Assignment--Final Portfolio
Engl 4057/5057 Writing: Teaching and Theory, Spring '06, O'Donnell, ETSU
(last update: Feb 28, 2006)
40% of your final grade (30% for grad students) will be based on a final portfolio, which you'll turn in on the last day of classes.  Include the following.

I.  Your Two Best Writings, Revised, Plus Related Material
Choose two pieces of writing that together demonstrate a range of modes: one narrative piece, and one analytical or expository piece.  Grad students may count teaching materials for one of their writings.  Along with each, include the following:

  1. Two earlier drafts (the rough draft, and the version initially submitted for a grade), along with my comments and your responses.
  2. "Invention writing" -- that is, brainstorming, prewriting, outlining; whatever you have.
II. Evaluation Grids and Responses to Grades and Comments

As part of the portfolio, include all of your "self-evalutions" -- that is, the criteria grids you filled out in your notebook-- along with the criteria grids that I filled out.  Include the evaluations for your portfolio writings, and for your other writings.

Also include all the notebook entries you wrote in class when the essays were passed back, in response to the comments and grades.  You're welcome to rewrite and modify or paraphrase those entries, if you don't want me to see the originals.

Make sure everything is labeled with a date and a clear title.

III.  Introduction
Write a two-to-four page introduction to the portfolio.  Comment on your two essays in relation to your experience this semester--what you learned from them about your own writing, and about teaching writing.  Also comment on the work you plan to do in the future, to continue to improve your writing.

IV.  Table of Contents
Include a detailed table of contents, with titles and descriptions of each item in the portfolio.  Keep in mind that, in designing your portfolio, you're creating a report--that is, a reference work, rather than a document that is meant to be read cover to cover.

V.  Electronic Version of Your Best Essay, for the Web
Along with your portfolio, submit an electronic version of your best essay, to be posted on the web.  "Electronic version" means a word-processing-formatted computer file.  You can either give me a disk with the file, or send the file as an attachment.

Note that you are not required to include your name on the web version of your writing; you may use a pseudonymn, or your initials.  Please be careful about including any other peoples' names in your writing.