Range of writing (doesn't apply in mid-term portfolio)
Is there evidence of a range of writing–genres, audiences, purposes? Students
may be better at some kinds of writing than others, but there should be signs
that they are willing to engage multiple genres and tasks of different levels of
difficulty. How adaptable are they? (Students need not include a variety of
genres in the midterm portfolio but freewrites, journal entries, etc. could
represent the required range of writing.)
Development of writer’s abilities (less significant in mid-term portfolio)
Is there evidence in the portfolio, through drafts of the same paper, that
the writer has been developing? Is revision used for the purposes of deepening
or changing an idea or restructuring the essay in more effective ways–or is
revision minimal or limited to grammatical issues? Can you determine in what
areas the writer has developed? Are there areas that are as problematic now as
in the beginning?
Engagement with ideas and issues
Can you see signs of writing as discovery of and engagement with ideas–about
self and the world? Do you get a strong sense of the writer's presence as a
thinker in her work? Or is the writer choosing subjects that are well rehearsed
by others, dealing with them in a tired way? What are the signs of the writer’s
excitement, about writing and about thinking? Does the writer engage in a
substantive way with readings that she has incorporated in her work?
Engagement with rhetorical tasks
Does the text show evidence that the writer understands the expectations that
readers have in the beginning, middle, and end of an essay? Do all the parts of
the essay come together in a coherent and meaningful way? Is the writer able to
engage in tasks such as summary, textual analysis, incorporation of outside
sources and evaluation of ideas all within the context of his own argument? Is
the structure of the essay appropriate for its purpose and audience?
Textual presentation
Is the writer presenting final versions that meet your expectations for
published excellence–no typos, good grammar, etc., and documents that look good
collected together into an attractive and well organized portfolio? Are errors
of grammar, mechanics, and syntax acceptable or do they interfere with our
reading of the texts in the portfolio? Is there evidence that the writer crafts
her sentences?
Self-reflection
How insightful can the writer be about her or his own writing products and
processes? How persuasively has she documented her insights with references to
her texts? Has the writer set worthwhile and realistic goals for the remainder
of this semester? Do you get a sense of the student's involvement in her own
development as a writer and reader?
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