Unit Three: Final Portfolio

There are two parts to this unit: 

1) Revisions of Units One and Two

2) A Final Reflection

The Portfolio 

If you get anything from this term, I hope it’s the idea that composing isn’t just for college – it’s a tool you use in community, personal, and professional situations as well. And once you learn how to analyze a rhetorical situation, you can start to figure out what someone wants you to write no matter what the situation.

For each revised unit,  you’ll need to fill in the Revision Documentation Guide that explains what you did to revise it and why (or didn’t, and why not). You need to mention what you got from the feedback you received (from me and from your colleagues). You also need to explain why you either incorporated what we said or didn’t, and why. The Revision Documentation Guides for Unit 1 and Unit 2 can be found in the Readings menu tab. Please use a different color, such as blue, when you add new material and change sentences/words in your revised work.

Both units one and two must be revised! 

The Final Reflection Essay

I know this has been a weird few months. We’re living in unprecedented times, and we’re all being asked to work in new ways. I’m so proud of everybody for hanging in and continuing your college careers in the face of unimaginable challenges. So for this Final Reflection Essay of at least 700 words, I’d like to ask you to consider the following questions:

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

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

As evidence to back up your points, you must use at least three quotes from your own writing this semester in your reflection.

As a way to begin your Reflection, look back through your compendium of work: Freewrites, Coffeehouse posts,  the Notepad, prep work for the classes, notes, and what you did/said/thought in our classes. As you browse through your work, ask yourself about and take notes on the following questions (you don’t have to answer them all in your final reflection.  These are just to give you some ideas. That said, it might help to use some of these as a way to organize your Reflection Essay.

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

Don’t simply answer the above questions in your final reflection in bullet points (the Final Reflection Essay should be written formally, with a clear introduction, body, and conclusion; they are meant to help you brainstorm ideas. Think about everything we’ve read and watched about writing this semester—some of them certainly hooked your interest while others… probably did not.

Treat yourself as a respected author who has lived through a difficult time: you are someone with something to say, and not just trying to flatter your instructor.

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.  The essay should have paragraphs (not just a 700 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 although it doesn’t matter from what (homework, finished essays, anything will do). 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?”

Care. Proofread. Make sure it’s long enough.