Your portfolio will include exactly four papers and a cover letter, placed in an envelope or folder. You choose what to put in it. Think of it this way. Most colleges will give you a placement test next fall to determine what math course you belong in. Suppose instead, they allowed you to make an appointment with the head of the math department. You would stride into his or her office, open up your portfolio, and say "This is what I can do. Deal with it." You are displaying your capabilities.
When I assess your work, I will be looking at the following:
Please make an appointment to see me if you have any questions or concerns about preparing your portfolio. Also, remember that the writing center can help you. Someone is available every period in Room 135 to help with planning and editing your work. An uninformed reader can make a very good audience to help you test the quality of your explanations. Remember that I am not your audience. You are writing to someone who does not already know the material. That person will learn the material by reading your paper.
For three of the portfolio pieces, you will submit a rough draft at a specified time during the trimester. I will make comments and give you suggestions about improving the paper. It’s very important to me that you show substantial revision between your rough draft and your final draft. Not only should you address my comments, you should also spend time thinking up your own ideas about ways to make the paper better. It’s not just a question of fixing things that are "wrong." You want to stand back and look at the paper and judge it against the grading standards I gave you. Maybe you decide it’s not analytical enough, or that it lacks sufficient detail. Find a way to incorporate those elements. I’m happy to meet with you individually to help you figure that out.
Remember, too, that the three rough drafts will be included along with the final drafts when you turn in your portfolio. (So don’t lose your rough drafts when you get them back!)
Your fourth paper will be a surprise for me. You will turn it in along with the portfolio, but I won’t have seen it before. For the cover letter to your portfolio, consider your audience to be a college admissions representative. Think about the fact that the college will see QR on your transcript, but they won’t be aware of what the course entails. Write the letter to convince the rep that you have been doing interesting and challenging work in this course. Referring to the criteria listed above can help you do that. We will discuss the letter in more detail during class.
Portfolios for first trimester are due on Monday, November 17 at 3:30 pm. There will be NO exceptions to this deadline, and significant penalties for late work. If you cannot find me to turn it in, then bring it to the front office and ask them to stamp it before they put it in my mailbox. Do not put it directly into my mailbox by yourself.
Start planning now so that you get it done on time. If you know in advance that you will be absent on November 17, then hand it in on November 14. If you are unexpectedly ill on Monday, give me a call at 362-1555, and I’ll come pick it up! My assessment of your portfolio will comprise 40% of your grade for the quarter, along with the 20% for class participation, 30% for homework, and 10% for the exam.
Be aware that technological disaster will not be accepted as an excuse for your portfolio being late. You must check to be sure that your printer is working, you have enough toner, etc. well in advance of the deadline. As you type, you should save frequently, both to your hard drive and to a floppy disk, CD or flash drive. You could also email it to yourself at school. And it is perfectly fine to write out your papers by hand, if you wish. Just be sure you do several drafts so that you can make revisions.
And don’t wait until the last minute!!