Portfolio Revision #1
Applying Informative and Analytical Strategies
In class February 8
The goal of this assignment is to apply the concepts we have discussed in class concerning informative and analytical writing, namely: clarity, conciseness, completeness, and correctness; front-loaded organization; audience focus; and integrated information. To accomplish this goal, you will analyze the documents in your portfolio to determine which ones have an informative and/or analytical component and revise a section of one document. You may not use the sit-down assessment (typically Mama Rosetti’s Pizza) assignment for this revision. If you did not submit any of the other portfolio papers, use the Informative Memo assignment completed in this course.
Part I: Analysis (5 points)
Once you have identified a piece of writing that is informative and/or analytical, ask yourself how well it follows the principles we have discussed. Some questions might include: How well does the piece of writing convey a specific, well-defined objective? How well have I selected information to allow the reader(s) to address this objective? How appropriate is the organization for the intended reader(s)? How concrete is my language? This list of questions is intended to get you thinking. There are many more questions you might ask yourself and you are not required to answer these in particular. Write me a brief memo (one to two paragraphs) that summarizes your analysis of your chosen piece of writing as an informative and/or analytical document. You should discuss strengths and weaknesses.
Part II: Revision (5 points)
Revise one idea-unit of the document you chose in Part I. This section can be as long as the entire paper or as brief as one paragraph. I will be looking at how significantly your revision improves the original version in terms of informative or analytical communication; you should focus especially on improving the areas you have identified as problem areas in Part I. I expect that you will also correct any typos or grammatical problems, but if that is all you change, you will not receive any points for Part II.
Deliverables
Please turn in the following items:
1.Your portfolio, with the piece (or section) chosen for revision indicated
2.Your brief memo analyzing the chosen piece as an informative or analytical document (Part I)
3.Your revision of a section of the document (Part II)