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my final writing portfolio
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Final Portfolio
NOTE: You are only eligible to submit a final portfolio if you have completed all three major
projects or contacted me to make other arrangements.
GOALS:
1. To reflect on what you have learned this semester in W131.
2. To deepen your understanding of the necessity of revision.
3. To demonstrate your understanding and achievement of course goals and outcomes.
DEADLINE:
Submit all required documents on Canvas by Monday, December 11, 11:59 pm. Be sure your
portfolio contains all the required components to receive full credit; any missing components
will result in a grade penalty.
You may submit it as one file or as separate files.
Late portfolios will not accepted (unless you have a documented emergency).
SUMMARY OF PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS:
1. Revised Project 3 essay and revised Project 1 or Project 2 essay.
2. Revised writer’s statements
3. Reflection Essay
PORTFOLIO REQUIREMENTS:
1. Revised essays: Your revised essays should incorporate as much as possible my suggestions.
Also, make sure each has the following features (adapt as needed for genres that are not an
essay):
a. A heading with your name, the course number (Eng W131), and the date of final
submission in upper left-hand corner – all single-spaced.
b. An engaging, appropriate title, centered above the text
c. A “Works Cited” list at the end with proper MLA formatting. Make sure the texts are
actually cited.
2. Revised writer’s statements: You must update your writer’s statements as needed identify and
explain any and all the revisions made to the essays. That is, show your reader the specific
changes you made to the original submission. Again, be specific. Here are some examples:
1. I rethought my ideas about my question, resulting in significant changes to my
introduction and conclusion. In many ways, this is a new essay.
2. I rewrote my introduction completely, incorporating a personal anecdote.
3. I reorganized my essay. Originally, I discussed each source separately. Now I have
organized by sub-topics, integrating source material in each sub-topic.
4. I elaborated on my discussion of Johnson’s article.
5. I added a new source to help me analyze Anzaldua’s experience of using Spanglish. This
source, by Rivera, is introduced in paragraph 2 and used in several other paragraphs.
6. I edited sentences throughout my essay for clarity, syntax, and style. At least 15 such
sentences have been improved.
3. Reflection Essay
To write this essay well, you will need to review the “Course Goals and Learning Outcomes”
from the syllabus (pp. 1-2) and consider how your work this semester has met them.
Accordingly, your reflection essay must address these three questions:
What have you learned about writing (and reading and inquiry) this semester?
What writing techniques and strategies have you tried?
How have you grown as a writer and reader?
Your audience for this reflection essay includes yourself and me as your instructor. You might
also consider other college students and instructors as possible readers who would be interested
in your progress and would understand what you are writing about.
Minimal guidelines:
1. Address all three of the questions above.
2. Use specific examples from your writing, including some quotations from your writing. A
reflection essay without specific examples is not acceptable.
3. Analyze your writing process you developed this semester. You should include examples of
that process: how you use different strategies; how you used reader response; how you revised
and edited.
4. Show that you understand the course goals in terms of your own writing and that you
understand your growth as a writer, your strengths, and areas for continued work.
5. The number of pages in the reflection essay may vary according to your approach, your style,
and so on. Since you need to address all the three questions and include specific examples, I
suggest 3-5 pages. If your reflection essay is less than three full pages, ask yourself if you have
done all that is needed – are you being concise or ignoring certain questions or not providing
examples?. If your reflection essay is more than five pages, make sure you are not rambling,
padding, or repeating yourself.
6. It should have a descriptive, engaging title but it should not need a Works Cited list (unless
you cite a source other than course documents and your own writing).
7. Formatting: double-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font, 1” margins.
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Omar Youssef
First Draft
12/11/2023
Course Reflection
The English course W131 aim to offer students the necessary writing tools blended with
critical reading, thinking, and writing. This has also allowed the system to engage more fully
with various texts, issues, and perspectives. This involves teaching students how to analyze for
different audiences and purposes critically. The semester’s course has dramatically improved my
writing and reading skills, making it a landmark of my academic life since I joined college up to
this time. My perception about writing and reading is very different now as earlier on, I thought
that writing was just an activity, but now I see it as a means of expressing my thoughts in words.
Assignments like analysis and synthesis of sources made me realize how other genres work and
how I can modify my style. In addition to understanding such aspects, I am increasing the quality
of my papers, deepening my comprehension, and developing more mature thinking abilities.
Reading is a crucial component in this class that extends beyond ordinary levels. I have
learned how to read context, style, and purpose too. It helped me immensely in critical thinking
by enabling me to identify subtle arguments or discover other points of view within one text. My
experience in various forms of written works, ranging from academic articles to creative pieces,
expanded my intellectual frontiers. English W131 was an eye-opener for me; it changed how I
think about academics. This essay will reflect upon some moments in the coursework that
demonstrate the progress that I have made over time, as well as focus on some abilities honed
during this period. My improvement in both writing and reading proves that this course is
practical, and I am committed to being a lifelong learner.
My growth in analytical writing was essential to me as critical reading and writing in
English W131 must be emphasized. In Project 1, titled “Fueling the Future,” I discussed the gas
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versus electric cars debate and its implications for the future of transportation. “Moving towards
electric vehicles is not only a technological jump but an environmental shift,” noted a student
during the course. This piece showcased how I had learned to understand complex subjects and
articulate their broader implications. In another instance, I delved into Muhammad Ali’s societal
influences. I wrote, “Beyond boxing’s limits, Ali had become known more for his rhetoric than
any other aspect of his career.” This shows that my ability to express how societal norms interact
with public figures has improved with time. These projects show how I have developed my
critical reading and writing skills, which have helped me understand different fields better. Since
then, my academic performance has dramatically improved the class, giving me a deeper
appreciation of how literature and analysis influence society’s narratives. This transformation
highlights the importance of critical reading/writing in academic/personal growth.
Different writing techniques allowed me to improve on my assignments. The story I
created in Project 1 was based on Ali’s experiences interwoven with historical happenings. This
indicated how I can convert any historical journey into an exciting account by using vivid
descriptions and emotional depth that connect the readers. However, project 2 differed from
project 1, focusing on selecting gas or electric cars. As such, I used rhetorical analysis to look at
these claims from different perspectives. In this work, I discovered the importance of
understanding and employing various persuasive approaches like logos, ethos, and pathos that
drive opinions and back up claims. The most beneficial writing technique to date has been
critical analysis. This meant reading texts for their surface meanings and delving deeply into
what they implied. Both these projects connected historical occurrences with personal reflections
and societal developments to comprehensively analyze an issue under scrutiny. Therefore, these
pieces illustrate my increased capacity to use many forms of writing, including narrative and
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rhetoric criticism. This improvement has made me a better writer in expressing complex
concepts. It also imparted new knowledge about the delicate balance involved in all good
writing. I now see writing differently since the course made me realize that it is not just about
intellectual exercise but also a way to communicate with others within society.
This course transformed my writing from factual to analytical. As a writer, I became an
ardent reader after taking this course. My first project, which combined narrative and analysis to
examine its impact on society, was a turning point for me. In Project 1, my writing style
significantly changed as I dug deeper into it and added more insights and critical analysis. The
second project marked another improvement in how I learned about things.
Regarding this, I had a more comprehensive picture, reading more critically rather than
superficially. Additionally, one of my improved skills was comprehending condensed situations
pregnant with tacit explanations and conveying broader messages appealing to readers.
Accordingly, I can produce content designed for academic or professional audiences and know
better what they think about it. This skill has been developed through assignments and feedback,
significantly influencing my perception of educational or career writing. English W131 has
immensely affected me as a reader and writer. Not only that, but the course also taught me how
to be analytical. Especially when talking about literature in general, which is also a complicated
art where we inscribe our most far-reaching impressions of the world into collective memory
through letters sent to nameless people residing at different places and times with no guarantee
that they will arrive or get any response, these are significant literacies developed through
multiple tasks and reflections, thus preparing me for future academic work involving relevant
professional engagement and guiding me all along the way, including rough patches and chances
ahead.
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Iterative strategies have been used more frequently in this semester’s writing, and it has
undergone many changes. My initial approach was linear – I wrote as soon as an idea came to
mind. However, this became a reflective and recursive method that needed to return to the drafts
for possible amendments. One thing that made me better at writing is peer assessment. I wouldn’t
say I liked others touching my work in the beginning.
On the other hand, I later discovered how much other thoughts can supplement the
written material. For instance, after consulting colleagues, Project 1 had to be rearranged,
making its arguments regarding the analysis done therein rather weighty. Further still, this period
of writing was packed with prewriting. Prewriting this time involved more extended periods of
thinking about what should be said and drawing from better plans (more substantial – more
detailed). Also, with time, my writing habits have included revisions, allowing me to scrutinize
language use by focusing on clearness or efficiency by giving only relevant examples or
instances by avoiding repetition &/or also looking at a style that needs some improvement; thus,
most words are simple, short & active enough when he introduces himself; however, these essays
may seem as though they have all those aspects so that their conclusions appear as someone else
wrote them but not remember anything about those matters today since many topics about
academic essay writer’s composing works were between other things because such could mean
others improve their styles or they arrive at better English W131’s writing process shifted from
linearity towards iteration and even sometimes there were: constructive feedbacks prewriting
approaches increased leading to more revisions along this line. It will also help boost my general
writing skills, making me a potentially competent future author.
English W131 profoundly influenced me: Reading, Writing & Inquiry class. Its purpose
is to sharpen my writing skills at the college level and beyond, improving my critical reading,
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thinking, and writing. My understanding of text analysis and narrative construction has widened
in responses like an assessment of Muhammad Ali’s life and the gas versus electric cars debate.
The course requires careful iterating writing that entails responding to feedback on drafts. With
all this in mind, I have attained academic competence through this writing course, which
emphasizes critical engagement with various texts and an iterative writing process that requires
considering feedback and refining work. Consequently, these skills form a part of me as they will
always guide me in overcoming challenges or taking up available opportunities in school or any
other professional setting. Additionally, English W131 has opened my mind to different ways of
approaching difficult writing situations so that I can now confidently tackle complex writing
tasks.
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