In class today students were responsible for two things.
1) Meeting with their counselor to forecast for classes next year.
2) The following assignment:
(NOTE: Papers are organized by class on shelves next to the file cabinets in the southwest corner of the room.)
Sophomore Self-Evaluation May, 2011
This year you have written at least four major pieces three essays and a memoir on the topics of: Lord of the Flies; Macbeth; Night; and of course you! You are to write a two page essay (handwritten) that fulfills the requirements of one of the assignments below. You will have today in class to work on it. It is due on Monday of next week at the start of class.
Writing can be a process of discovery. When asked about all of his failed experiments, Einstein responded, “Those weren’t failures. I learned what didn’t work each time.” Sometimes our writing “works,” other times it doesn’t. One of the purposes of a portfolio is to give you time to reflect on what you’ve learned about writing — either through your mistakes or your successes. When you figure out what makes you a successful writer and articulate that on paper or in dialogue, you are more likely to transfer that knowledge to your next writing project. Find your passion in this assignment. Find a way to make it meaningful to you.
First look back through writing. I want you to begin this activity by just reading through your papers. Read all the papers. As you read, look at the kind of growth you’ve made over the year. Take some notes on the changes you’ve witnessed in your writing. Identify a favorite piece of your writing, a least favorite, and some places where the revision process really made a paper better.
Portfolio Essay
Use lots of great examples from your work as evidence. (As always, evidence in every body paragraph).
Option 1, Focus on multiple examples
___Type up a list of all of the things you’ve learned about writing, i.e.:
Concrete images; specific examples; integrated quotes with page number; catchy intro; varying sentence length; active verbs; evidence in every paragraph, So what? conclusion, or other things…
___Choose and indicate three items from your list above and evaluate your use of those items in 2 or more of the writings you have included. Do this in the context of an essay. Your evidence in this essay will be clearly-cited passages from your own writing. Every single body paragraph must include 1 or more passages of your own writing as evidence that you will evaluate and discuss. (Note English 3-4: This could be a simple comparison of your writing in the two main essays: the Patriotism and the Iran-Policy compare/contrast essay)
Option 2, Focus on one piece of Writing
___Imagine for a moment that you have been recognized as one of the year’s outstanding
writers. Part of the award is a speech about one piece of your writing this year. Write the speech you would give with lots of detailed examples from this piece of writing.
___Tell how you “got” this piece and why you wrote this piece the way you did.
___Tell what several selections say about your ability to write—use of an effective
introduction, development of a powerful argument, use of imagery and rhythm, etc.
___Note the changes you made during revision. Mark them on your drafts, number
your drafts and include passages in this discussion of your use of the revision
process. How do these changes reflect new knowledge about writing?
___Discuss the role your classmates played in improving your writing
___Discuss your observations about what good writing is by using examples from
your work, the work of your peers, or the work of professional writers.
Every single body paragraph must include 1 or more passages of your own writing as evidence that you will evaluate and discuss.
