Portfolio+Work


 * Please complete the survey for the course**. Thank you!: []

** Senior Creative Portfolio **


 * “Experience is not what happens to you It is what you do with what happens to you.” --Aldous Huxley **

I hope you truly enjoy this assignment. I can honestly tell you it is one I have been looking forward to since September and, after getting to know each of you, the expectations have only grown. This project is mostly about your voice and who you have been, are and want to become. It is about choosing the seminal moments in your life and conveying it in a way so we get both the sensorial details of the moment and the reflection of your older, wiser self to help us make sense of it. Many of the suggestions are stolen shamelessly from Mrs. Davis, who adapted the ideas from Brenda Kukla (Collins Hill HS, Suwanee, GA). The supplemental ideas mainly come from Mr. Templeton. You may find it helpful to consult with siblings, parents, friends, as you remember the moments you choose to write about. Ultimately, your creative portfolio should be yours and showcase the good writing you have worked hard on all year. Please look at the rubric for guidelines for grading.
 * In addition, please keep these tips in mind:**

l I shall read and grade five pieces. These pieces should possess qualities of good writing. These five pieces should not be lists or pieces by other people. l Your portfolio can be multi-genre and can be revised versions of work previously written. Think about essays, poems, diary entry, letter, etc. See rubric for specific criteria. l Your three additional pieces can be more pieces written by you, letters from your parents, lists, or whatever you choose. I'll skim these, but will not assess them in terms of writing. l Please include either: 1) an opening letter to the reader which reflects on these pieces and/or your growth as a creative writer. One page double-spaced. **or** 2) notes for each required piece at the end of the portfolio. l Please refrain from including anything which will put me in an ethical dilemma. For example, if one of your seminal moments is when you were drinking and ran your underwear up the flagpole and got away with it, please wait to share that story with me until you are 21. l See Bill Patrick's guidelines for good writing in this packet. If you think about his rules and apply them, they will make your writing better. l Think concretely and specific. Avoid the cliché with details that are unique to write about a universal experience. l I don't care about fancy scrapbooking, although I know you might. Know that presentation is not part of your grade, but feel free to channel your inner Martha Stewart if you would like.


 * Disclaimer**: Each year, there are students who begin this project and have a meltdown. Then, there are some who know that this assignment is too much and decide to treat this as more like a creative writing portfolio than a memoir. Then, there are some who just would rather include fictional pieces rather than nonfictional. That is fine. I hope you all find a way to showcase and document the spectacular writers and people you have become at this point in your life. See me if you still can't figure out how to complete this assignment.

I can't wait to see what you put together for this assignment.

Rubric for creative portfolio is here:

LAST REFLECTION: Download my guidelines and questions here:

See instructions below, if necessary. If you need extra documents, here they are in electronic form: assessment sheet: parent/other reader response sheet: checklist of skills: ** 12A MIDTERM PORTFOLIO **

This portfolio asks you to think carefully about your reading, writing and thinking over the course of the semester. The main things you will do are: 1. Select five pieces of writing that do one of two things: a) represent your most effective pieces of writing ranked 1-5 or b) show a range of writing from your best to your worst.

2. Find your goal sheet and see if your selected pieces show evidence of progress on your goals.

3. Explain in a brief reflection why you chose each piece. Why it works (or doesn't) or how it shows growth in your development as a reader, writer, speaker and/or thinker.

4. On each paper, label in the margin and highlight examples of the skills you have either learned or demonstrated in your writing this semester. From all the papers, there are ten areas indicating your skill/growth. (See reverse for list of skills. Please include this list in your portfolio. )

5. You will write a reflective letter, labeled "Dear Reader" which is 2-3 pages long and discusses what you have learned this semester. You can approach this reflection any way you would like, but here are some ideas to guide you:

l How would you describe yourself as a writer? How has that definition changed since September? l How would you describe yourself as a reader? a thinker? How has that shifted since September? l How have you shifted in your skill or comfort level as a performer or public speaker or your ability to share your work? l What were your goals for the semester? Did you accomplish them? Be specific. l What are you most proud of this semester? Why? l How did your writing, reading or thinking habits deepen over the semester? l Where do you still need to grow as a writer? reader? What do you need from the class or Ms. H to get there? 6. You will have one reader who is not your peer read and respond to your portfolio, preferably a parent or teacher who knows you well.

**__ NITTY GRITTY __** 1. Reflective letter 2. Goal sheet 3. List and reflection of five pieces. After list, please include essays, numbered consecutively. Mark this section "Essays" 5. List of skills needed (on back of this paper) Check off which skills you used. 6. Other reader form completed by parent, teacher or adult who knows you well. Mark this section "Responses" 7. Assessment sheet.
 * On the day of the midterm **, please bring your completed portfolio. For 45 minutes, we'll conduct a peer review where you will read and respond to 2-3 portfolios. For the other 45 minutes, you will share one piece of creative writing you have written this semester. You don’t need to memorize the piece, but you should have practiced so your delivery is clear and, if appropriate, dramatic or entertaining.
 * Your portfolio should be assembled in this order: **
 * 4. ** Additional three "superlative" pieces with reflection which further demonstrate skill or growth. After list, please include pieces, numbered E-1, E-2, E-3. Mark this section, "Extras" **This is extra credit**

**First Quarter Work:**
What do you think you did well this quarter? What would you consider your best work? Why?
 * Please take out your goal sheet in your portfolio and review the three goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the semester.
 * Look through your work, both in paper and electronic form, and see if you can find evidence of these goals. They can either be benchmarks or show progress towards the goal itself.
 * Create a portfolio on your desktop in your English folder titled "Portfolio Work" if you plan to use any electronic copies. You will eventually print out these copies at the end of the semester.
 * Choose three (or more) pieces of work which reflect the evidence necessary for your portfolio. You may decide you won't use all these pieces later. That is okay.
 * Lastly, jot some notes to yourself about the quarter, using these questions as a guide. You'll refer back to this document in January. You can either save this in your porftolio folder or print out and place in portfolio folder:

What do you think you would like to continue to work on as you progress into next quarter? What was hard for you? Why?

What did you learn about yourself as a reader? writer? thinker?

How did your thinking change or deepen as a result of our work and the texts we read this quarter?

What do you still want to work on next quarter? What do you need in order to make progress?