Perfecting Your Portfolio

Value

Apply what you have learned. Reflect on your progress. Demonstrate your writing competence.

Contents

Revised versions of all of your projects

300-500 word summary of: The changes you made to each project What you’ve learned about writing

Grade

The portfolios are graded holistically. Brief evaluation of strengths and

weaknesses. The portfolio may help balance your

grade in the course.

Evaluation

Quality and Thoroughness of Revisions▪ Did you address each issue mentioned in your

grade sheet and proofread each document carefully?

General “sheen▪ Do the essays in your portfolio represent A, B,

C quality work? ▪ Are you prepared for the writing tasks ahead

of you?

Collaborative Work

It is not necessary to work with the same group if you’d rather work alone.

Do not start a new project.

Depth

Compute your revisions with the following formula: Percent of Revision Needed: 50 – Grade

Received multiplied by 2. So, if you scored a 40, the percent of

revision you’d need to score an A would be 20%.

The lower you scored on your original essay, the more changes you should plan to make for your portfolio version.

What if I don’t revise at all? You will receive an F.

Even if you scored highly on your essays, the point of the portfolio is to revise and improve them.

Consider adding more sources, fine-tuning some sentences, and adding more examples.

Reviewing

Plan to spend considerable time reviewing your portfolio.

Consider these two areas: Global Concerns ▪ Focus, Organization, Development

Lower Level Concerns▪ Grammar, Mechanics, Style

One Minute Prompt #1

What are some things you have learned about writing this semester that will help you improve your essays?

Global Questions

Will readers understand my reasons for writing? Have I provided the specific examples, concrete language, careful reasoning, and supporting evidence that they need?

Have I provided enough background? Can I make my manuscript more enjoyable to

read by incorporating more images and metaphors, by offering more creative examples?

Have I clarified the credibility of my sources? Have I provided sufficient evidence for my claims? 

Audience Awareness Questions

Have I used any terms or concepts that need clarification?

What additional examples or concrete, sensory details can I provide to help readers understand my message?

Can I revise any passages to make them less emotionally charged and more sympathetic to my readers' feelings about the matter?

Are any of the examples and illustrations unnecessary, given the audience's level of knowledge? Are any examples and illustrations redundant?

Tone Questions

Is the tone appropriate, given my intended audience and purpose? Do I sound like an informed expert, an inquiring

scholar, a technocrat, a concerned citizen, a crank?

Is this the voice I really want? Would presenting a different persona allow me to convey my meaning more effectively?  

Am I presenting a consistent voice throughout the text? If there are variations in the tone of the document, are they intentional and effective?

Organization Questions

Does my introduction hook my readers' interest? Does my document accomplish what the introduction promises?  

Throughout the document, have I offered my reader a deductive overview of my purpose and forecast any organization?

Design Questions

Could I use a picture, a graph, or a table to visually represent my meaning?

Can I make my work more scannable by using headers, bullets, or lists?

The Right Attitude About Revision

Take PRIDE in your work and put some energy into it.

Remember, the idea is really show off your new skills as a writer.

Apply what you’ve learned!