Portfolio of Student Writing
Guidelines:
The Portfolio represents the bulk of your writing for the course; thus, these are short, 2
page essays, 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 23 is 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 three portfolio 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 Newsweek article, 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.