FINAL PORTFOLIO AND REFLECTION

There are two components to the Final Portfolio: 

1) Revisions of the Major Assignments of Units One and Two, and a finished copy of Unit Three (these are all works you have already completed and revised to the best of your ability)

and 

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.

So… what we want you to do is, first, revise your first two units. We’d have you do the third too– but we just finished that one, so we don’t really have time–but if you have some changes you need to make, you’re welcome to do so.  We’ve talked about revision throughout the semester. We know that the first draft of an article is just the beginning; we want to work at making it something that’s ready to show the world (not just your teachers.)  Think of yourself as a writer beyond the classroom. Take yourself seriously, and be confident that you indeed have something to say. 

For each revised unit,  you’ll need to add a paragraph at the beginning explaining 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. For unit three, you’ll need to add a paragraph at the beginning explaining what you would do to revise it– if you had the time. 

Both units one and two must be revised! Unit three must be included! 


 The Final Reflection

I know this has been one 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 piece of at least 1000 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, use quotes from your own writing this semester in your reflection.

As a way to begin your Reflection, look back through your compendium of work: discussions, prep work for the classes, what you did/said/thought in those classes, your experiences with your colleagues, and so on. 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). 

  •  How would you compare/contrast work you did early 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 (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 experience revising assignments?
  • Was there any peer 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; they are just 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.  

The assignments and activities that caught your attention– they had a point.  They weren’t just lists of thoughts and ideas. So now that you’ve brainstormed, is there a main point in what you’re trying to say? Can you organize your ideas a bit?  Remember that this isn’t just you writing off-the-top of your head; this is a finished piece of writing. 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):

Do you have a “voice”? Don’t just list a bunch of random opinions about your writing. Think about who you are writing for — are you writing in a way that you can look back on this is a few years’ time and learn from it? Are you honest?

Clarity and Attention to Organization.  This does not have to be a traditional essay — in fact, feel free to write this as a letter to me, if that makes you feel more at ease — but you should have paragraphs (not just a single, 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, or conversely, that you didn’t learn, show me proof!  By “proof,” I mean include some specific examples from your own writing and your experiences in class. All reflections should have 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 me to figure out why you’ve chosen them. Integrate them into your thoughts.

Care. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING. Proofread. As usual, you can use whatever language you see fit to use, but the words that are there should be there for a reason. THE WHOLE POINT of a Final Portfolio is that it showcases you at your best. Sloppy grammar and punctuation mistakes are out.

PARAMETERS AND DUE DATE:

Total Word count for Reflection: 1,000 words.  (there is no specific word  count for the Final Portfolio. It is what it is)

Due Date: May 15 at 5PM (same as your Final Portfolio)

How to Submit YOUR Final Reflection: Your Final Reflection is a piece of writing that is integrated into your Final Portfolio. You may include it at the beginning or end, as you wish. There is no need to submit it separately, though you can certainly meet with me to discuss it and improve it if you wish before May 15.

How to Submit your FINAL PORTFOLIO:

Due Date for Final Portfolio: May 15 at 5PM.

Your Final Portfolio is submitted in the same manner as our other major assignments: Create a GoogleDoc in your Student Folder entitled YOURNAME_FINAL PORTFOLIO. Create a post in OpenLab with the same title and include a link to your document in the post. Select Category UNIT 4 when posting.