6 Trailer (HD) – Official Trailer [Youtube]
2. Plan your evaluation by identifying the following details, using point-form style.
a) In the box below, identify what part of the story you have personal first-hand
experience with.
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COMM1085
Writing Assignment #5: Option A
Providing compassionate mental health support – Personal Support Work
b) In the box below, determine how accurately or inaccurately your chosen story
portrays the experience you listed in 2. a)
This is your opinion, based on a comparison of the story to your own experience.
It will become the topic sentence of your paragraph.
Although the show focuses mainly on family drama, I think the TV show This Is Us
accurately portrays what compassionate mental health care looks like. Randall’s
experiences with anxiety and his family’s support reflect real-life principles of
empathy and understanding that I use as a support worker. There’s frequent
mention of therapy and open conversations about mental health make the
representation realistic and relatable to my experience as a future Personal
Support Worker with psychology background.
c) In the box below, list your reasons for believing the story is or isn’t accurate in its
portrayal of your experience. Use the outlining skills you developed in Unit 4 to
present your reasons in point-form style.
Shows realistic anxiety and panic attacks through Randall’s character.
Highlights empathy and emotional support from family, similar to support work
values.
Addresses the stigma around mental health, which is very common in real life.
Includes therapy sessions, reflecting the importance of professional help.
Demonstrates coping strategies and resilience, key goals in mental health
care.
3. a) From the “Text Reference Options” provided on the next page, choose a line to
quote in your paragraph. Do not quote the show/movie/book. Pick something that
seems most closely related to how you feel about the story you’ve chosen to write
about.
Present the passage you’re quoting and the bibliographic information of the
source text in the box below.
Indicate your selected text reference here. Include an in-text citation:
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COMM1085
Writing Assignment #5: Option A
“What we see – and don’t see – in media affects how we view reality”
(para. 1)
List the bibliographic information of the source text here:
Title of Article: Representation of Diversity in Media – Overview
Author: MediaSmarts
Date of publication: No date
Title of news organization: MediaSmarts
URL: [Link]
media/representation-diversity-media-overview
Text Reference Options
SOURCE #1
Title of article: Why it’s so powerful to see yourself represented in pop culture
Author: Alex Laughlin
Date of publication: May 5, 2017
Title of news organization: The Washington Post
URL: [Link]
so-powerful-to-see-yourself-represented-in-pop-culture/
APA @ Conestoga Source Type: Newspapers and Magazine Articles: Webpage
on a News Website with DOI or URL
“I always assumed I was an outlier, that my story was too specific to
expect any widespread representation” (para. 1)
“When you have never seen yourself in books or movies or music, the
first time you do is stunning” (para. 3)
“Representation isn’t just about seeing yourself in art or culture — it’s
about feeling connected to and seen as part of a larger community”
(para. 4)
“For people who are estranged in some way from their cultural
ancestors, the communities that spring up around new art and culture
are especially vital” (para. 6)
SOURCE #2
Title of web document: Representation of Diversity in Media – Overview
Author: MediaSmarts
Date of publication: No date
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COMM1085
Writing Assignment #5: Option A
URL: [Link]
representation-diversity-media-overview
APA @ Conestoga Source Type: Website Documents: Websites with a
Group/Organization Author
“What we see – and don’t see – in media affects how we view reality”
(para. 1)
“Media works can be imagined…as mirrors that reflect an audience’s
own experience” (para. 1)
“Exposure to authentic portrayals of oneself can improve self-esteem
and promote a more positive view of one’s identity” (para. 13)
3. b) Explain why you chose this particular passage to include in your paragraph. In
this explanation, you must refer to our Module 11 work on supporting sentences and
using text references.
Describe how you think the quotation will help you to support your argument and
explain where in your paragraph you intend to place this quotation.
I chose the passage “What we see – and don’t see – in media affects how we
view reality” (para. 1) because it directly connects to why accurate representation
matters. This Is Us shows mental health struggles in a realistic way, which helps
enhance viewers’ understanding of anxiety and the importance of support.
Including this quote emphasizes that media influences perceptions of real-life
experiences, and when mental health is portrayed accurately, it can reduce stigma
surrounding mental health disorders and promote empathy , which are values that
are crucial to my work as a support worker.
4. a) Write a paragraph that responds to the following prompt:
Identify a movie, TV show, or book that portrays a life experience similar to yours.
Explain whether this narrative accurately reflects your own experience.
To produce a successful paragraph, follow these instructions:
Write about the same story you named in 1.a)
Use the details you planned in 2.a)-c)
Include the quotation you selected in 3.a)
Use the bibliographic information you identified in 3.a) to cite the source of
your quotation
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Writing Assignment #5: Option A
Use the paragraph model that we practiced in Modules 11 and 12.
Focus on answering the prompt above, which asks you to argue whether your
chosen text accurately portrays the experience you lived. This means your
topic sentence should name your text and state whether it accurately or
inaccurately presents the aspect of the story you experienced.
If you simply describe what the text is about or why it is “good,” then your
writing will not meet the expectations of the assignment.
Place your paragraph in the box below:
First, the TV series This Is Us accurately portrays the kind of compassionate
mental health care practice I implement as a personal support worker, especially
through Randall’s very realistic experiences with anxiety and his panic disorder,
use of therapy, and the consistent, empathetic support he receives from family
and therapists. Second, the show reflects the core principles we learned in
PSW1637 mental health and dementia care class: active listening, validation
techniques, and team problem-solving skills,while also acknowledging the stigma
that can make seeking help difficult for many. Moreover, these elements are very
important in the field I’m in, where progress is built through trust, coping strategies,
and routine support rather than quick fixes. However, I included the line, “What we
see – and don’t see – in media affects how we view reality” to emphasize why
accurate representation matters: portrayals like Randall’s help audiences
understand mental health more respectfully and reduce stigma (MediaSmarts,
n.d., para.1). Overall, these features make ‘This Is Us’ a fairly accurate reflection
of my professional experience with compassionate mental health care.
4. b) Document the source you quoted by producing an APA @ Conestoga style
reference in the space below.
MediaSmarts. (n.d). Representation of diversity in media -Overview.
[Link]://[Link]/digital-media-literacy/media-issues/diversity-
media/representation-diversity-media-overview
5. Reflect on the process of writing this paragraph. Refer to specific aspects of the
process and the overall result.
Writing this paragraph was helpful because I could connect This Is Us to what I do
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Writing Assignment #5: Option A
as a support worker. I started with a clear topic sentence (Module 11) that directly
states my position—that the show’s portrayal is accurate. To keep the flow
smooth, I used transition words from Module 12 : First, Second, Moreover,
However, Overall, for example,so each point built on the last and stayed
organized. Choosing the MediaSmarts quote early gave me focus, and I revised a
few times to fit the APA in-text citation smoothly (MediaSmarts, n.d., para. 1). I tied
each claim to PSW skills from PSW1637 Mental health and Dementia Care such
as active listening, validation, and team problem-solving. That way, the paragraph
stayed about compassionate care rather than just plot of the show. I was sure to
remove extra descriptions and kept the focus only the examples (Randall’s
anxiety, therapy, and family support) that proved my point. After a final read
through, editing and reading the provided feedback from previous writing
assignments, I’m confident the paragraph answers the prompt and shows how I
practice mental health support every day for school and work.
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