Reading Portfolio

Using Google Drive, you will collect, revise, and present work that shows your progress as a reader this semester.

There are three possible grades to earn on your portfolio, and each one depends on the number of tasks you complete and the level of effort you exert:

• The "C" portfolio (375 points)
• The "B" portfolio (425 points)
• The "A" portfolio (475 points)

Use this Table of Contents template to help me navigate your materials.

The "C" Portfolio:

If the portfolio contains your cover letter, your best quote response, one revised quote response, one revision assessment, and three source commentaries on a focused research question, you will receive a "C" on the portfolio.

The "B" Portfolio:

If the portfolio contains your cover letter, your best quote response, two revised quote responses, two revision assessments, five source commentaries on a focused research question, and a polished and professional conference proposal, you will receive a "B" on the portfolio.

The "A" Portfolio:

If the portfolio contains your cover letter, your best quote response, three revised quote responses, three revision assessments, seven source commentaries on a focused research question, a polished and professional conference proposal, and evidence of significant progress on your "conference presentation," you will receive an "A" on the portfolio.

The Analytical Cover Letter:

• This cover letter will request my evaluation of your work in a professional and formal way, just as you would ask a potential employer to look at an application.
• In the first paragraph, introduce your portfolio by discussing (1) your general impression of your achievement this semester, (2) what I will find in your portfolio, and (3) what grade you plan for the portfolio to earn.
• In the last paragraph, offer some general comments about your experience in the course and offer thanks for the opportunity to work on this project.
• The paragraphs between should explain your achievement more specifically on particular dimensions of the course; discussion, quote responses, and source commentaries. Explain your improvement in discussion, your revision choices for the quote responses, and how your source commentaries reflect your reading fitness. Dedicate one paragraph to each dimension.
• One more paragraph before the last should analyze yourself as a literary reader. Discuss some achievements, some ongoing problems with your reading, and some continuing goals you have set for yourself as a reader, based on your experience this semester. Use the works we've read for examples.
• Your cover letter should be single-spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman, 1" margins and follow the format of a professional business letter. The letter should fill at least two complete pages in Google Drive: The date of submission on the first line and your name, following "Sincerely," on the last.
• Find template here.

Revision Assessments: 300-word reflections on the revisions you make to your quote responses before including them in your portfolio. The emphasis should be on how your revisions reflect your improvement as a reader, not only in the sophistication of your ideas but also in your management of detail. You'll write one assessment for each revised quote response in your portfolio.

Source Commentaries:

• Before you write any commentaries, you first have to select some sources. You can use GIL and Galileo databases to identify potential sources, but you will need an idea to guide your final selection. Think of a research question that represents an interest you have in the novels we've read. You do not have to focus on one particular novel or author, but your idea must be specific, especially if you do plan to explore a connection between different authors. The question you raise will be the focal point of your search for sources.
• You'll know a source is worth writing a commentary on if it offers insight that can help an intelligent person address your question. The connection does not have to be direct--you should not look for answers to your question. Rather, stay open to connections that are indirect, insightful. Then you can use your intelligence to make the connection to your question. The goal is not to answer your question but to identify important factors in the discussion.
• Each commentary will start with a citation of the source (MLA style), followed by exactly two equal-length paragraphs that total at least 300 words.
  
  1. The first paragraph should identify an idea in the source (some point the author makes) that pertains to your research question. Explain this idea as the author presents it.
  2. The second paragraph should explain the connection between this idea and your research question. How does the author's idea shed light on your question, without actually answering it? What does the idea bring to a discussion of your question.
• Accompanying your commentaries should be an explanation of your research question. How did you arrive at it, and why is it important?

Conference proposal: Whether you actually plan to submit a project to a conference for real, you will need to complete an application that proposes your idea for a presentation at GCHC 2014. This process involves writing an abstract, a one to two-page explanation of your topic and its relevance. If you are doing the "A" portfolio, you actually need to start preparing the presentation itself and make significant progress on it. But even if you only do the proposal, I encourage you to submit it for real--to do your presentation at the conference, you do not have to be finished with it this semester. You can work on it through December and January, and I will continue giving your advice and support.

Here is a basic proposal template.

Sample Proposals: Student | Faculty

Quote Responses

On days indicated on the calendar, you will submit a quote response on an assigned work. I say "submit," but because you will be writing these assignments in Google Drive, I will be able to see your work on them even before the due date. So the deadline is actually when you should be finished so that I can evaluate your work.

The goal is to think about a work we are reading and write short paragraph responses to three different quotations. The exercise, therefore, has three sections. To earn credit for the assignment, please follow the requirements and guidelines.

Discussions

Your participation in our class discussions is part of your grade, but good performance in this area should not be a problem for any of you. You will have taken reading notes on the pages we read for each meeting, so you will be very familiar with the text and have already come up with questions and ideas to share. When you arrive, articulate those questions and ideas. Our discussions are for you, and our most interesting sessions will be the result of your honest, inquiring attempts to grapple with this difficult literature.

During each class meeting, you should raise your hand to speak at least once. You can offer clarification, ask a question, elaborate on an idea, challenge an interpretation, give an example or counterexample--in other words, you don't have to be "right" or "know the answer" to speak. Actually, I would rather you speak precisely when you DON'T know the answer or when you are uncertain.

Your presence and involvement will be worth daily credit, worth a total of 100 points spread over the entire semester.

In the event that discussions become routinely focused around the same few students making an effort to participate, I will begin requiring discussion postings before class so that everyone has a chance to try out communicating their thoughts before our discussions.

Reading Notes

For this course, instead of quizzes, I require note-taking on the reading assignments so that you can demonstrate thorough reading of each work. Also, they will help you remember more of what you read, making you more confident during class discussions. When you come to class, please bring with you a substantial set of hand-written notes on standard notebook paper about the reading assignments for that week.

Why?

• To stay focused as you read so you can recall things for class discussion.
• To record specific details for use in your assignments.
• To collect quotations for quote responses.

To receive full credit when we have a reading assignment, you have to

1. Be in class to discuss the reading!
2. Take at least two full pages of notes before class begins--these notes must show that you took notes throughout each reading assignment for that week. Use the space wisely and completely--too much white space makes your notes incomplete.
3. Write down examples of literary terms, images that are packed with meaning, memorable lines and passages, confusing expressions, compelling themes, questions you have, character dilemmas, conflicts, writing style descriptions, etc. Really, you need a mixture of the above items, not an exclusive focus on any one thing. DO NOT summarize what you are reading; instead, select what is interesting and important to you, what you would bring up in class to discuss. Your notes must reflect that you read the ENTIRE portion of pages for that week.
4. Make sure your notes are organized and readable. I don't mean "pristine"--don't rewrite them or anything, but don't just scribble meaningless phrases everywhere. Use page numbers for stories. Everything you write down should be associated with different quotes from the work, so write these quotes down and then write down your associated ideas. Give your notes some structure so they are not just one big mass of words. Use underlining and boxes to emphasize and separate ideas, for instance. Your notes should show that you are thinking actively and making connections between stories.
5. Turn these notes in at the beginning of class for me to evaluate.
6. Put your name, date, and the name of the reading assignment at the top of the first page.

The notes should not just be a summary of the story or a random list of stopping points. The best sets of notes will how that you are responding to what you read, asking questions, noting significant moments, actively thinking. Remember, you are being graded on effort, so be sure that I can see your effort!