English11MidtermExam

WritingPortfolio
Part1:
WritingReflection
Chooseonewritingthatyouthoughtwasyourmosteffectiveandonethatwasyourleast
effective.Writea
12paragraph
reflectiononeach.Inyourreflection,youmust
specificallyexplainwhyeachpiecewaseffectiveorineffective.Forexample,what
specificwritingelementsmakeyourmosteffectivepiecethebest?Whatspecifically
wouldyouchangeororworkoninyourotherwritingpieces?

Writingsthisyear:
FormalBookAnalysis
Maus
and
TheGreatGatsby
SummativeEssays
NarrativeWritingsSuperHeroNarrativeandtheNanowrimo

1. Mosteffectivepieceofwritingandwhy.
ThemosteffectivepiecewasMaus.Igottoreadapieceandgivemyopinion
aboutitallowingmetoexpresshowIfeltaboutthebook.Itgivesmeguidelinesto
followwhileIuseknowledgeIvelearnedtowriteadetailedsummativeassignment.
WhileinthenarrativewritingsIwassettowritearandomstorybasedonnothing.
Thisisharderformeanddoesnthelpmelearnmuchofanything.AsIamusingprior
knowledgetowriteastoryratherthanlearningnewtechniquesorbetteringmywriting
ability.Whichiswhythebookanalysiswereforbetterformeinmymind.

2. Leasteffectivepieceofwritingandwhy.
TheleasteffectivepieceofwritingIbelievewastheSuperHeroNarrative.It
didnthelpmeatallasImadeupacharacterandstoryanddontbelievethatithelped
furthermywritingskills.Theideawasgreatbutinorderfortheideaofthestorytobe
helpfultomeitneedstohavesometechniquetohelpmeunderstandwritingbetter.
Thiscouldbecomeamoreeffectivepieceifitactuallyshowedmesomekindof
waytofurthermyskillsandmakeabetterstorythanIhad.ButasofnowIbelievethe
Narrativedidnthelpmewithanythingbutimprovemyimagination.

Part2:
WritingProcess
Takinga300400wordssectionofyourNanowrimoassignmentfromNovemberplease
reviseitfromitsroughdraftform.

1. Copyandpastethe
roughdraft
below.DoNOTrevisethispieceinthisarea.

LittlePiglookedovertoNayandcouldseethatNaywasstillsoundasleep.
LittlePiglookedaroundtoseeiftherewasanythingaroundthatcouldhelphim.And
closetoLittlePigwasNayssatchel.Helookedawayinstantlyknowingitwouldbe
empty.Butluckilysomethingcaughthiseye.InsidethesatchelwastheflutethatLittle
PighadtakenfromtheKinginthepreviousvillage.Hereachedforthesatchelbutwith
noluck.Helookedaroundforanythingthatcouldhelphim.Buthedidntseeanything.

LittlePiglookedtowardsthethreeRaccoonsjustintimetoseeonewalkingoverwith
astick.LittlePigsquirmedtogetawaybuttheRaccoonswungthestick,hittingLittle
Pigrightinthetemple.Knockinghimunconscious.
LittlePigwokeuptoNaybeingdraggedthroughtheforest.Thethree
Raccoonswereinfrontchatteringwitheachotheraboutsomerandomnonsense.
LittlePiglookedaroundandseenoneRaccoonhadthefluteinhisbackpocket.Little
Pigslowlybeganleaningupslowlyinordertograbtheflute.Butashegotcloserone
Raccoonturnedaround,luckilyLittlePighadseenitcomingandhadthrownhimself
backtotheground.TheRaccoonlookedawayandwentbacktohisconversation.
LittlePigleanedforwardagainuntilhewascloseenoughtograbtheflute.Finallyhe
gotcloseenoughandsnatchedtheflutefromtheRaccoonspocket.Instantlyallthree
Raccoonsflungaround,butbeforetheycouldreactLittlePigbeganplayingtheflute
thinkingabouttheRaccoonsuntyingthemandrunningawayforgettingaboutLittlePig
andNay.LittlePigtookthefluteawayfromhismouthandwaitedforareaction.

2. Copyandpastetheroughdraftinthissectionandbegintoreviseyourwork.
Highlightanychangesin
yellow
andadditionsin
green.

LittlePiglookedovertoNayandcouldseethatNaywasstillsoundasleep.
LittlePiglookedaroundtoseeiftherewasanythingaroundthatcouldhelphim.
And
notfarfromLittlePig
wasNayssatchel.Helookedawayinstantlyknowingitwouldbe
empty.Butluckilysomethingcaughthiseye.InsidethesatchelwastheflutethatLittle
PighadtakenfromtheKinginthepreviousvillage.
Heknewthatflutecouldbeused
forhelp
.Hereachedforthesatchelbutwithnoluck.Helookedaroundforanything
thatcouldhelphim.Buthedidntseeanything.LittlePiglookedtowardsthethree
Raccoonsjustintimetoseeonewalkingoverwithastick.LittlePigsquirmedtoget
awaybuttheRaccoonswungthestick,hittingLittlePigrightinthetemple.Knocking
himunconscious.
LittlePig
awoke
toNaybeingdraggedthroughtheforest.ThethreeRaccoons
wereinfrontchatteringwitheachotheraboutsomerandomnonsense.LittlePig
lookedaroundand
couldseethatoneoftheRaccoons
hadthefluteinhisback
pocket.LittlePigslowlybeganleaningupslowlyinordertograbtheflute.Butashe
gotcloseroneRaccoonturnedaround,luckilyLittlePighadseenitcomingandhad
thrownhimselfbacktotheground.TheRaccoonlookedawayandwentbacktohis
conversation.LittlePigleanedforwardagainuntilhewascloseenoughto
snatch
the
flute
fromthebag
.Finallyhegotcloseenoughandsnatchedtheflutefromthe
Raccoonspocket.InstantlyallthreeRaccoonsflungaround,butbeforetheycould
reactLittlePigbeganplayingtheflutethinkingabouttheRaccoonsuntyingthemand
runningawayforgettingaboutLittlePigandNay.LittlePigtookthefluteawayfromhis
mouthandwaitedforareaction.

3. Pleasewritea
12paragraph

reflectiononwhythechangesyouhavemade
improvesthewriting.Keepinmindyouraudiencewhenthinkingabouthowthis
improvesthewriting.

Thesechangesimprovedthewritingbyshowingmoredetailtothecharacters
situationandtoshownottellhowtheydealtwiththesituation.BeforeIaddedand
revisedcertainareasofthesectionthedetailsdidntaddawholelotofexplanationtothe
passage.Nowthatthey'rethereitgavethoughtandmoredescriptivedetailtohowthe
characterthoughtandreacted.

Althoughthepassagemadesensewithouttheaddedandrevisedsectionsitnow
helpsbetterexplaintothereaderwhatthecharacterthoughttohowthecharacterreacted.
Butalsoshowedmoredetailsratherthantellingthereaderwhatwasgoingon.

Part3:
WritingSkills
For
six
oftheitemsbelow,youwillneedtocopypastetheexamplefromanyofyour
essaysandexplainhowtheexamplebelowmeetthestandard.

Makesuretoidentifythe
writingthatitcomesfrom.

1. Effectivelyandcorrectlyusesimagery(ShowNOTTELL)
(Explainwhyyou
chosetoputimageryhereandwhyitiseffective)
Heslumpeddownagainstthedarkmenacingtree,saddenedatthethoughtoflosing
hisbestfriend.IchosethispieceofimagerybecauseIbelieveitshowedthemoodof
thesituationandnotonlythelookofthesurroundingarea.

Effectivelyandcorrectlyusesaproper(specific)noun(
Explainwhyyouchoseto
putaspecificnounhereandwhyitiseffective)
3. Effectivelyandcorrectlyusesavividverb(
Explainwhyyouchosetoputavivid
verbhereandwhyitiseffective)
2.

TinyPig
leaped
ontothebackoftinyhorseandtheystartedoffthetinymountain.I
usedtheverbleapinsteadofjumpbecauseIthoughtitgaveabettersoundingand
lookingdescriptiontothatsectionofthestory.

Effectivelyandcorrectlyusesafigurativelanguage(
Explainwhyyouchosetouse
figurativelanguagehereandwhyitiseffective)
5. Effectivelyandcorrectlyuseofsymbolism
(Explainwhatthesymbolismis,why
youchosetouseithere,andwhyitiseffective)
4.

Acrossthefrontofthebookbiglettersweresprawledoverit.Ichosethispartofthe
bookbecauseIbelievethatthebookrepresentsaguidetogettingLittleTrainback
andLittlePigseesthebookalmostassomethingthatwillguaranteehegetshisfriend
backandthatsshownwhenthebookisstolenandLittlePigfreaksout.
6.

Revisebyaddingasentence(s)orword(s)thatsupportthepurpose.
(Explainwhy
yourrevisionimprovedyouressay).

LittlePig
dreamed
ofbeingwithhisbestfriendagainandenjoyingtheirtimetogether
evenmorethanheeverhad.Ichosedreamedbecausetheworddescribesthe
purposeofthenovelasLittlePigdreamsofgettinghisfriendbackthroughoutthe
story.

Showanexampleofacomplexorcompoundsentenceinyourwriting.
(Explain
howthisisbetterthanusingmultiplesimplesentences)
8. Revisebydeletingunneededorofftopicsentence(s)orword(s)
(Explainwhy
yourrevisionimprovedyouressay)
9. Createsanintroductionthatsetsthestagefortherestofthepiece.
(Explainthe
strategyyouusedandhowitcontributestoyouressay)
7.

Peopleofdifferentcountrymaynotunderstandhoworwhat
TheGreatGatsby
represents.TheymayhavedifferentvaluesorwaysoflifethanthepeopleofAmerica
wouldhave.TheymightnothavethetypeofstandardAmericawouldhavewhenit
comestomoneyorpersonalpossessions.Ifthetexthadbeenwrittenforpeopleofa
differentcountrythenthepeopleofthatcountrymaynotknowthestandardsofthe
AmericandreamortheAmericanwayoflife.IchosethisparagraphbecauseIbelieveit
startedoffmyessaywithagoodtopicsentencethatledthroughwithpiecesoftopicsthat
weregoingtobediscussedlaterintheessayandendingitwithmythesis.
10. Createsaconcludingparagraphthateffectivelybringsthepiecetoaclose.
(Explainthestrategyyouusedandhowitcontributestoyouressay)
Ifthetexthadbeenwrittenforpeopleofadifferentcountrythenthepeopleofthat
countrymaynotknowthestandardsoftheAmericandreamortheAmericanwayoflife.
Thesepeoplemaynotunderstandthethemesorideasof
TheGreatGatsby
primarily
becausetheyhavedifferentvaluesandbeliefsorjusthaveadifferentlifestylethat
doesntfitthecharactersofthenovel.AlthoughthenovelrepresentstheAmericandream
andhowpeoplelivewithit,itdoesntclearlyrepresentitforpeopleoflessfortunate
situations.IchosethisparagraphbecauseIbelieveitbroughtanendtomyessay
formallywhilereviewingeverythingIdiscussedinpriorparagraphsandblendedthe
ideasnicely.
11. Createsatonethroughwordsanddescriptions(connotation/denotation)thatare
appropriateforacertainaudience.
(Explainwhoyourintendedaudienceisand
howyoutargetedthataudiencespecifically).
12. Createsvoicethroughuseofdialogueandcolloquialvocabulary.(
Explainwho
yourintendedaudienceisandhowyoutargetedthataudiencespecifically).
(Howdoesthisaddtoyourwriting)?

Reading
Inthereadingsectionofyourportfolio,pleaseshowandreflectonyourgrowthasa
readerinEnglish11.Pleaseinclude:

Part1
:
RequiredReadings
Pleasereflectontheskillsyoulearnedaboutwritingorreadingfromatleast
two
ofthe
elevenrequiredtextsfromthiscourse.Youwillfindalistofsomeofthoseskillsbelow.
Writea
23paragraph

reflectiononthoseskillsbelow.Pleasemakesuretoincludeat
least
three
ofthoseskillsinyourreflectionMakesuretoidentifythetextitcamefrom
andbespecificonthatauthorsstyle.

ShortStories
FortunateSonbyDaveMarshstartsonpage12
ChameleonSchlemieleonbyPatricSTracy
HillsLikeWhiteElephantsbyErnestHemingway
TheMasqueofRedDeathbyEdgarAllenPoe
ARoseforEmilybyWilliamFaulkner
TheLotterybyShirleyJackson

Editorial
FortheLoveofMoneybySamPolk

Poems
RubriksCubebyBenjaminBarker
FinalExamForMyFatherbyJoaquinZihuatanejo
TheRavenbyEdgarAllenPoe

Novels
Maus
byArtSpiegelman
Vol.1

Vol.2
TheGreatGatsby
byF.ScottFitzgerald

Readingskillslist:
Choose
threeforyourreflection.

1. Canidentifytheauthorspurposeinapieceofwritinganduseevidencefromthe
texttosupporttheclaim.PleasedothiswithANYpieceofwritingwehaveused
thisyear.
2. Canidentifytheauthorsintendedaudienceinapieceofwritinganduseevidence
fromthetexttosupporttheclaim.(Ethos,Pathos,andLogosorShowNotTell)
3. Canyouidentifyanauthorsabilitytohookareaderintotheirstory.(Ethos,
Pathos,andLogosorShowNotTell)
4. CanyouidentifyhowanauthorcreatesvividcharactersthroughuseofShowNot
Tell/FigurativeLanguage,Connotation/Denotation,etc.
5. Canyouidentifytheinferentialmotivationsofcharactersinareading.
6. CanyouidentifyhowanauthorcreatevividscenesthroughuseofShowNot
Tell/FigurativeLanguage,SymbolismConnotation/Denotation,etc.
7. Demonstratesuseofconnecting(connectingthebooktosomethingoutsideofthe
book)strategiestounderstandatext.(SocraticSeminar)
8. Demonstratesuseofquestioning(openendedquestionsthatgeneratediscussion)
strategiestounderstandatext.(SocraticSeminar)
9. Demonstratesuseofpredicting(askingquestionsorusingcontextualcluesto
predictthepossibleoutcomeofastory)strategiestounderstandatext.(Socratic
Seminar)

Pleasewriteyourreflectionbelow:

ThroughoutthebookARoseforEmilybyWilliamFaulknerIwasabletolearn
theoutcomeofthestoryandhowtopredictit.Faulknerputhelpfulcluesandhints
throughoutthestorythatlaterledontothediscoveryofabodyinEmilysbed.Because
ofthisstoryIlearnedtowatchforforeshadowingandunderstandwhenanauthorleads
youtoafurtherdetailedexplanationofwhythingsarehappeninginthestory.
AlsofromARoseforEmilybyWilliamFaulknertheauthorhelpedmelearnto
lookforapurposebehindtheauthorstext.Tolookforsomethingbehindwhats
happeninginsteadofjustseeingthesurface.BecauseFaulknerputforeshadowinginto

histextIcouldputthehintstogetherandtrytoguesswhatsgoingtohappenfurtherinto
thestory.WherebeforeIwouldlookatthedetailsandthinkthey'rejustthingshappening
insteadofsmallcluesthataddupneartheend.
InthebookTheMasqueofRedDeathbyEdgarAllenPoetheauthorgives
verydetailedshowsinsteadoftells.Ivelearnedfromthestorythatitspossibleto
explainthewholeideaofanobjectthroughdescriptivewordsinsteadofjusttellingthe
scene.Ivelearnedtoactuallygetintotheobjectordescriptionandhelpthereaderlearn
alotabouttheobject.Insteadofjusthavingitbethereratherthangiveareasonforwhy
thisobjectordescriptivethingiseventhere.

Part2
:
ReadingAnalysis
Inthefollowingcoldreading,
OnDumpsterDivingbyLarsEigher
,pleasewriteashort
200400wordessayansweringoneofthefollowingquestions:

1. Howcouldthetextbereadandinterpreteddifferentlybytwodifferentreaders?
2. Ifthetexthadbeenwritteninadifferenttimeorplaceorlanguageorfora
differentaudience,howandwhymightitdiffer?
3. Howandwhyisasocialgrouprepresentedinaparticularway?
4. Whichsocialgroupsaremarginalized,excluded,orsilencedwithinthetext?
5. Howdoesthetextconformto,ordeviatefrom,theconventionsofaparticular
genre,andforwhatpurpose?(Forexampleisthisahistorytext?)
6. Howhasthetextborrowedfromothertexts,andwithwhateffects?

Pleasehighlightthequestionyouaregoingtoanswerabove
yellow
andwriteyouressay
below.

InOnDumpsterDivingbyLarsEigherthelowerclassofAmericais
representedinawaythatshowshowtheyhavetostruggletosurvive.Thestory
representshowpeoplehavetodothingstosurvivethatneedtobedone.Ifeelthis
representsthelowerclassperfectlyastheyhavetohavejobsthatnobodywantsjustto
haveendsmeet.Andinthestorytheladyhastodothingstoliveandhavealifethat
othersmayfindasdisgusting.Butinrealityitswhatthesepeoplehavetodotosurvive.
Somehavetoliveinconditionsthatshouldntbesuitableforonetolivebutitjusthasto
bedone.
Eventhoughsomepeopledothesethingstosurviveitdoesntmakethembador
completelydifferentpeople.Itsjustawayoflifewhereyouhavetodothingsthatyou
dontwanttobutareforcedtodotosurvive.Andthisdoesntchangewhothepersonisit
justchangeswhatthepersondoestofocusonsurvivalandsomewayoflife.Whichis
howthelowerclassorpoorerpeopleinAmericaareshowninOnDumpsterDivingby
LarsEigher.Notshowingaslesserpeoplebutasdoingwhattheyhaveto.