Portfolio of Student Writing
Guidelines:
The Portfolio represents the bulk of your writing for the course; thus, these are short, 2 pageessays, and not informal journal entries. Follow essay format, where you begin with an introductory paragraph containing a thesis/focus statement, and then compose paragraphs directly corresponding to the thesis. Number each portfolio essay, using the numbers listed below and follow MLA format including your name, instructor’s name, class title, portfolio # and the date in the upper left hand corner. I will be looking for quality of content with specific support from the texts, handouts, and class notes. Copying directly from the texts and handouts without using a signal phrase and quotation marks is plagiarism, and is unacceptable. You should summarize and combine information from all of your various course materials to form a quality response that is adequately supported and composed of your own words. Do not simply copy information from the books or handouts; paraphrase your information into your own words and give credit to a source, with signal phrases and parenthetical references when you use information from that source. Include a “Works Cited” page for each entry, following correct format for your course materials (our classroom texts should be treated as books with an editor). Without a “Works Cited” your portfolio entry is considered plagiarism and requires a failing grade. You are expected to use only course materials, unless instructed otherwise. Any plagiarism (i.e. submission of work that is not yours, copying and pasting from websites, or failure to cite sources correctly) will result in an “F” on the portfolio. I will report first offenses; see your handbook for a detailed description of the College’s plagiarism policy.
When you are asserting something about the trade books, it’s important to support your points as well. Quote the literature directly, again providing pages numbers parenthetically following the quote. Any literature you work with should be cited as a source on your “Works Cited” to accompany your essay. I will also be aware of severe grammatical errors, so please revise on a sentence level. Each essay must be a minimum of 2 pages (not including the “Works Cited”), typed and double-spaced with a one inch margin all around (including the top margin). I do not accept late portfolio entries, and any entry not submitted will count as a “0.” Tuesday, November 23is the cut off date to have your revisions reviewed; needless to say, the 6th. Portfolio entry is not eligible for revision. However, by this point in the semester, you should have a good understanding of what constitutes a quality response. These must be reassessed, once you rewrite them,in a conference style format during office hours. You may revise an entry as soon as you receive your assessment; don’t wait until the last minute to complete your revisions, as I can only accommodate a certain number of students during office hours, especially this late in the semester. I recommend revising an entry within a week of when it’s returned to you, as it will enable you to avoid procrastination, and also aid you in the learning process. Remember—revisions are optional, and therefore cannot simply be resubmitted, but must be reassessed during office hours in a conference format. Bring both your original and your revision, and I will reassess on the spot. Only essays originally submitted are eligible for revision. You may revise threeportfolio essays.
Assignments:
1. Several articles in your Course Packet, Wired for Thought, Our Window to the Future, Baby Talk, and Fertile Minds, describe the critical development that occurs between the point of conception and before the age of two years old. Draw from all of these articles, as well as the most recent Newsweekarticle, Reading Your Baby’s Mind, making sure to cite parenthetically, and summarize and describe cognitive development in the womb, along with cognitive development during those first two critical years of life.
2. Write about conflict and theme in Charlotte’s Web; define the central conflict and identify the protagonist and antagonist. Beware of oversimplifying the many themes of Charlotte’s Web; choose at least three primary themes to discuss, and indicate whether they are explicit or implicit. Be sure to support your assertions, by drawing quotes from the literature for support. You might also want to consult your chapters in the Handbook, but be sure to give credit to this source as well, using MLA. In a separate paragraph, provide examples of at least five different types of figurative language in the novel and identify them with the appropriate name.
3. Discuss character development in Harry Potter; characterize by choosing one character and at least three adjectives that define your chosen character. Give each adjective a paragraph of development, and illustrate, with examples from the book, how that character is developed through his/her language, action, and descriptions of the character either by the narrator or other characters. In another paragraph discuss the moral developmental level of your chosen character, referencing any of the six stages (which apply to your chosen character at different points in the novel), as defined by Kohlberg (Supplemental Readings pps. 57-64).
4. Choose one of the following: A. Read Lois Lowry’s Gathering Blue and discuss specific aspects of the book that make it a “companion” or “sister” book to The Giver. B. Place The Giver in a “biographical” or “critical” context. In other words, conduct research on the author, identifying autobiographical elements of the trade book or locate some literary criticism, where critics discuss the book in terms of its literary/interpretive aspects. You may either go online—we have some great online databases we subscribe to--or consult our Reference holdings. Should you choose to utilize actual web sources, it’s imperative that they be scholarly sites. Be sure to fully summarize the article in your own words without plagiarism, and include a “Works Cited” page listing your article in proper format. Draw quotes from the article for support as well. I cannot assess this portfolio entry without having a copy of the article in its entirety, and if you fail to cite the article in a “Works Cited” it’s plagiarism, and thus you will take a “O” on this portfolio and need to revise.
5. Read the article about the information picture book, Rice is Life. Summarize the Orbis Pictus criteria, and explain how Rice is Life is a “tourist book,” and falls short, according to these criteria. Be sure to draw concrete support from the article, and cite it parenthetically. In a separate paragraph or two, apply the criteria for evaluation of information books (Essentials 192-3) and evaluate the information book from your annotation, or you can choose a different information book from the Essentials list.
6. During the semester, we’ve read trade books representative of different genres (fantasy, realistic fiction, biography, mystery, historical fiction, etc). Choose one of the trade books that you’ve read for this class, and discuss the book’s use of the genre’s conventions. Evaluate how the book fulfills the criteria for evaluating that genre as explained in our Essentials and Critical Handbook texts and apply criterion specifics to the trade book, pulling examples from the book.
7. Bonus Portfolio Assignment (Optional)-- Choose one of the following options and write a 2 page response to be assessed in accordance with the standard portfolio criteria and substituted for a substandard grade received on a previous portfolio. Should you choose to write this bonus portfolio, you are not to obtain a Review and plagiarize it. I want to hear your response to the book.
Writing Assignment Options:
*See the feature film Where the Wild Things Are, and write a “Review” of the film. Be sure to reference concrete examples and relate it to the original picture book version.
*If you selected option “A” for Portfolio #6, read the third book in the series, entitled The Messenger, by Lois Lowry and write a response to the book. Be sure to refer to Lowry’s The Giver and Gathering Blue in your response.
*Read one of the most recent 2009 recipients of a major award in the field of Children’s Literature, and write a response to the book. There are many to choose from, including the Caldecott, Newbury, Pura Bel Pre, Coretta Scott King, etc. In your response, be sure to address the quality of the literature and why it might have been selected for the award. You might also address the quality of the illustrations, if it’s a Caldecott recipient, or cultural implications if it’s a Pura Bel Pre or Coretta Scott King recipient.