Portfolio Essays: Read one of the essays listed for each mode of development. Items that are bold and underlined
must be written prior to the research essay submission. Otherwise choose one essay to write from each section. These
essays should show your development as a writer. The Portfolio will consist of several sections of which this will be one.
DUE DATES WILL BE POSTED.
Narrative: Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay.
Read: P.83—87 Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay.
“Only Daughter” Sandra Cisneros p.97
“Sixty-Nine Cents” Gary Shteyngart p. 102
Writing:
 Write a narrative essay about a goal or dream you had when you were a child.
 Write a narrative essay consisting of a series of related episodes that show how you gradually gained the
approval and respect of one of your parents, of another relative, or of a friend.
 Write a narrative about a road trip you took with your family or friends.
 Write a narrative about the background to your research topic.
Description: Focus on the Dominant Impression.
Read: p. 143--151 Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay.
“Once More to the Lake” E.B. White p. 183
“Ground Zero” Suzanne Berne p. 167
“Words Left Unspoken” Leah Hager Cohn p. 172
Writing:
 Write description of a scene you remember from your childhood which you are still experiencing. In your essay,
discuss how your current view of the scene differs from the view you had when you were a child.
 Write an essay describing your earliest memories of a family member or close family friend. Before you write,
decide on the dominant impression you want to convey.
 Use Description to write about a particular section of your research essay as a mode of development.
Exemplification: Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay.
Read: 199--205
“Fatwa City” Cullen Murphy p. 242
“Just Walk On By: A Black Man Ponders His Power to Alter Public Space” Brent Staples p. 236
“The Catbird Seat” David J. Birnbaum p. 223
Writing:
 Write a section of your research essay using exemplification as a mode of development.
 Write an essay about the worst job you (or someone you know) ever had. If you can, include a quotation from
one of the essays in the Patterns textbook. Make sure you include documentation as well as a works-cited page.
 Write an essay about a situation in which you perceived someone as threatening? Describe how you reacted
and whether or not you would react the same now.
Process: Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay.
Read: 263—267
“How to Escape from a Bad Date” Joshua Piven et.al p. 291
“Getting Coffee is Hard to Do” Stanley Fish p. 287
Writing:
 Write an essay explaining a process that changed your appearance in some way.
 Write an essay giving practical instructions for doing something most people you know will need to do at one
time or another.
 Write a section of your research essay using process as the mode of development.
Cause and Effect: Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay
Read: 231-331
“Who Killed Benny Paret?” Norman Cousins p. 340
“The Black Table is Still There” Lawrence Otis Graham p. 345
“The Power of Words in Wartime” Robin Tolmach Lakoff p. 363
Write:
 Write a section of your research essay using Cause and Effect as a mode of development.
Comparison and Contrast: Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay. Focus on the Point by
Point organizational scheme.
Read: 383-390
“Friending, Ancient or Otherwise” Alex Wright p. 431
“I’m Your Teacher, Not Your Internet-Service Provider” Ellen Laird pg. 416
Write:
 Write an essay comparing two educational experiences. You might compare high school with middle school or
even elementary school or if you have experienced a private school or school in another part of the country or
state.
 Write an essay in which you tell how being involved with a social networking site has affected your life. You may
not remember your social life without a social networking site, so you may have to imagine or ask a parent or
older friend how it used to be back in the day.
 Write a section of your research essay using compare and contrast as a mode of development.
Classification and Division: Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay.
Read: 447-453
“College Pressures” William Zinsser p. 462
Write:
 Write an essay looking back at the courses you’ve taken in high school and consider what you have learned so
far anduse the Zinsser essay as a model.
Definition: Note the items in bold and be sure they are present in your essay.
Read: 505-511
“Tortillas” Jose Antonio Burciaga p. 524
“Black and Latino” Roberto Santiago p. 537
Writing:
 Relying primarily on description and exemplification, define a food that is sure to be familiar to all your readers.
Do not name the food until the essay’s last sentence.
 Write an essay defining a food—but include a thesis statement that paints a favorable portrait of a muchmaligned food (for example, Spam or Brussels sprouts) or a very negative picture of a popular food (for example,
chocolate or ice cream).
 Write an essay in which you define yourself in terms of the community with which you identify—for example,
your school, your neighborhood, or your city.
 Write an essay in which you define yourself as a member of your family (either your nuclear family or your
extended family). Begin by defining what it means to be (for example) a Santiago, and expand your definition
with examples of qualities that different family members exemplify. (You may use some narrative as well.)