Portfolio+Work

Read all about Creative Portfolio here:


Instructions are below. If you need any extra documents, here they are in electronic form: Assessment sheet: Parent/other reader response sheet: checklist of skills:

** AP MIDTERM PORTFOLIO **

This portfolio asks you to think carefully about your reading, writing and thinking over the course of the semester. The two 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. Choose three other papers for your "superlatives." These categories are: a) Most difficult to write b) Most enjoyable to write c) The Piece I Would Like to Burn (or revise, or turn into a poem etc.)

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 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 fifteen areas indicating my 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? 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.

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. __ NITTY GRITTY __ Your portfolio should be assembled in this order: 1. Reflective letter 2. Goal sheet 3. List and reflection of five pieces. After list, please include essays, numbered consecutively. Mark this section "Essays" 4. Additional three "superlative" pieces with reflection. After list, please include pieces, numbered E-1, E-2, E-3. Mark this section, "Extras" 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.

**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?