Every writer I know has trouble writing.

~Joseph Heller When something can be read without effort, great effort has gone into its writing. ~Enrique Jardiel Poncela Writing is a struggle against silence. ~Carlos Fuentes You write to communicate to the hearts and minds of others what's burning inside you. And we edit to let the fire show through the smoke. ~Arthur Polotnik

AP Writing Portfolio

Your Objective:
Create and defend a writing portfolio that demonstrates your growth as a reader, writer, and thinker.

This year, you will have multiple opportunities to improve your writing. As both a continuing and culminating project for AP Literature, you will create a writing portfolio that demonstrates your growth this year. Be mindful that this is a year-long activity; therefore, work on it gradually, building a product that will make you shine in May.

Requirements Your writing portfolio must include:

1. A cover that indicates your name, your teachers name, your class block, and the date. Your cover can be artistic, but it should also be professional. This is a culminating senior portfolio. 2. An annotated table of contents that is logical, clean, and professional. Annotations will describe the prompt or task for each artifact that is included. Please list page numbers for the required elements of the portfolio. Refer to the following example annotation:
This is a think piece that focuses on a significant motif from Act II of Hamlet and its effect on that act of the play. OR The most important themes in literature are sometimes developed in scenes in which a death or deaths take place. Using The Poisonwood Bible, write a well-organized essay in which you show how a specific death scene helps to illuminate the meaning of the work as a whole. Avoid mere plot summary.

3. An introductory letter (addressed to a relevant audience/person) in which you: defend your growth as a writer by reflecting on the revisions you made to each artifact (see below) defending your choice of artifacts that you included in the portfolio (Why did you include the pieces you did?) reflect on your overall writing strengths and weaknesses discuss specifically what improvements you see in your writing How did you grow? discuss at least three literary titles from your reading this year that have informed your growth as a reader, writer, and thinker making sure to explain the impact of each title (Two of the three need to be assigned titles.) consider how analysis and clear communication will play a role in your future 4. EIGHT (8) artifacts (pieces of writing) that will be the focus of the portfolio: These are the pieces that you will use to correct some of your writing weaknesses, reflect on your growth as a writer, and rewrite to demonstrate your progress. Requirements: The eight artifacts must equitably represent each area of the AP exam: poetry (2), prose (2), and open/free response (2). The last two can be genres of your choice.
A. Carter 2012 REVISED FOR CARTER SECTIONS

 Each piece must contain three subsections: the original piece, evidence of self-revision. This can be notes that you made on the original piece, a more formal revision handout, and/or a paragraph in which you reflect on the original and describe the revisions you will make. Students in the past have used the comment feature in Word to demonstrate plans for revision. You may also include peer-evaluation, but this should not be a substitute for self-revision. Revisions must be thorough, thoughtful, and effective. a revised, typed essay that contains highlighted corrections and revisions so that your audience can quickly see the changed parts of the final piece. Please note: If the revisions are so extensive that the overall content of the piece changes (maybe you misread the prompt or even failed to answer it), you should add an explanatory paragraph to the bottom of the revised piece and highlight that paragraph. 5. An appendix of at least three writings that were not selected as artifacts, but that were instrumental in helping you grow: These do not necessarily have to be writing selections from AP Literature; they can sophisticated analytical writings from other classes. They could also be unfinished drafts or class exercises that exhibit mature writing and thinking. The point is to provide evidence of your writing growth through other activities during the year.

Presentation:
The presentation format of your portfolio is your decision. You may assemble everything in a notebook or create a digital version. Please make it easy on the reader it should be logical and easy to read and evaluate. Expect to defend your portfolio to your instructor and your peers.

A note:

A portfolio is a tool to show your strengths. A strength of any great learner is the ability to reflect on ones weaknesses, adjust for those weaknesses, and make changes; thus, you may not want your artifacts to be that were originally scored high. Assembling this portfolio will take significant time; however, the end result should be a source of great pride for you. Do not just assemble this to fulfill a requirement; use this as a real opportunity for learning and growth.

Due Date: All portfolios are due on or before Monday, April 29, 2013 by 4:00 p.m. I look forward to seeing you shine!
Don't tell me the moon is shining; show me the glint of light on broken glass. ~Anton Chekhov I would hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo, and if an echo sounded, no matter how faintly, I would send other words to tell, to march, to fight, to create a sense of hunger for life that gnaws in us all. ~Richard Wright

A. Carter 2012 REVISED FOR CARTER SECTIONS