Course Portfolio
Throughout this semester, you have learned that writing is a process of revision that occurs over time, not writing that occurs in a single sitting. Included in the process are freewriting, journaling, planning, drafting, discussion with instructor and peers, re-drafting, and editing. The portfolio is a culmination of this process, and allows writers to assemble a collection of their best work that they have completed throughout the semester.In order to pass ENG 1020, students must submit an ELECTRONIC portfolio of written work that includes an annotated table of contents, a piece of writing that you completed BEFORE the term began, One REVISED essays from the term (The Memoir/Narrative essay), a copy of the completed research paper, and a reflective essay.
Please keep in mind that your portfolio should demonstrate the following:• Your development as a writer
Your development as a writer• Your ability to write from and about a text, to write multiple interpretations of a
Your ability to write from and about a text, to write multiple interpretations of a text
• Your ability to write for different audiences and purposes.
Your ability to write for different audiences and purposes.• Your creativity
Your creativity• Your understanding of "voice in writing
Your understanding of "voice in writingYour portfolio will be presented as a blog. You will need to set up your blog page early in the term and provide me with the web address.
NOTE: DO NOT ATTACH ANY FILES TO THE PAGES THAT YOU CREATE FOR THE PORTFOLIO! ALL INFORMATION MUST BE TYPED INTO THE TEXT BOX PROVIDED (OR COPY AND PASTE).
Late work will not be accepted!
The following worksheet should aid you development of your portfolio:
Step 1: Set up your electronic portfolio pages on your blog
Step 2: Select an essay that was written BEFORE the term began. DO NOT REVISE.
Step 3: Revise the ONE essay written over the course of this semester and be prepared to discuss how it illustrates your development as a writer. This is Essay 1, the Profile.
Using the graded copies of this essay (found in Turnitin Grademark), make any necessary corrections and write a new, corrected draft. NOTE: You must address any comments on those papers that I left for you. "Revision" is more than just correcting grammar errors. NOTE: although you do not need to revise the research paper for the portfolio, still include your final copy of it as a part of your portfolio and write an introduction to it as well (step 4).
Step 4: Write a short introduction to each of these essays.
Step 5: Select 3-5 additional writings (reader responses and/or blog posts) from the term that illustrate your growth as a writer
Step 6: Write one introduction for these three to five additional pieces
Step 7: Complete an Annotated Table of Contents.
Step 8: Write Your Reflective Essay
Step 9: Attend to the visual presentation of your portfolio (i.e., design, layout, color, etc.)
Step 10: Make certain that all pages of your portfolio are visible to visitors to your blog page.
Step 1
Step 2
You should select a piece of writing that was completed before this class began that best illustrates what your writing ability was like before this term. This can be any type of writing—a book report, essay, lab report, short story, poem, etc. If you do not have a piece of writing that was written before this term, select something from another class that demonstrates your ability to write for a different audience or purpose.
Step 3
Make any necessary corrections or changes to the Profile essay you wrote during the term. Any remarks made by the instructor on your draft should be addressed in the corrected copy.
You should also include the Academic Research Paper but you DO NOT need to revise this one.
Step 4
There should be a short introduction to each piece of writing addressing each of the following questions:
•What did you perceive to be the purpose of this piece?
What did you perceive to be the purpose of this piece?•Who was your intended audience?
Who was your intended audience?•What questions did you ask yourself as you wrote this piece?
What questions did you ask yourself as you wrote this piece?•What did you learn from this piece?
What did you learn from this piece?•What did you see as the strengths of this piece?
What did you see as the strengths of this piece?•What did you see as the weaknesses of this piece?
What did you see as the weaknesses of this piece?•What questions do you still have?
What questions do you still have?•How did this assignment affect your understanding of the term "voice in writing"?
How did this assignment affect your understanding of the term "voice in writing"?Step 5
Choose 3-5 additional writings (blog entries and/or reader responses) from the term that you feel demonstrate your growth as a writer
Step 6
Write one introduction to these additional entries addressing the following questions:
• What did you see as the strengths of these entries?
•What did you see as the weaknesses of these entries?
What did you see as the weaknesses of these entries?• How do these entries reveal your development as a writer and/or reader?
NOTE: ALL BLOG ENTRIES CAN BE INCLUDED ON ONE PAGE ON YOUR BLOG, AND YOU CAN WRITE ONE INTRODUCTION TO ALL OF THEM; YOU DO NOT NEED TO WRITE AN INTRODUCTION FOR EACH.
Step 7
An Annotated Table of Contents outlines the contents of your portfolio by offering a short abstract explaining the importance of each piece and why you chose to include it.
Example of an Annotated Table of Contents:
Annotated Table of Contents
•I chose “The Main Causes of the Civil War” from my high school senior exit project partly to be used as a contrast text to the academic cause-effect essay I wrote this semester, and partly because in most cases I prefer to write academically.
I chose “The Main Causes of the Civil War” from my high school senior exit project partly to be used as a contrast text to the academic cause-effect essay I wrote this semester, and partly because in most cases I prefer to write academically.•The Profile Essay is my revolutionary piece. I broke out of my academic writing mold and wrote relaxed and conversationally; this was a milestone for me!
The Profile Essay is my revolutionary piece. I broke out of my academic writing mold and wrote relaxed and conversationally; this was a milestone for me!•The comparison/contrast paper was the most difficult for me. This paper demonstrates how organization was particularly problematic for me, but I am also proud of my versatility by writing academically about music while illustrating opinions about a subject that interests me greatly outside of the classroom. Ultimately this paper illustrates the lesson learned on the value of concision.
The comparison/contrast paper was the most difficult for me. This paper demonstrates how organization was particularly problematic for me, but I am also proud of my versatility by writing academically about music while illustrating opinions about a subject that interests me greatly outside of the classroom. Ultimately this paper illustrates the lesson learned on the value of concision. Step 8
After you have completed steps 1-7, you are ready to write the Reflective Essay about your experiences this term.
NOTE: This is a formal ESSAY with an introduction (that includes a thesis), a body, and a conclusion (that includes a restatement of a thesis). This is NOT a freewrite.
Your essay must be a MINIMUM of 3 FULL pages and no more than 5 FULL pages.
Your Essay Must Address ALL of the following questions:
•What was your view of writing before the term began?
What was your view of writing before the term began?•How did your view of writing change as the semester progressed?
How did your view of writing change as the semester progressed?•Was your writing influenced by the work of any of the professional or
Was your writing influenced by the work of any of the professional or student writers we read this semester? •Which of your writings is your best work? Why?
Which of your writings is your best work? Why?•Which of your writings is your weakest? Why?
Which of your writings is your weakest? Why?•What are your strengths as a writer?
What are your strengths as a writer?•What are your weaknesses?
What are your weaknesses?•Can you trace your development as a writer this term?
Can you trace your development as a writer this term?•What have you learned about yourself as a writer this semester? How
What have you learned about yourself as a writer this semester? How does that correspond with what you knew before the term began?• How would you have defined the terms "audience," "purpose," and
"voice" at the beginning of the term? How do you define those terms now?
If your definition changed, did your experiences in this class change how you
defined those terms? If so, how and why?
• Has this class changed how you view the world, how you view others, or
how you view yourself? If so, how and why?
Step 9
The final step is to the visual aspects and design of your blog. Be creative! Have fun!
Step 10
Make certain that all pages of your portfolio are visible to visitors of your blog page.
NOTE: DO NOT ATTACH ANY FILES TO THE PAGES THAT YOU CREATE FOR THE PORTFOLIO! ALL INFORMATION MUST BE TYPED INTO THE TEXT BOX PROVIDED (OR COPY AND PASTE).
Each of these items should appear in your portfolio in the following order:
1.Annotated Table of Contents
Annotated Table of Contents2.Intro to earlier piece of writing
Intro to earlier piece of writing3.Piece of writing that you completed before the semester began.
Piece of writing that you completed before the semester began.4. Intro to Profile Essay
5. REVISED Profile Essay
6. Intro to Academic Research Paper 7. Copy of the Academic Research Paper (NOT REVISED).
8. Intro to 3-5 additional writings (one introduction for all)
9. Your 3-5 additional writings (blog posts and/or reader responses all on one page)
10. Reflective Essay
Your grade for your portfolio will be determined as follows:
Total Points: 40
Completes an Annotated Table of Contents (2 points)
Includes a piece of writing before class began (1 point)
Includes two essays written over course of this term (1 point)
Makes necessary corrections on these two essays and includes new, corrected draft
(13 points)
Writes a short introduction to each essay and addresses all relevant points about them (2 points)
Includes 3-5 journal entries (1 point)
Writes an introduction to journal entries (2 points)
Visual Presentation and Design (1 point): Blog is logically organized and visually appealing
Reflective Essay (17 points):
Focus (4points): Does essay have a clear purpose? Focus on a main idea and clearly identifiable thesis? Are reader’s expectations set and then met? Ideas, examples, and reasons developed in the body of the paper are clearly related to the main focus?
Development (4 points): Does essay address each of the following questions:
• What was your view of writing before the term began?
•How did your view of writing change as the semester progressed?
How did your view of writing change as the semester progressed?•Was your writing influenced by the work of any of the professional or student writers we read this semester?
Was your writing influenced by the work of any of the professional or student writers we read this semester? •Which of your writings is your best work? Why?
Which of your writings is your best work? Why?•Which of your writings is your weakest? Why?
Which of your writings is your weakest? Why?•What are your strengths as a writer?
What are your strengths as a writer?•What are your weaknesses?
What are your weaknesses?•Can you trace your development as a writer this term?
Can you trace your development as a writer this term?•What have you learned about yourself as a writer this semester? How
What have you learned about yourself as a writer this semester? How does that correspond with what you knew before the term began?Organization (4 points): Do ideas and paragraphs proceed in logical and apparent sequence or pattern? Does writer use sufficient audience cues to let the reader know what has been discussed, what is being discussed, or what will be discussed? Does writer use attention-getting title and lead-in, essay map, summary and forecasting statements, paragraph hooks, transitional words and phrases? Do effective conclusions guide the reader from beginning to end?
Style (3 points): Is language clear direct and readable? Are sentences clear, concise, and easily read by intended audience? Is word choice appropriate for audience? Do sentences reveal and sustain appropriate voice and tone?
Mechanics (2 point): Are there obvious errors in spelling, punctuation, and grammar? Are there patterns of error?
Grading Scale:
27-30 A
24-26 B
21-23 C
18-20 D
0-17 F
