Finals Week Schedule

Your portfolios are due in my office
on Tuesday, March 18,
between 8:00-12:00.

Earlier I told you 10-12 as a turn-in time. But I'll be in my office all four hours, so anytime between 8:00-12:00 is fine. But be prompt-- I'll be leaving soon after 12:00 noon.

I look forward to seeing all of you again next week: you've been a wonderful class (even when you teased me about the moths). Oh, the horror.

Your Final Portfolio

Your portfolio is your final project in this class, and accounts for 60% of your final grade.

**YOU MUST SUBMIT A PORTFOLIO
IN ORDER TO PASS THE CLASS!**

Your portfolio should include the following materials, in this order:

1. A cover letter and evaluation (see below)
2. Your “Catastrophe” essay: two drafts (first and second drafts, both graded)
3. Your “Case Study” essay: two drafts (first and second drafts, both graded)
4. Your “Process Analysis” essay: two drafts (first and second drafts, both graded)
5. Your “General Project”: two drafts (the graded first and second drafts)
6. For at least one essay (choose among the “Catastrophe,” “Case Study,” and Process Analysis” essays), include a polished third draft.
7. For at least one essay, include your “paper trail”: invention work, outlines, initial drafts, peer comments, etc.
8. Include anything else you’d like to showcase.
9. Include your writer’s notebook—with 50+ pages of content.

The cover letter should include answers to the following questions:

1. Has this class helped to improve your writing skills? If so, how? If not, why not?
2. Have you accomplished what you wanted to in this class? (explain)
3. Which essay was your favorite? Why?
4. Which essay taught you the most? Why?
5. What was the most useful aspect of the work we did in this class? The least? (Please explain)
6. Is there anything else you’d like to add? Note that your comments will help adjust the class for future students.

Please submit your portfolio in a 3-ring binder. Separate each section with some sort of labeled divider.

Note! Extra points will be given for special effort spent on the portfolio’s overall appearance, general creativity, photos or sketches, a table of contents, etc. This is your chance to really showcase your writing—take some time with it and show your pride in how hard you’ve worked this term!

Portfolios are due in MY OFFICE on Tuesday, March 18,
between 8:00-12:00 am.

I cannot accept late portfolios. If you cannot turn it in during that time, you’ll have to turn it in earlier.

If you’d like your portfolio back, contact me at the beginning of spring term by email, and we’ll arrange it. Portfolios will be available in my office through spring term. Those unclaimed after spring term will be tossed.

Week 10 Assignments

For Tuesday, March 11:

• Remember your "Catastrophe" essay? Take everything you've learned so far and revise it. The revision is due today; attach the graded first draft. I will be looking for significant revision: add something new, expand material that's already there, move content around, etc. Revise! (NOTE: If you already turned this in last week, disregard!
  
• Second draft of your General Project is due today; attach the graded first draft, cover memo, and peer reviews.

For Thursday, March 13:

• Turn in six-step project (see separate post, below).
• Continue portfolio work.
• Read p. 366-369 in your text.

Finishing Your Six-Step Project

Purpose: Over the term, by creating a simple piece and revising it in several different ways, you’ve gained experience with simple revision.

Now it's time to "pretty up" a final version to turn in.

Here are the instructions we worked with all term:

1. Do a free-write about a favorite or memorable place. [Label this 1/6.]

1b. On a new piece of paper, rewrite/revise/tidy up the writing done for #1. Add things, remove them, move sentences and paragraphs around, etc. [Label: 1b/6]

2. On a new piece of paper, rewrite the work done in #1b. This time, add something to the original piece. [Label: 2/6] This might include:
• Another scene
• A new character
• A piece of dialog, etc.

3. On a new piece of paper, rewrite the work done in #2. This time, either change the tense or the point of view. [Label: 3/6] For example:
• If it was in present tense, change it to past.
• If it was in past tense, change it to present.
• If it was told in first person (I walked), change to third person (he/she walked).
• If it was told in third person, change to first person.

4. On a new piece of paper, rewrite the work done in #3. This time, transform the form of the piece. [Label: 4/6] For example:
• Change it into a poem.
• Write the piece as a blog entry or letter.
• Use the piece to create an imaginary advertisement.
• Write a scene for a screenplay.

5. On a new piece of paper, rewrite the work done in either #3 or #4. This time, take something away. [Label: 5/6] For example:
• Condense the time. If you wrote about a week, write about a day. If you wrote about a day, write about an hour.
• Or, make the piece shorter by actually removing something from it—a character, a scene, a whole paragraph, etc.And now... (drum roll)… Please pick your favorite draft from either #3, #4, or #5. Polish that favorite version to create a typed “final draft.” [Label: 6/6] You may revise or change it in any way you wish, or you may simply choose to type it neatly but leave it unchanged.

Please turn in the final typed version-- PLUS one a photocopy of your first draft (1/6 or 1b/6) on Thursday, March 13.