The document outlines the requirements for the final portfolio assignment in English 102, which consists of two parts: 1) revising one essay from the course with substantial changes, and 2) a reflection essay examining what was learned about writing, critical thinking, and reading skills, supported by evidence from revised essays and other coursework. The reflection essay must answer three required questions about writing skills and research processes, may consider additional optional questions, and follow a specified format and evaluation criteria focusing on demonstrating growth as a writer through evidence and goals.

1. The final portfolio assignment of English 102 consists of two
parts: 1) a substantial revision of one of your essays from the
course and 2) a Reflection Essay that examines what you have
learned about your writing, critical thinking, and critical
reading with evidence from your essays to support your claims.
Part 1: Revision Essay (15%) Choose one essay previously
written for this class for substantial revision. “Substantial”
revision means looking at what you have written with fresh
eyes, taking the time to expand ideas, reorganize sections of the
essay, provide additional evidence, analyze concepts more
deeply, rewrite sections of the essay, etc. The revised essay
should be noticeably different from the original final draft that
you submitted. Revising differs from editing, which is merely
correcting grammatical mistakes, spelling, punctuation, and
typos. Therefore, your changes should go beyond merely
responding to marginal notes.
The Revision Essay will be evaluated according to the original
criteria for that particular assignment (including length
requirements), plus evidence of substantial (not superficial)
changes that demonstrate critical and thoughtful considerations
of your writing. Just as superficial changes fail to show
substantial revision; arbitrary, major changes also do not
demonstrate that you have thought about the material in new
analytical ways. Note: even if you made a “good” grade, you
still need to make major changes to the essay.
At this point you may be asking yourself, “How do I choose
which essay to revise?” • Many of you may choose to revise the
essay that received the lower score, but that does not
necessarily have to be the case. • Look over both essays
carefully, reading my marginal notes and end comments. Also
review rough drafts, peer review comments, and your notes for
ideas. • Consider which essay has the most potential for

2. developing new ideas, expressing your thoughts in clearer ways,
or researching and finding stronger sources. • Ultimately, the
decision is up to you. Which essay did you enjoy most or would
you like to explore more fully? You’ll spend a great deal of
time revising this essay, so choose one that will maintain your
interest.
Part 2: Reflection Essay (10%) Reflective writing allows you to
articulate your thoughts about your growth as a writer in order
to 1) understand the progress you have made, and 2) establish
goals you still want to achieve with future writing projects.
Reflective writing can sometimes bring out tendencies to flatter
your reader or tell someone what you think they want to hear.
You might feel tempted to say things about your instructor, but
this assignment should focus on your own work. This reflection
must clearly explain what you have learned about your own
writing and provide evidence from your revised essay and other
writing in the course (short responses, reflection assignments,
etc.) to support your discussion. The reflection essay is not an
opportunity to discuss grades or campaign for a higher grade.
Your reflection should focus on the content of your work, not
the score it received.
Thesis: The thesis of this essay should demonstrate what you
have learned about your writing through your work this
semester. The body paragraphs should offer reasons to support
the thesis and provide evidence to back up your claims.
Organization: The reflection essay should be organized as a
narrative that tells the story of what you have learned from your
writing and researching while also presenting evidence of what
you have learned.
Required Responses: Your reflective essay must address the
following three questions: 1. What have you learned about your
writing, analysis, and critical reading through the process of

3. substantially revising one essay for this final project and
through working on your writing this semester? 2. What have
you learned about the research process: defining and narrowing
a topic, using keyword searches, navigating the library
database, finding scholarly journal articles? 3. How will you
challenge yourself to develop your writing skills in the future?
Optional Questions: You may also consider the following
questions, though you will not be able to cover all of them in
the essay. • What have you learned about analyzing texts and
reading them critically? • What have you learned about the
processes of writing–generating ideas, organizing your work,
writing multiple drafts, revising your work? • What have you
learned about the importance of receiving feedback on your
work from peers and others?
Format: 4 full pages, typed and double-spaced, 12 pt Times New
Roman font, 1" margins
Evaluation Criteria for Reflective Essay: • Thesis statement that
demonstrates what you’ve learned about writing this semester •
Plenty of specific evidence from your essays and other written
assignments • Clear organization as a narrative • Insightful,
thoughtful reflections about how you’ve grown as a writer •
Conclusion that describes goals for future written assignments •
Grammar, spelling, punctuation, and formatting