Perfecting Your Portfolio

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Perfecting Your Portfolio

• Analytical and Rhetorical Writing
• Matt Barton

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Why are Portfolios rewarding?

• Your portfolio is a collection of all your
  previous essays in a single document.
• You will revise and polish these documents until
  they represent your best possible work.
• Your portfolio gives you a chance to reflect on
  your progress. Its something to be proud of!

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What Are the Steps?

• The finished portfolio should contain all four
  essays and a 500 word summary that describes the
  revisions you made to each.
• You can either put this at the top in one part,
  or divide it into 4 parts prefacing each essay.

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How will they be Graded?

• The portfolios are graded holistically, or as a
  whole.
• No detailed grade sheets
• You will receive a brief written evaluation
  describing the quality of the work and areas that
  need continued improvement.
• The portfolios count the same number of points as
  an individual essay.

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Evaluation

• I will be looking for three things as I grade
  these portfolios
• Quality and Thoroughness of Revisions
• Did you address each issue mentioned in your
  grade sheet and proofread each document
  carefully?
• General sheen of portfolio
• Do the essays in your portfolio represent A, B, C
  quality work? Are you adequately prepared for the
  college writing tasks ahead of you?

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Collaborative Work

• If you wrote some of your essays as collaborative
  projects, you may work with them again or revise
  the projects on your own.
• It is not necessary to work with the same group
  if youd rather work alone.
• You may not start a whole new project. The point
  is to revise.

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How much to Revise?

• 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
  youd 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.

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What if I dont 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.

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Reviewing

• Plan to spend considerable time reviewing your
  portfolio.
• Consider these two areas
• Global Concerns
• Focus, Organization, Development
• Lower Level Concerns
• Grammar, Mechanics, Style

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One Minute Prompt 1

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

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Global Questions

• What is my thesis? Have I expressed it, either
  explicitly or implicitly?
• Will readers understand my reasons for writing?
  Have I provided the specific examples, concrete
  language, careful reasoning, and supporting
  evidence that they need to understand my
  position?  
• Have I provided enough background information for
  readers to understand my opinions and the
  significance of the subject matter I am
  addressing?
• 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 background information
  about the studies I have cited?  

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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?

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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?

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Organization Questions

• Does my introduction hook my readers' interest?
  Does my essay accomplish what the introduction
  promises?  
• Throughout the document, have I offered my reader
  a deductive overview of my purpose and forecast
  any organization?
• Is my conclusion an effective summary,
  restatement, or challenge?  

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Design Questions

• Could I use a picture, a graph, or a table to
  visually represent my meaning?
• Are there any templates available that I could
  use to make my work more visually appealing?
• Can I make my work more scannable by using
  headers, bullets, or lists?

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The Right Attitude About Revision

• Dont let yourself think of revision as drudge
  work.
• 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 youve learned!