Final Reflection 1101

Congratulations! You’ve completed a substantial body of work. Now it is time for you, as the title suggests, reflect on your work over the semester. For this final assignment, reflect upon the following questions:

What have you learned about yourself as a reader, writer and scholar this semester?

How will you be able to use what you have learned this semester and transfer that knowledge to other writing situations—either in college or in your community?

The Reflection should be a 1000 words.

As a way to begin your Reflection, look back through your compendium of work: in-class writing exercises, homework assignments, earlier reflections, essays/projects, and so on. As you browse through your work, ask yourself about and take notes on the following questions:

• How would you compare/contrast work done early on in the semester to now?
• What was your favorite/least favorite assignment and why?
• What are some notable lessons or discussion posts that have stuck with you after completing certain assignments?
• What changed in your writing (and reading and thinking) as the genres changed?
• How did you make decisions in your assignments about content and genre?
• What were your early assumptions/beliefs about yourself and writing? Have they since changed? Explain.
• What was your experience revising assignments?
• Was there any peer feedback that stands out to you and why?

Don’t simply answer the above questions in your final reflection; they are just meant to help you brainstorm ideas. Think about all of the essays we’ve read about writing this semester—some of them certainly hooked your interest while others… probably did not.  The ones that did were well-written, they had a point, the writer had a voice that you felt was worth listening to.  Try to do that in your own writing here.  Remember that this isn’t just you writing off-the-top of your head; this is a finished piece of writing.

You are also open to write this reflection in another genre. For instance, you can write this reflection as a guide, a how-to essay, instructions for succeeding in 1101, etc. If you do choose to write in another genre, you must still address the questions listed above and quote from each of the papers you are including in the writing portfolio. Think of this reflection as an introduction to your portfolio and take the reader on a journey focusing on your academic growth in this class. Don’t be afraid to be honest, if you didn’t find yourself liking a particular assignment, let the reader know.

Here’s what I will be looking for (and grading you on):

• Attention to audience. You need to have a “so what?” Don’t just list off a bunch of random opinions about your writing—write an article about what you’ve learned. Think about who you are writing for (hint: it’s not just me).
• Attention to organization. This does not have to be a traditional organization, but you should have paragraphs (not just a 1000 word paragraph, please) and some reason for why they’re in the order they’re in!
• Evidence and analysis. If you tell me you learned something about yourself as a writer, show me proof! By proof, I specifically mean quotes from your own writing. All reflections should have at least three quotes from your own writing this semester. And, as usual, don’t just drop those quotes in there and expect your readers to figure out why you’ve chosen them. Explain why that passage is important to your readers and to your “so what?”
• Proofread. Make sure it’s long enough. As usual, you can use whatever language you see fit to use, but make decisions about your language—that is, the words that are there should be there for a reason.
• It’s gotta be on time. The reflection is due TBA and I don’t have any leeway because I need to turn grades in. Make sure to post it by then! You’ve probably never written anything like this before, so I’m sure you’ll want to get some feedback before you submit it with the final portfolio due on TBA (no late portfolios will be accepted)

1101 Writing Portfolio

Congratulations! You’ve completed a body of work (about 6000 words!) and are ready to compile your writing portfolio.

What to Include:

The writing portfolio should include the final drafts of all three papers:

Literacy Narrative

Research Report

Writing in a New Genre

The reflections you’ve written for the three papers and the final reflection for the semester.

You are more than welcome to include any other writing (in class writing, reading responses, etc.) that you felt stood out this semester.

With the exception of the final reflection, you must include a paragraph introduction before each writing sample.

How to Submit?

Email to me at alowensteinisaacs@citytech.cuny.edu

All documents must be saved as YourFullName1101D371WritingPortfolio

Formatting

The Writing Portfolio must be in Times New Roman and a 12-point font, double-spaced.

It must include:

Title Page (You can come up with a creative title if you’d like or you can just title it–“Your Name Writing Portfolio”)

Table of Contents with page #s

Paragraph intros before each new writing sample (you don’t need one for the final reflection)

Writing Portfolio Example
Page 1:

(Title Page)

Your Name Writing Portfolio

English 1101 D371

Professor Lowenstein-Isaacs

Page 2:

These word count and page numbers are an example of how to format and aren’t reflective of real page counts

Table of Contents

2020 Reflection: Word Count: 1000 words (pages) 3-6

Literacy Narrative/Title Word Count 1000 words and reflection 7-12

Research Paper/Title: Word Count and reflection 13-18

Writing in a New Genre/Title: Word Count reflection 19-22

Page 3-6:

Final reflection about semester

Page 7:

Intro and paper #1

Example:

Intro:

The literacy narrative was the first major writing assignment we were assigned. I found it to be a bit challenging because I don’t like to write about myself. However, after reading Amy Tan’s “Mother Tongue,” I was inspired to write about… (Just give us a summary of your paper and what you’ve learned from writing in this genre). The intro doesn’t need to be more than a paragraph.

Paper:

Your Literacy Narrative

By You

This would be your literacy narrative…

Follow this format and congratulations you have completed your writing portfolio!

Revising:

Please revise all pieces. Watch out for typos. A good idea is to read your work aloud before you submit it. I always catch typos when I read my work aloud.

Any questions? Let me know! I will go over this in our virtual class on May 11^th.

Grading Criteria

The writing portfolio is 50% of your grade.

You have received grades for the writing assignments included in this portfolio, but this is your final chance to rework them to increase your grade. You should only include your final draft of each writing assignment. I will grade the portfolio based on the criteria for those specific assignments (including the Final Reflection), but this is how I will grade the overall Writing Portfolio.

• Effort and Care. Did you do a thoughtful job of putting together the portfolio? Did you write introductions that both summarize the writing samples you have included, but also explain what you have learned from writing in that specific genre? Did you revise the pieces? Did you make sure they were polished before including them in the portfolio?
• MUST BE ON TIME. I have wanted to be as flexible as I possibly can this semester, but the final portfolio is due May 20^th and I don’t have any leeway because I need to turn grades in.

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ENG1101: Final Portfolio & Reflection (Reichert)

Along with your final portfolios, which must include the final revised drafts of each of your major essay assignments as well as the reflections for each, I am asking you to write a Final Course Reflection of at least 1000 words. This, along with the other reflective writings you did over the course of the semester and in your portfolios, is one way we package what we’ve learned into something we can take in to the future and TRANSFER to other writing situations in other arenas of your lives.

To start, consider the following prompts:

• What have you learned about yourself as a reader, writer and scholar this semester?
  • What moments, assignments, readings, conversations, and/or lessons led you think of yourself that way?
• What from this course will you be able to take with you into other parts of your life? How will this transfer enhance or improve your ability in other writing situations?

Like any other essay we’ve written in class, you should write with a balance of argument and evidence. Think of this as an essay you are writing about yourself and your experience in this course. You are making claims about how you’ve grown, and then you should substantiate those claims with evidence from the course. This can be as simple and informal as a narrative explanation of a moment/assignment/conversation in class, or you can more formally quote from your own writing. As I did on each essay, I will be looking to make sure that each of your claims is supported with specific evidence.

Along with the strength of your argument, I will be reading your reflection for evidence that you were paying attention to and absorbing some of the terminology that we used in our (digital) classroom. Terms like audience, discourse communities, rhetoric, analysis, thesis, revision, “down draft,” etc should be part of the case that you’re making that you indeed learned something in this class. This can be a fun and creative assignment, in which you are telling me the story of your time in my class, but it should also reflect the skill that you’ve gained over the course of the semester.

I will be grading you on:

• Argument (Claim + Supporting Evidence)
• Organization (paragraphing and sequence, intro/conclusion)
• Register (what tone should a reflection take?) & Audience
• Length, Grammar/Usage/Spelling, Deadlines

We will meet for our final PD meeting of this era TODAY (link at the bottom of this page) Thursday May 14 at 3 pm.  Please make sure you’ve commented on your partner’s units 2 and 3 and you’ve posted your 1101 final reflection assignments.– You can use category “1101 Portfolio.”  We will discuss those things, as well as your final teaching materials (due May 28) and any other questions you may have about finishing up the PD.

Second of all, I’ve set up the drive for the PD portfolios.  We’ve decided to use google drive instead of dropbox because DB was just too glitchy.  Please try to log in now so we can see if there are any problems with you getting in (you may need a google account to access google drive). Please post portfolios by the day grades are due, May 28.

• Please use the folder “’20 Current PD Portfolios.”
• Please make a folder with your own name in this format: (HallCarrie_20)
• Within THAT folder, make subfolders for each class you are teaching with course and section number. (HallCarrie_1101_351).
• In that folder, you will have either a file or a folder, as you see fit, for each of your students.  Make sure these are also titled clearly by the students’ names (Blair_Ruben) so they can easily be accessed.

Final Reflection Assignment, 1000 Words Minimum

As a way to begin your Final Reflection, look back through your work such as in-class writing exercises, homework assignments, earlier reflections, essays/projects, and so on with our learning objectives in mind. As you browse through your work, ask yourself about and take notes on the following questions:

—How would you compare/contrast work done early on in the semester to now?

—What was your favorite/least favorite assignment and why?

—What are some notable lessons that have stuck with you after completing certain assignments?

—What changed in your writing (and reading and thinking)?

—What was your experience revising assignments?

—Was there any peer feedback that really stands out to you and why?

—How did you adapt to the sudden switch to online writing mid-semester?

—What was challenging for you in our course this semester and how did you overcome it (or attempt to)?

*For you Final Reflection, don’t simply answer the above questions—they are just meant to help you brainstorm ideas. After thinking deeply about your work this semester and the material that we’ve read, I want you to pick one of the learning objectives (from the sheet attached to the syllabi) that you feel as if you’ve accomplished. In your reflection, write about the process of achieving the learning objective. Be sure to include writing exercises you did and texts you read that helped you along the way. End your reflection by stating how the selected learning objective will help you in the future–both inside and outside the classroom. 

Grading Criteria

A successful reflection: 

—Will be in the correct MLA format (check example on Blackboard). 

—Will be aesthetically pleasing; in other words, it will look neat and organized.

—Will meet the word count requirement to the best of the writer’s ability.

—Will not have extreme spelling and grammatical errors.

–Will state a learning objective and have a clear explanation for how it was achieved.

–Will speak about how the acquisition of the learning outcome with help inside and outside the classroom.

–Will be organized with multiple paragraphs.

Final Reflection English 1101
Due with final portfolio
1000 words

Assignment
For the final assignment of the semester, you will be reflecting on the progress that you made as a writer during the class. Essentially, your paper will answer:

1. What have you learned about yourself as a reader and writer this semester?
2. How will you be able to transfer the knowledge that you have gained in the class to other writing situations?

To begin this assignment, look back through everything you have written so far in the semester and arrange it from beginning to end. This will allow you to see the progress that you have made as a writer. I then want you to consider the following questions to help you brainstorm your writing:

• How would you compare/contrast work done early on in the semester to now?
• What was your favorite/least favorite assignment and why?
• What are some notable lessons or discussions that have stuck with you after completing certain assignments?
• What has changed in your writing, reading, and critical thinking as you composed in different genres?
• How has your early assumptions/beliefs about yourself and writing changed over the semester?
• What has revision taught you?

You do not have to answer every one of these questions. These are simply meant to help you shake loose some ideas. I do not want your papers to just be a list of answers to these questions, but a fully formed essay. Think about what are the strongest points you want to develop in the reflection. What is most important to tell your reader about your progress?

Grading
I will use the rubric that I have used throughout the semester however these are the main things that I will be looking for:

1. That it is the correct length: The Reflection should be at least 1000 words and you will have points taken off if it does not reach the word limit.

2. That you are conscious of the audience that you are writing towards: Make sure that you write an article about what you’ve learned. It should be written and organized in a way that speaks to an audience like we have talked about in class.

3. That you have supporting evidence and thorough analysis. If you tell me you learned something about yourself as a writer, show me proof! By proof, I specifically mean quotes from your own writing. All reflections should have at least three quotes from your own writing this semester. And, as usual, don’t just drop those quotes in there, make sure you explain why that passage is important to your readers

**Note** No late paper will be accepted and I will not give extensions since it is the end of the semester.

As noted by others, I used a great deal from the final reflection sent out a few weeks ago!

This assignment will ask you to reflect on your work over the semester, but it must be written in the genre of a “how-to” or self-help. Check out our page for samples! This guide has two drafts. The first one is due on _____ and the final draft is due on _____, with your complete final portfolio. The total word count for this should be around 1000. The main questions are:

What have you learned about yourself as a reader, writer, and scholar this semester? How will you be able to use what you have learned this semester and transfer that knowledge to other writing situations – either in college or in your community? Most importantly, what would you tell others about this experience as a way to help them on their own educational journeys!

As a way to begin this reflection, look back through your work (classwork, blogs, homework assignments, other reflections, and unit projects) and ask yourself the following questions. TAKE NOTES because I expect to see some quotes (at least 3) from your writing assignments. You are not meant to answer all of these point by point throughout the report; they are just to help you brainstorm ideas:

What were your early assumptions/beliefs about yourself and writing? How have they changed? Explain.

What differences did you see in your writing between the first unit and the last two units? Why?

How would you compare/contrast work done early on in the semester to now?

What was your least favorite assignment and why?

What was your least favorite genre and why?

What was your favorite assignment and why?

What was your favorite genre and why?

What are some lessons that stuck with you after completing certain assignments?

What changed in your writing, reading, and thinking as genres changed? *** (I’m looking for you to dig deep here. We have spent a great deal of time studying different genres)

How did you make decisions in your assignments about content and design?

What was your experience revising assignments?

Was there any peer or instructor feedback that stands out to you and why?

What was particularly challenging for you in our course this semester and how did you overcome it (or attempt to)?

What have you used/might you use in other writing courses? In life?

What will I be looking for and grading you on:

• Attention to the audience, which includes me, but others as well! I don’t want to see just a list of answers. This should look like a “how-to” or self-help guide. Think about it like an interview of yourself as an example of completing the steps in the guide.
• There should be an organization for this guide. You should have paragraphs and an order that makes sense. It doesn’t have to be the order of the questions.
• You will need evidence and analysis. The evidence here are quotes from your own writing. If you learned something, show me proof. I need at least three quotes from your own writing, along with the proper set-up and explanations of why those quotes are there.
• Please proofread. Make sure it is long enough. Make decisions about the words that you choose. Remember that “how-to” guides have a certain tone and language style. ALSO, YOU MUST HAVE A TITLE!!! All successful books do!
• It must be on time. I expect a rough draft by ______ (so I can give you feedback) and a final draft by _______, along with a complete portfolio.

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