EWRT211-62: portfolio suggestions

The portfolios are due Wednesday night. 

At this point, whether you pass or fail EWRT 211 has nothing to do with your grade in the class. Now it all comes down to the strength of your portfolio.

Make sure you have read the portfolio guidelines carefully. If there is anything that you are unsure about, then ask me. Here are a few additional comments:

• The portfolio should contain three essays: the reflective essay, an out-of-class essay, and an in-class essay.
  
• The reflective essay should be a clean final draft. It goes on top of the portfolio. You should not include any other drafts or notes.
  
• The out-of-class essay will be either essay 1: family, or essay 3: writing. You should rewrite this essay. Clarify the thesis, add additional illustrations or explanations where necessary. Fix grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Keep in mind that the other reader of your portfolio will have copies of all the essay prompts, so the reader will know if your essay is on prompt or not. Include only a clean final draft in your portfolio. Do not include other drafts or my comments.
  
• The out-of-class essay will be the one you've had the most time to work on, so it'll be the one that will carry the most weight in your portfolio.
• The in-class essay will either be essay 2: melting pot, or essay 4: art and communication. This essay cannot be rewritten. You must include the actual essay you wrote in class, no matter how messy it is. Please remove my comment sheet before you include the essay in your portfolio. Obviously, you can't remove the comments I made in the body of your essay.
• At least one essay must be an analytical essay. An analytical essay is an essay that takes apart a text and looks at how that text works. The only essay that is not analytical is essay 1: family. So if you decide to include this essay, make sure that your in-class essay demonstrates that you can provide a clear and well-supported analysis of a text (or texts). If both your in-class essays are weak, then you may want to consider including essay 3 as your out-of-class essay, since this one involves the analysis of two texts.
• You don't need a fancy folder or anything for your portfolio. Just staple or paper clip the three essays together.