Portfolio Revision Strategies ENGL 1301

Substantial revision is re-seeing the topic to improve meaning. It involves rewriting, adding, and
deleting with intention: to make sure that your ideas are clear. This may mean expressing your
ideas more clearly, fixing structure or organization, re-examining assignment requirements, or
adding better evidence or details and examples. Remember, revision is more than simply editing
and polishing. Revision allows you to re-see your previous writing projects with new eyes—eyes
that have learned so much in ENGL 1301.

So, where do you start? Constructing a portfolio that consists of revised essays may seem
daunting. But, remember that you cannot do it all at once—you need to do it step-by-step. Lucky
for you, I am here to break down these steps for you.

1. Start with the feedback that your professor gave you. Most of the time, the feedback that I
have given you pertains to how well you met the requirements of the assignment. Make a list of
all the comments that I gave you. Make sure that you keep track of your grammatical and
mechanical errors on a separate sheet (remember, grammar and mechanics is never a weakness
or a strength—it is simply something that you need to learn).

2. Re-read the assignment prompt. Most of the time, in my experience, students have simply
either not paid attention to what the assignment asked them to do (and simply wrote whatever
they wanted) or they did not understand what the assignment was asking them to do. Make sure
that you are very clear on what the assignment wanted you to do—ask if you are not sure! Make
a list of all the requirements of each project.

3. Compare your two lists. Do you see a pattern? Does the list of my comments align with the
requirements of the project? Some will not—some will simply be telling you what you are really
great at—make sure that you do more of that!

4. Start revising based upon your two lists (from above). Start by making sure that you are doing
the minimum that is required for the project (remember, the minimum requirements ensure that
you will get at least a C on the essay). Then, move on to addressing the other comments that I
gave you.

5. Do more research if you need to. Go back and re-analyze your chosen genre for the first essay,
the three communities with one genre for the second essay, and the peer-reviewed article for the
third essay. Do not hesitate to gain more information from an analysis. Remember, you know so
much more now than you did when you wrote those essays, so dig in with new, more learned
eyes!

6. Now, implement all the revision lessons you learned this semester. Remember to start with the
big things, such as paragraph structure, adding examples or details, MLA format, introduction
that hooks readers, and a conclusion that answers the three conclusion questions.
Requirements of Essay #1:
1. Controlling idea that reveals to your classmates how the members of the community use the
genre (remember, this is not simply a definition of the genre—it needs to be specific to the
community)
2. Introduction that hooks readers and narrows your focus in the essay
3. Topic sentences for each paragraph that connect the sub-point of the paragraph to the
controlling idea
4. Evidence from the genre itself in every paragraph with the correct in-text MLA citation
5. Conclusion that summarizes your essay (2 sentences), tells your readers why your analysis is
important (2 sentences), and tells your readers what you want them to do with the information (2
sentences)
6. Omits the use of the pronoun “you”
7. Work Cited page in the correct MLA format

Requirements of Essay #2:

1. Controlling idea that reveals to your classmates how the members of three communities use
the same genre (remember, this is not simply a definition of the genre—it needs to be specific to
the community) in different and similar ways.
2. Introduction that hooks readers and narrows your focus in the essay
3. Topic sentences for each paragraph that connect the sub-point of the paragraph to the
controlling idea
4. Evidence from the communities’ uses of the genre itself in every paragraph with the correct
in-text MLA citation
5. Conclusion that summarizes your essay (2 sentences), tells your readers why your analysis is
important (2 sentences), and tells your readers what you want them to do with the information (2
sentences)
6. Omits the use of the pronoun “you”
7. Work Cited page in the correct MLA format

Requirements of Essay #3:

1. Thesis statement that reveals to your classmates how effective the author of the peer-review
article is in communicating his/her argument to the members of his/her community.
2. Introduction that hooks readers and narrows your focus in the essay
3. Topic sentences for each paragraph that connect the sub-point of the paragraph to the
controlling idea
4. Evidence from the peer-reviewed article in every paragraph with the correct in-text MLA
citation
5. Conclusion that summarizes your essay (2 sentences), tells your readers why your analysis is
important (2 sentences), and tells your readers what you want them to do with the information (2
sentences)
6. Omits the use of the pronoun “you” and the pronoun “I”
7. Work Cited page in the correct MLA format
Requirements of the portfolio:
A website that includes all of the following:
1. Complete revision of all three essays. Remember that at least 25% of the content of each essay
must be changed for inclusion into your portfolio.
2. 2,000-2,500 word portfolio reflection
3. All drafts from each essay (this includes draft #1, #2, and final for each essay)
4. All drafts with comments from peer-review workshops
5. All drafts with your instructor’s comments
6. All drafts with writing center feedback
7. All drafts with your notes from writer’s workshops
8. All three reflection essays
9. All invention worksheets
10. Homework or in-class activities that helped you understand a concept
11. All but the essays will embrace the personal pronoun “I” as you discuss your experience and
learning
12. Omits the use of the pronoun “you”
13. Links that lead readers to each essay, reflection, homework, activity, draft, and so on.