Writing Portfolio is the collection of your writing samples.Someone looking at one of your weakest stories or reports will not get a clear picture of you as a writer. It would be like looking at a photo of you when you were having a bad hair day. “That’s me alright,” you might say, “but you’re certainly not seeing me at my best.We get a better picture of how someone writes by looking at several different samples of his or her work—a collection of writing— created at different times. Such a collection is often called a writing portfolio, and it is extremely useful for giving a clear, complete picture of you as a writer.
Actually, you cannot create a top-notch portfolio without being very picky. Imagine yourself making a mini-version of a photo album by picking six to ten of your favorite snapshots and putting them into a smaller collection. That is exactly how a portfolio is made.
Why Every writer And Student Must Keep A Writing Portfolio?
Many professional people, including writers, artists, and designers, compile portfolios to showcase their talents. A portfolio, in a way, speaks for the person. It says, “This is who I am; this is what I can do.” A portfolio also helps potential employers and clients evaluate an individual’s talents.
In many schools, students are asked to compile writing portfolios.
Portfolios help students . . .
- preserve important thoughts, feelings, and experiences,
- show their growth as writers, display important pieces of work,
- showcase the whole range of their writing skills, and
- reflect upon their own process of becoming writers.
You can also keep a personal portfolio, containing writing that is special to you. You might divide it according to the different types of writing you like to do on your own: poems, stories, plays, songs, and so on.
Types of Portfolios For Writers And Students
In most cases, you will create either a showcase portfolio or a growth portfolio. You and your teacher will probably decide together which type of portfolio to create.
Showcase Portfolio
A showcase portfolio shows the range of things you can do as a writer.For example, it might include different kinds of writing: a story, a poem, an expository essay, a persuasive essay. It might also include s that show off specific skills: revising/editing/research/organizational- skills, and so on. A showcase portfolio is usually presented for evaluation at the end of a grading period. As its name implies, it is meant to show you at your best.
Growth Portfolio
A growth portfolio notes the ways in which you are changing and growing as a writer. In a growth portfolio, examples of similar types of writing are collected regularly—say, once a month—over a long period of time. Anyone who looks at the portfolio (including you!) will be able tat)’ see how your skills are developing. You may check your growth
writing beginnings and endings,
- supporting a thesis effectively,
- creating a believable character,
- using colorful language,
- writing dialogue,
- and so on.
How To Design a Writing Portfolio
A showcase portfolio may contain the following parts, but always check with your teacher for specific requirements. (A growth portfolio will not include as many parts.)
- A table of contents listing the information included in your portfolio
- A brief reflective essay or letter detailing the story behind your portfolio (how you compiled it, how you feel about it, what it means to you,)
- A number of finished pieces representing some of your best writing (Your teacher may require that you include all of your planning, drafting, and revising for one or more of these pieces.)
- A cover sheet attached to each piece of writing, discussing the reason for its selection, the amount of work that went into it, and so on
- Evaluation sheets or checklists charting, among other things, the basic skills you have mastered as well as the skills you still need to work on
Creating Portfolio Tips And Tricks For Writers
- Keep track of all of your writing, including planning notes and drafts. When you need to put together your portfolio, you’ll have all the pieces to choose from.
- Make sure that you understand the specific requirements for the type of portfolio you are putting together.
- Work with an expandable or pocket-type folder to avoid dog-eared and ripped pages.
- Establish a schedule for working on your portfolio. You can’t put together an effective portfolio on the night before it’s due.
- Take pride in your portfolio. Make it a positive reflection of you.
Compiling a portfolio makes the writing process much more real and meaningful for you. You will, after all, be judged on the writing you decide to include in your portfolio.
Planning Ideas For Writing Portfolio
Putting together an effective portfolio takes time and effort. The following planning ideas should help.
COLLECT
Don’t make quick decisions about which pieces to include in your portfolio. Instead, as you write things, date them and tuck them into your general writing folder until you are ready to review them. Then make your choices.
Special Note: Never, ever lose any of the drafts for a piece of writing rr you may want to include in your portfolio.
SELECT
When your general writing folder contains at least three to five finished pieces, it’s probably time to choose something for your portfolio. Get out everything you have written and lay it out in front of you. Skim through each piece. Try to recall the feeling you had as you wrote each paper. Which one was the hardest? The most satisfying?
Reflect
Why did I choose this piece for my portfolio?A collection of writing doesn’t become a portfolio until you have Vpn a careful look at your choices, reflecting on the various pieces mi answering questions like these:
- What does it tell me about myself as a writer?
- What would I do differently in another similar piece?
- What have I learned that will make me a better writer?
Project
Use what you’ve learned about your writing to set goals for your- seMl Keep your goals focused and write them down: I will use my natural voice more. I will write stronger beginnings. I will learn to use semicolons. That way, it’s easier to know when you’ve achieved them!
