Assignments Due Sunday, 20 April

We are coming into the final few weeks of the course. This past week, I had you write a draft cover letter--like the one which will be the first element of your class portfolio--in which you evaluated your performance in the course and argued for a grade based on this performance.

This week, I want you to review the course and the material you have learned. Please, please, please take the time to make this review as past experience has shown those who do so create much, much stronger and, hence, more successful final portfolios.

Here's what you should cover in your review:

1. Chapters 1-7 of Writing for College, Writing for Life.
2. The blog.
3. Any of the reading you haven't done, do it now; this will prove one of your final chances.
4. As you read, update your writing inventory with any information that is new to you. If you need to, change the claims you make or the examples you use in your writing inventory; and, then re-read your writing inventory as evidence of what you have learned and what you have learned to apply this semester.
5. If you haven't already, go to bubbl.us and set up an account. Create a mind-map of the *major* lessons *you* have learned this semester. Under each lesson (bubble) list the evidence you can use to support a case for what you claim to have learned. To do this assignment properly, you need to go back and review what you've written this semester and think about how you might use it in your portfolio to support the claims you'll make about what you learned. This mind map will serve as a pre-writing exercise for the final version of your portfolio cover letter, and you can include it in your portfolio evidence section as evidence of what you've learned this semester. In this mindmap, be as complete as possible.

Just to clear up a few of points of logistics:

1. Create your portfolio as a long google document. Share it with me--prof.brandon@gmail.com. You can share it with classmates. This is a good way for you to learn what others are putting into their portfolios, how they are constructing their arguments, and how they've organized the content. It is also a good way to receive feedback from readers in the class you've come to trust; BUT, you are not required to share your portfolio or cover letter with anyone but me.
2. Remember your portfolio will contain:

a. a cover letter in which you will describe the major lessons you've learned. In this explanation, you will use the vocabulary you've learned to discuss and analyze your writing and you will argue for a grade. If you've turned in assignments late or haven't done assignments, here's also the place where you will explain and ask that I don't dock your participation grade (40%). I won't promise to buy your argument. If I do buy it or not will depend on its quality and the evidence you bring to bare. However, I do promise to give everything you say a fair hearing and to think about it before I assign you a final grade.
b. a writing inventory in which you discuss each of the learning outcomes for the course in terms of what you have learned and what you take each outcome to mean and/or discuss. Couch this discussion in terms of your of writing. In other words, I want you to use your own writing--particularly that which you include in the evidence section of the portfolio--as the source of examples you use to illustrate what you have to say about each outcome.
c. an evidence section that contains writing you've done this semester. Note: you are not to include ALL the writing you have done. Include writing you use to support the claims and discussion taking place in the cover letter and in the writing inventory. Pick and choose what you include. Part of what I'm judging is how and how well you pick and present your evidence. Also remember, don't just include final papers. Part of what you've been learning is process writing; so, think about including prewriting, early drafts and revisions, and proofreading copy.

3. Your portfolio should be over twenty pages in length but should not exceed thirty five pages. A page is considered the text which will fit into an 8 1/2 by 11 inch typed page, which is double spaced and whose text appears in a standard 12 point Times New Roman font.

4. Everything in your portfolio will appear in a single, long google document. Make sure to mark each new section.

5. Please use the following template to name your document: "ENG112 FirstName LastName Final Portfolio."

As always, write with questions.