Writing Portfolio
with Mr. Butner
Writing Portfolio
Due Date: December 18th
Requirements (3 sections)
1. Analytic Essay
2. Comparison/Contrast Essay
3. Poetry (two poems)
Materials Needed
1. Paper
2. Pencil/Pen
3. A folder, specifically for the portfolio materials.
Writing Portfolio
Note
The two essays you will write will look exactly like
what will be asked of you in February on the
writing assessment.
In other words, this is going to help you. :)
Analytic Summary Essay
Using the informational text “The Woman Called
Moses,” students will write one analytic essay.
The purpose of this essay is to analyze the
different aspects (parts) of the article.
We will discuss how to do this later.
Comparison/Contrast Essay
Students will use the informational texts “The
Woman Called Moses” and “Leaders of the Civil
War Era: Harriet Tubman” to write a comparison
and contrast essay.
You will use both articles in your essay. You will
compare and contrast the points of view and
opinions of each article.
Again, this essay will be discussed at a later
date.
Poetry
Select and compose two different poems from
the list below:
1. Review Poem (Figurative Language)
2. Who Am I? Poem
3. Cinquain
4. Colorful Poem
Analytic Summary Essay
This essay will cover the article “The Woman
Called Moses” by Walter Oleksy and Meg Mims.
The essay is an analytic summary, which means
that you will summarize the articles main points,
yet you will also break down or explain each
main point.
Analytic Summary Essay
The Prompt:
After you have read the article, determine
one central idea from the text and write an essay
that
both summarizes and analyzes how that central
idea is conveyed through particular details. Cite
evidence from the text to support your analysis.
Follow the conventions of standard written
English.
Analytic Summary Essay
Essay format:
I. Introduction
A. Hook
B. General discussion of the topic
C. Thesis statement
II. Body Paragraph
A. Topic sentence
B. 2-3 supporting details
C. Concluding sentence
III. Body Paragraph
A. Topic sentence
B. 2-3 supporting details
C. Concluding sentence
IV. Body Paragraph
A. Topic sentence
B. 2-3 supporting details
C. Concluding sentence
V. Conclusion
A. Restate the thesis statement.
B. General summary of the essay
C. Strong concluding sentence
Analytic Summary Essay Introduction
I. Introduction
A. Hook
B. General discussion of the topic
C. Thesis statement
What is a hook?
Analytic Summary Essay Introduction
A hook is an attention getter. Hooks are extremely important
as they set the tone for the entire essay.
A strong hook is like a firm handshake; it lets the reader
know you mean business, and you will entertain and inform
them along the way.
Analytic Summary Essay Introduction
For this essay, select one of the following types of hooks.
Each of the examples could be a way to begin “Little Red
Riding Hood”:
1. Begin your essay with a strong simile or metaphor.
Example: The wolf was a tornado changing the lives of
all who crossed his path.
2. Begin with an interesting question for the reader to
ponder.
Example: Who would have thought that a simple trip to
Grandma's house would end in tragedy?
3. Use a string of adjectives
Example: Tall, dark, and with an air of confidence, the
woodsman entered the house.
Analytic Summary Essay Introduction
Sample Hook
Like a hidden, flickering lantern, Harriet Tubman lit the
way to freedom for hundreds of slaves trapped within the
darkness of the nineteenth-century South.
Analytic Summary Essay Introduction
General Discussion of the Topic
Provide one or two sentences that briefly
summarize your topic and what you will be
writing about.
DO NOT use anything like this:
In this paper, I will talk about...
I'm fixin' to tell you a story...
If you do, a monkey will find you during lunch and
proceed to throw bananas at your face, so just
don't. Please.
Analytic Summary Essay Introduction
Thesis Statement
The thesis statement is where you state your claim
for the paper. It will include the article title, author, what
you believe the central idea to be, and the three points
you will write about. Your thesis statement will be one
sentence.
Example
In the article “The Woman Called Moses,” Walter
Oleksy and Meg Mims assert that Harriet Tubman's
words reveal who she was as a person; evidence of this
claim in Tubman's childhood, when she escaped, and
also when she lead slaves to freedom on the
Underground Railroad.
Analytic Summary Essay Introduction
At this point, your introduction should basically be
written. All you need to do is put the pieces together.
Sample Introductory Paragraph
Like a hidden, flickering lantern, Harriet Tubman lit the
way to freedom for hundreds of slaves trapped within the
darkness of the nineteenth-century South. Years before the
Civil War would begin Tubman sought her own freedom, and
additionally, she risked her life to ensure the freedom of
many other Southern slaves. In the article “The Woman
Called Moses,” Walter Oleksy and Meg Mims assert that
Harriet Tubman's words revealed who she was as a person;
evidence of this claim in Tubman's childhood, when she
escaped, and also when she lead slaves to freedom on the
Underground Railroad.
Analytic Summary Essay Body
Paragraph
For each body paragraph, you select a point from your
thesis statement and develop it further. You provide a topic
sentence (what the paragraph will be about) then 2 or 3
supporting details from the article. (Cite line numbers in
parentheses.)
II. Body Paragraph
A. Topic sentence
B. 2-3 supporting details
C. Concluding sentence
Analytic Summary Essay Body
Paragraph
Sample Body Paragraph
Even as a young child, Tubman began developing
words that analyzed slavery. Looking back, Tubman
remarked, “I think slavery is the next thing to hell. If a person
would send another into bondage, he would . . . send him to
hell (20-22). Additionally, Ozleksy and Mims note a night
during her childhood when her owners celebrated a harvest.
Stars twinkling in the sky, “Harriet's fear was replaced with a
single focus: to escape from slavery and to live free (13-14).
Clearly, Tubman possessed great strength of character from
and early age.
Analytic Summary Essay Conclusion
The conclusion wraps up the essay, reminds the
reader of you main points, and ends with a strong
sentence.
V. Conclusion
A. Restate the thesis statement.
B. General summary of the essay
C. Strong concluding sentence
Analytic Summary Essay Conclusion
Sample Conclusion
In conclusion, through her words, Tubman
displayed great fortitude during childhood, after
escaping bondage, and while leading slaves via the
Underground Railroad. Only a handful of people
throughout history commit their lives to such a
monumental task, but Harriet Tubman did. Stalwart,
staunch, and steadfast, Tubman altered the course of
history.
Comparison/Contrast Essay
This essay will cover the articles “The Woman
Called Moses” by Walter Oleksy and Meg Mims
and “Leaders of the Civil War Era: Harriet
Tubman” by Ann Malaspina.
The essay is an comparison and contrast essay,
which means that you compare and contrast
ideas found within both of the articles.
Comparison/Contrast Essay
The Prompt
You have now read two texts about Harriet
Tubman. Write an essay that compares and
contrasts the authors’ purposes and how their
purposes are conveyed in the two texts. Be sure
to cite evidence from both texts to support your
analysis. Follow the conventions of standard
written English.
Comparison/Contrast Essay
Block Essay Format
I. Introduction
A. Hook
B. General discussion of the topic
C. Thesis statement
II. First item
A. First point about this item
B. Second point about this item
C. Third point about this item
III. Second item
A. First point about this item
B. Second point about this item
C. Third point about this item
IV. Conclusion
A. Restate the thesis statement.
B. General summary of the essay
C. Strong concluding sentence