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Final Portfolio

Our final project and final exam will be a Portfolio of your work. A portfolio is simply a collection of your work. I am asking you to choose ONE of the first three essays we have written this semester to revise. This revised essays constitutes one main part of the portfolio, and you will learn a lot by going back to your writing done earlier in the semester and revising it. In addition, to this revised essay you will also include writing you will do during the Final Exam which includes an in-class essay as well as a self-evaluation and reflection piece. You will find that putting together this portfolio provides you a chance to get a comprehensive picture of your learning this semester.

Required Contents:

1. Title Page
2. Table of Contents
3. Revised, new version of ONE of the first three essays we wrote this semester. Please include a copy of the previously graded final draft of this essay. This revised essay must be completed and ready to turn in when you come for the final exam.
   
4. In-class essay (written at the time of the final)
5. Self-evaluation/reflection piece (written at the time of the final)

Evaluation:

The Final Portfolio will represent 40% of your course grade. I will look at all three main parts of the portfolio (the revised essay, the in-class essay, and the self-evaluation) together and evaluate them holistically. However, I will gauge them a bit differently in these ways:

1) Writing (revised essay and in-class essay)

I will be looking at your writing level as determined using the criteria described in Evaluating Writing. I will be particularly looking to see your readiness for English 1301. I will also pay attention to the amount of growth evidenced in your final draft. You will have the entire 2 1/2 hours of the final exam to write the two pieces of writing: the in-class essay and self-reflective piece.

The In-Class Essay will be an argument/persuasion essay in which I will look for you to demonstrate many of the learning objectives of essay #4. In-class you will receive an issue upon which to write where you will take a position on the issue and develop an argument in support of that position.

Final In-Class Essay Objectives: Write an Argument/Persuasion Essay that puts the strongest REASON/SUPPORT last. Write an essay that uses Topic/Transition/Linking sentences and transitions to promote better coherence in the essay Write an essay with full "development"--three supports for each assertion. At least three PRIMARY SUPPORTS--each PRIMARY SUPPORT backed up by THREE SECONDARY SUPPORTS with DETAILS. Write an essay that has "essay form"--it has a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Write an introduction that moves from general to specific; it includes moves from SUBJECT to QUESTION/TOPIC to ANSWER/THESIS. The thesis statement appears in the last sentence of the introduction. The BODY of the essay develops only one main support per body paragraph (it divides up the proof) Write an essay that avoids problems in punctuation, run-ons, fragments, and agreement issues. (Of course, as an impromptu piece of writing, I may not expect the same level of correctness as I will in your revised essay.)

 

2) Reflective Self-Evaluation

During the Final Exam (when you turn in your portfolio), you will write a self-reflective, evaluative piece about your thoughts, beliefs, and principles of good writing that you have developed in this class. In order to support your thinking about writing, you will point directly to your experience and your writings in this class.

It will be evaluating the self-evaluation based on two criteria:
1) honesty and fullness of response
2) an critical self-awareness that is integrated with your experience in the course (done by pointing directly to your writing or your experience and using specific examples, particularly from work in your portfolio).

The Portfolio is due at the Final Exam. No late portfolios accepted.