WR39C

:
ARGUMENT&RESEARCH
_______________________________________

YourePortfolio:ComponentsandGradingCriteria

WR39C

LogisticalMatters:
ThesubmissiondeadlineofyourfinalePortfoliois[DATE]at12:00pm,high
noon.TosubmityourePortfoliopleasemakeitpubliclyviewable.(Wewilltalkabouthowtoenable
thepubliclyviewableoption.)

I.ItsContents

A.TheBasics

RequiredArtifacts:
ReflectiveIntroduction(58pages,approx.1500wordsminimum)

HistoricalConversationsProject,GradedVersion(withorwithoutfinalgradeandcomments)
AdvocacyProject,GradedVersion

WhiletherequiredelementswillgiveabasicshapetoyourePortfolio,thespecificdetailsofits
organizationareyourstoconstruct.Thinkofyourportfolioasagrowingarchiveofevidencethatwill
becomefullofinterestingpiecesofevidenceasthequarterprogresses.Youwillquicklyaccumulate
artifactsthatdocumentyourlearning.Someoftheseartifactswillbecomeparticularlymeaningful.Use
themthingslikedrafts,instructororpeercomments,organizationalnotes,beforeandafterversionsof
sentencesandparagraphs,finalversionsofyouressays
todocumenttheworkyouhavedone,
demonstrateyourroleinyourlearning,andarticulateyourintellectualstrategiesastheypertain
tocollegelevelrhetoric,composition,andcommunication.

Becreativeandattentivewhenmakingchoicesaboutorganizingthesectionsandpagesinyour
portfolio.Forexample,arethecompositionsgoingtoserveastheprimaryorganizationalelementsby
followingtheintroductoryessayinsequentialorder?Or,areyougoingtoplacethecompositionsand
otherexamplesofyourbestwritingtogetherinoneShowcaseWritingSectionandorganizetheother
elementsofyourportfolioinadifferentmanner,alongthematiclines(RevisionStrategies,
ProductiveMistakes)orintermsofnotabledevelopmentsinyourwriting(MyBreakthroughs)?

B.ReflectiveIntroduction(58pages,doublespaced,approx.1500wordsminimum,10pages
max)

Thisdocumentintroducesyouasacollegelevelwriter,thinker,andcommunicatortoacommunityof
yourpeers.Itsfundamentalpurposeistoillustratetheroleyouhaveplayedinyourlearningoverthe
courseofthequarterin39C.Youtakeresponsibilityforthequalityofyourworkinthisdocument(and
inyourePortfolio)byassessingyourperformance.
Thereflectiveintroductionaccomplishestwo
majorobjectives:(1)itisananalyticallyincisiveintroductionthatdeliversandsubstantiates
argumentsaboutyourdevelopmentasawriterandcommunicatorand(2)itoffersabalanced
analyticalassessmentofyourprogress.

GuidingSuggestionsforWritingtheReflectiveIntroduction

Thereflectiveintroductionshouldbeananalyticallyrigorousessaythatdocumentstherich
texturesofyourlearningthisquarterandperhapsthroughouttheWR39sequenceof
courses(39A,39B,and39C).

Thinkoftherestofyour
ePortfolioasanarchiveofevidence
thatyouwilluseinsupportof
theargumentsputforwardintheintroductoryessay.

Refertothevariouspiecesofevidencefromthearchivalportionoftheportfoliointhe
introductoryessay.Guidethereadertothemandclearlyexplainyourartifacts.

Theintroductoryessayshoulddocumenttheprogressyouhavemadeoverthecourseofthequarterin
thefollowing
fourareas(Youmaychoosetofocusonthefirstthreeifyoucannotaddressthe
fourth)
:

1.YourComposingProcess

GuidingPrompts:Youdonotneedtoanswerallofthefollowingquestions,selectthoseyoufind
useful.

Explainwhatyouhavelearnedabouttheprocessofgeneratingaresearchbasedcomposition.
Whathaveyoulearnedaboutarrangingtheelementsofyourcomposition?Haveyoubecomemore
skillfulandabletocontrolyourpresentationofevidenceandintegratevariouspiecesofevidence
intoacoherentandmeaningfulargument?
Howdidconductingresearchallthroughoutthedraftingprocesshelpyoutomakedecisionsaboutthe
organizationallogicofyourcompositionsandessays?Inwhatways,specifically,didyou
formulateandreformulateresearchstrategies,framingquestions,andguidingclaims/arguments
byusingresearch?
Explainhowyourprocessofwritingdrafts,sourceevaluations,andannotationsevolvedoverthe
course ofthequarter.Didyoubecomemoreeffectiveatprewritingtasks?
Haveyouexperiencedmomentswhenthelightbulbsuddenlyilluminated?Canyouexplainwhyand
howthishappened?
Usespecificexamplesfromyourportfolio.

2.Rhetoric,Argumentation,&MultimodalCommunication

GuidingPrompts:Youdonotneedtoanswerallofthefollowingquestions,selectthoseyoufind
useful.

Whathaveyoulearnedaboutargumentationandpersuasionthroughtheprocessofgeneratingtwo
multimodalcompositions?
Explainhowcreatingamultimodalcompositionhelpedyoutoarticulateyourargumentsand
understandyourethosastheauthor.
Canyouexplainhowyouarrivedatthesolutionsyouchosetoadvocate?Didyouexperimentwith
othersolutionsbeforedecidingontheone(s)youchosetoadvocate?Wasthereaspecificmoment
whenyourthesisbecamecleartoyou,andcanyouexplainwhatyoudidtoarriveatsucha
momentofclearinsight?
Explainanddemonstratewhyandhowyouusedvariousargumentsandcounterargumentsand
numerousanddifferentsourcestostrengthenyourclaims.

Usespecificexamplesfromyourportfolio.

3.Revision

GuidingPrompts:Youdonotneedtoanswerallofthefollowingquestions,selectthoseyoufind
useful.

Explainyourprocessofrevision.Howbigofaroledoesrevisionplayintheprocessofgeneratingand
discoveringarguments?
Explainhowyoubenefittedfromfeedbackfromyourteacherandfromyourpeersbothinworkshops
andinofficehours.Howdoyourespondtocriticism?Whatsortofcriticareyoubecoming?Use
examplesoffeedbackyoureceivedonyourworkinprogress,yourfinalversions,andin
workshops,aswellasadviceyougavetoyourpeerstoaddressthesequestions.
Analyzehowyoubenefitfromwritingmultipledraftsintermsofargumentativepresentation,
evidentiarysupport,andnarrativedevelopment.
Explainandanalyzethetypesofrevisionsthatbenefityou.Doyoumakebroad,conceptualrevisions?
Doyoumakestructuralrevisionsandreorganizeparagraphs?Doyourewritesentences?Doyou
makefinewordchoices?Doyoualteryourbodyofevidencethroughresearchoromission?
Usespecificexamplesfromyourportfolio.

4.Transfer

GuidingPrompts:Youdonotneedtoanswerallofthefollowingquestions,selectthoseyoufind
useful.

NowthatyouhavecompletedthesequenceofcoursesthatfulfillstheLowerDivisionWriting
Requirement,lookbacktowhereyouwereatthebeginningofthequarter,orevenatthebeginningof
yourcollegewritingexperience,andlookforwardtowhereyouwouldliketobeandassesshowyour
practicesandhabitsofresearching,writing,andorganizinghavechangedandevolved.
HaveyoualreadyappliedwhatyoulearnedintheWR39seriestowritingassignmentsinother
classes?Explainusingspecificexamples,ifpossible.

Areyouusingavarietyofstrategiestoapproachyourwritingassignmentsinallofyourclasses?Did
theWR39seriesofcoursesinfluenceyourabilitytomakeeffectivechoicesabouthowto
approachotherwritingassignmentssuchaslabreports,memos,bluebookexams,shortresponse
papers,andanyotherexamplesofwritingyouhavebeenassignedinschool?DidtheWR39seriesof
coursesinfluencethewaysinwhichyoucommunicatewhenyouwriteorcommunicateoutsideof
school,perhapsinyourcommunitiesorinyourextracurricularactivities?Areyouusingthesame
strategiesindifferentcontextsasyouconsiderthedemandsofdifferentsituations,bothinschooland
out?
Usespecificexamplesfromyourportfolio.

C.SupportingMaterialsforYourPortfolio

1.Selections&Selecting

Yourportfolioshouldberichlytextured,populatedbynumerousartifacts.Alloftheprocesswork
youdoforclasswillgenerateartifactsputthemintoyourportfolioasyougoalong,knowingthatyou
willcontinuetoorganizeandreorganizeitoverthecourseofthequarter.Butselectthemost
meaningfulartifactscarefully,andwritedetailedcaptionsforthemsothatwhoeverviewsyourePort
understandsyourreasonsforchoosingaspecificpieceofevidence.

PossibleArtifacts:
Examplesofyourbestwriting
BeforeandAfterexamplesofwritingyourevised
Sourceevaluationsandannotations
Researchproposalandprospectus
ExamplesofyourwritingfromotherclassesincomparisontothewritingforyourWR39Ccourse
Instructor&Peerfeedback
Reflectionsonyourwork
Cellphonepicturesofyournotetakingstrategies,diagramsofyourarguments,orotherthingsthat
representyouandyourlearning.
Yoursourcematerials:video,pdffiles,websites,cartoons,etceteraandsoforth
Whatelsemightyouselect?

II.PortfolioGrade(30%ofFinalCourseGrade)

A.ReflectiveIntroduction,Captions,andOrganization

Thegradeforthereflectiveintroductionwillestablishthebasegradefortheportfolio.
Thequalityofthecaptionsandtheclarityandcreativityoftheportfoliosorganizationmaymovethe
basegradeupordown,inincrementsof1/3,byonefulllettergrade.Theremaybenoadjustment.For
example,supposeyouwriteagoodreflectiveintroductionandreceivethegradeofBonit,butyou
submitaverywellorganizedportfoliowithdetailedcaptionsthatexplainhandfulsofartifactsin
meaningfulways.Youroverallgradefortheportfoliomaymoveupby1/3,andyouwouldreceivethe
gradeofB+fortheportfolio.SupposeyougetaBonyouressaybutsubmitanexcellentePortfolio,
onethatsmeticulousinitsorganizationandisbursting
withartifactsanddetailedcaptions.
Yourgrademaygoupby2/3,andyouthenreceivethegradeofAonthefinalePortfolio.

TheremaybenoadjustmentofthebasegradeiftheintrinsicqualitiesoftheePortclarity,creativity,
andorganizationarethesameasthereflectiveintroduction.

GuidingQuestionsfortheInstructor:

Whatistheoverallqualityofthereflectiveintroduction?Aretheargumentssubstantiveand
supportedbyartifacts?
Hasthestudentmadepersuasiveargumentsabouthisorherprogressinthethreeorfour
specifiedareas inthereflectiveintroductionandthroughouttheportfolio?
Arethereenoughartifactstosubstantiatethearguments?Isitrichlytextured?Arethecaptions
useful?Areanumberofcaptionswelldetailed?
Istheportfoliowellorganized?
Aretheretypos,grammaticalglitches,andothersurfacelevelhitches?