Portfolio

ENG 368By: Christine Kelly Due: December 6, 2013

Table of Contents

#1. Parallel Structure [Written Reflection ENG 305]……………………………………………Pg. 3-4

#2. Types of Phrases [Descriptive Piece]………………………………………………………..Pg.5

#3. Conciseness [Review- ENG 305]………………………………………………………Pg.6-7

#4. Tenses [Grammar in Context]……………………………………………………Pg. 8-9

#5. Conciseness, Pronoun Ambiguity, Attention to tone [Letter- ENG 305]]……………………………………………………….Pg.10-11

#6. Lengthening Sentences [Exercise 7H]]………………………………………………………..……Pg.12

#7. Appositive Phrases, Parallel Structure [Exercise 8F]]………………………………………………….…………Pg. 13

#8. Sentence Patterns, Parallel Structures [Assignment on Moodle]]……………………………………………..…Pg.14

#9. Comma Placement, Sentence Variety [Narrative Vignette]]…………………………………………………..…Pg.15

#10. Cumulative- Grammar Strategies [Exercise 5E]]……………………………………………………….……Pg.16

* _____ Shows main edits that have been made

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# 1. Written Reflection- REVISION

After reading My Grandfather as Teacher and Creating Relationships with

Students, common themes between the two pieces illustrate the necessary qualities of a

great teacher. Both pieces reveal the importance of reflection. In My Grandfather as

Teacher, the author describes his grandfather as his “very best teacher ever,” and goes on

to explain, “my grandfather was like a sculptor who carved and molded my imagination.

His teaching made me think, question, and reflect.” Here the author is suggesting that his

grandfather was a great teacher because he taught him how to reflect on what he was

learning. In Creating Relationships with Students, the author shows his thought process

as he “reflects back” on his experience in a practice teaching session. This is effective

because it allows the reader to see how this teacher bettered his methods and practice by

looking back and analyzing. Both pre-service teacher journals show me, as a prospective

teacher, the value and self-discovery that lie in the act of reflecting.

A moment of such reflection occurred for me during my first semester as a

college freshman. Being away from my family and my hometown really made me reflect

on my life and discover myself. The reflecting I’ve done has helped me to establish my

identity. I was able to realize that family is the most important aspect of my life. Being so

far from home made me think about how I acted when I was home with family. As a

result, I realized that I spent too much time trying to hang out with friend and too little

time enjoying and spending time with my family. This is normal for most teenagers to do,

but I think that this internal reflection made me a better person. By this I mean that I

realized how lucky I am to have the family and support system that I do. My classes in

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college have helped me to think more critically, and I feel grateful that this thought

process led to a reflection on my life.

Another moment of reflection occurred for me during my sophomore year of

college when I was taking EDU 280. In this class, my fellow classmates and I went to

NCCS and shadowed middle and high school teachers. During this experience, our

teachers encouraged our involvement in their classrooms. After each week, we completed

reflections about our observations in the school. Each week, I spent hours writing these

reflections because I found that through my writing process, I was discovering more

meaning than I ever could have thought possible. Through these reflections, I reassured

myself that teaching was what I wanted to do with my life. My teachers have taught me

the value of reflecting as both a student and as a teacher. Reflection shows the true value

of recursive thinking in teaching. In my classroom, I want to put an emphasis on

reflection in order to give students a better understanding of their own purpose in

learning.

REFLECTION #1

After re-reading this draft, I realized that this piece had been written before I had

begun to conceptualize and apply the material I learned in grammar class. Parallel

structure, wordiness, and improper use of tenses are three concepts that needed to be

addressed. Parallel structure adds fluidity and balance to my reflection, while the deletion

of extra words allows for less confusion on behalf of the reader. By revising this piece, I

also realized that in some cases where I used the past tense, I really should have used the

present perfect. Present Perfect tense is more appropriate because the feelings and events

discussed are carried over into the present.

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#2. Descriptive Piece

Noun Phrases- ____________________

Prepositional Phrases- _________________

Adjectives- word

Adjective Phrases- [ ]

My bedroom is [colorful and bright.] There are posters and pictures on my wall.

Under my bed, there are a million pairs of shoes; [comfortable and fancy]. My bed,

across from my desk, is small, but not uncomfortable. The pillows; [fluffy and new], are

clouds for my head to rest upon. My desk, [spacious and brown], gives me a lot of room

to work with. Folders and notebooks are spread across the area, could use some

organization. My fan cools me down from this late September heat wave. [Tall and

white], it definitely helps me sleep at night. Laundry baskets, wooden dressers, and

binders aren’t as bright as the rest of my décor. My calendar of pictures, memories and

dates, continues to remind me. My alarm clock, with the never-ending beeping and

flashing blue, takes me out of my dreams. The walk- in closet behind the door holds a

year’s worth of options.

REFLECTION #2

Not only did this descriptive piece help me learn to describe objects in a creative

way, but also it taught me exactly what types of devices I was using to do so. This

exercise allowed me to use fragments in order to play around more stylistically with my

writing. In this piece, I used many linking verbs without thinking twice. By learning what

these type of verbs were called, I was able to use them more effectively in order to get

my point across.

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#3. Review

Megan Palevich serves as a role model to all pre service teachers, especially

through the creation of her eighth grade blog, Down the Digital Rabbit Hall. Palevich

begins her assignment by creating a theme, “Identity- who are you?” By setting this

theme early on, Mrs. Palevich was able to shape her assignment in a way that allows

students to understand the purpose of the assignment in a technologically creative way.

Through the use of her feedback, a variety of resources, and motivation through personal

connection, Palevich was able to reach her teacher objectives for her assignment. These

objectives include preparing students for high school along with making students “better

writers, thinkers, and creators of digital content.”

The assignment itself is very detailed and specific, letting students know exactly

what Mrs. Palevich is looking for in her final exam. The assignment takes the most

fundamental of elements such as character and setting, and challenges students to analyze

these elements by thinking in a critical way. Critical thinking and analysis will not only

help prepare students for high school, but will also help to better them as readers and

writers. Each section of this assignment requires students to provide evidentiary support

from the text in order to back up their claims, therefore teaching students the importance

of close reading and detailed evidence. Each section gives students an approximation of

how long each paragraph should be, leaving nothing for the students to be confused

about.

The final product created by these eighth grade student bloggers is representative

of how much each student has learned. Corrine’s example is given as an exemplary blog

and exhibits how interested students can become in an assignment that is meshed with

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technology. The variety of resources used in preparing students for this final project

allowed students to understand the elements that make up a story without overwhelming

them. After completing this section and assignment on Alice and Wonderland, the

students in Mrs. Palevich’s 8th grade class have learned how to use technology to make

them better readers and writers, therefore better preparing them for high school.

REFLECTION #3

This piece is one I had written in my Teaching Writing to Adolescents class.

When re-writing this review, I became aware of the diction I was using. When using

words like “basic,” I could have been using words like “fundamental,” which better

portrays the message I was trying to send to my readers. I also noticed that there were

places within this review where I could have been more concise by taking out

unnecessary words. These words only created extra confusion and wordiness. This was

challenging for me because of all of the years spent adding extra words to my writing.

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#4. Grammar in Context

Present Tense- red

Present Continuous- yellow

Present Perfect- green

Past- blue

Passive Voice- purple

Past Perfect- orange

Past Perfect Continuous- maroon

Future- pink

I am in the tenth grade and it is my first year playing Varsity soccer. I am so

nervous about my first home game this afternoon against South Kortright. My parents,

friends, and teachers are going to be here to watch. These pre-game jitters fade away as I

begin to focus on my warm up. Running around the field puts me in my comfort zone. I

am ready to play. The whistle blows and we are off.

There were five minutes left in the first half of the game and the score was tied 1-

1. Amanda had taken a shot on goal but missed. Erica trapped the goalie’s punt and we

took off down the field. We had been playing poorly up until this point. Erica had made a

beautiful pass across the field, I kicked it in the back corner of the net, and the crowd

erupted. Our defense held strong and South Kortright could not put another goal in the

net. I had just scored the winning goal of the game.

After I scored the first goal of my varsity career, Erica carried me across the field.

Our team surrounded us in a huge hug and I don’t think I will ever forget this moment.

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Erica’s mother had taken a picture of her carrying me across the field, and it is still one of

my favorite pictures. While in college, I have missed being a part of a sport’s team.

REFLECTION #4

This exercise helped to teach me the tenses by reinforcing them through use and

recognition. Not only am I now able to recognize each tense, but also I am able to

logically switch between them. This exercise also taught me the difference between past

tense and passive voice, which is something I didn’t know before taking this course. This

exercise is one that I may be able to use with my future students to make them more

aware of the tenses that they are using in their writing.

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#5. Letter

To Mr. Smith,

My name is Christine Kelly. I am a resident of Wilson Hall, living on the 6 th floor.

I am writing because I desperately need your help resolving issues with my roommate.

The problem includes a major disregard for cleanliness, theft of personal property, and

action that defies the pre-signed roommate agreement. My roommate’s actions don’t only

make me uncomfortable, but also pose a risk to the livability of this room for future

residents.

My roommate’s name is Nikki Carson. There are numerous obstacles holding us

back from being compatible roommates. Her side of the room is a disaster at all times and

smells terrible. A horrendous odor emanates from the two month supply of garbage she

has held hostage inside of her closet. The mold is building up in the closet to the point

where the entire unit may need to be replaced. Also, upon coming into the room, Nikki’s

clothing and notebooks are all over my bed, leaving me with very little space or privacy.

She proceeds to wear all of my clothing and steal my food without asking my permission.

It is impossible for me to study and finish my assignments because she continues blasting

the music, even when I request that she turn it down. She also goes out very often on

school nights, while I go to bed. She then returns home early in the morning, turns the

light on, and wakes me up. I can’t truly dedicate myself to my schoolwork with this

amount of unnecessary stress.

I appreciate any effort you may be able to take in addressing this issue. Action is

necessary for my success as a college student as well as for the reputation of your dorm

building. Incoming freshman would not be interested in living in Wilson Hall if they

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knew that this type of property damage had occurred in their room prior to their arrival.

Thank you so much for your time.

Sincerely,

Christine Kelly

Room 60 D Wilson Hall

Ckelly.0130@yahoo.com

(845) 901-3664

REFLECTION #5

Writing this letter in ENG 305 helped me learn to write a specific audience while

allowing me to practice my newly learned grammar skills. Looking back on this piece, I

can see that I could have made many of my sentences more concise and to the point. I

also noticed some pronoun ambiguity that could be fixed by adding the subject to its

description. Without this grammar class, I don’t think I would have been able to fix these

errors so easily. Knowing the terms for these errors I’m making also helps me to be more

conscious of structure and less likely to make these errors to begin with.

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#6- Exercise 7H

1, To train for a half marathon, I used a twelve-week training schedule. The trick was

drinking plenty of water, stretching out before and after each run, and taking care of my

body to keep it in the best condition.

2. Scrubbing hard, she used the worn sponge to remove grease from the pan, cursing

under her breath, hands clenched.

3. I remember going to my grandfather’s funeral, sobbing into my father’s shoulder,

accepting that my life would never be the same.

4. I remember holding my nephew for the first time, staring into his eyes, wondering if

he’ll ever love me as much as I love him.

REFLECTION #6

Exercise 7H taught me how to use verbal phrases and modifiers to lengthen

sentences and add variety. Before this exercise, I used to consider such sentences as

either fragments or run-ons, but I now understand that these sentences can be used to a

writer’s advantage. What I really like about this exercise is that in order to learn these

strategies I was mimicking famous writers such as Tim O’Brien. By mimicking Tim

O’Brien, I now know that practicing replicating the works of renowned writers can teach

me sentence structures that will add variety to my own work.

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#7. Exercise 8F

1. I was prepared for my new job, hair styled, makeup applied, confidence checked.

2. The vampire enters the bedroom, sniffing the air, scoping out his surroundings,

thirsting for blood.

3. The cottage appeared to be uninhabited, mice scurrying across the floor, cobwebs

forming in every corner, must air filling my nose.

4. The waiter brought us a hamburger, cheese melting, onion topping, mouth watering.

5. The waiter brought us a hamburger, mold building, grease leaking, fries burning.

REFLECTION #7

This exercise taught me how to create absolute phrases, which is another way to

lengthen and add variety to my sentences. By doing so, I also realized the importance of

parallel structure in such sentences. Adding balance and repetition to sentences that

contain absolute phrases makes sentences have more fluidity and cohesion. Forming

parallel structure was difficult for me prior to this class, in that it was something I never

really paid much attention to in my writing. As a result, professors would always correct

this in my essays, but I didn’t understand what I was doing wrong. Awareness of parallel

structure has changed my perspective in both editing and writing.

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#8. Moodle Assignment

1.) I know that I wanted to go out tonight, that all of my friends were, and that drinks

were only two dollars.

2.) Home to me is a comfortable, cozy place where I can play with my nephew, hike

mountains, and have family dinner every Sunday.

3.) My boss told me to fill the saltshakers, to light the candles, to fold the napkins and to

put them on the table.

4.) Chad plays the drums all around the world, surfs in Montauk and fundraises for

charity.

5.) The old bicycle, rusty and worn, made its way around the path, switched gears, and

climbed the hill.

6.) Evan works hard in school, attends his honor society meetings, reads his assignments

with ever-growing interest.

7.) I walked out of the door, brushed my hair out of my eyes, and ran into the tall, dark

pole.

8.) Tyler was an intelligent person with a Colgate smile, big heart, and a big future ahead

of him.

REFLECTION #8

Similarly to the previous exercise, this assignment from our Moodle site taught

me the benefits of parallel structure. Without balance in each sentence, its meaning could

be compromised. This assignment helped me to practice creating parallel structure in my

sentences so that I can use it in my every day writing. The Moodle assignment continued

to expose me to a variety of sentence patterns that I can also use in my writing.

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#9. Narrative Vignette

As a twin, I had to learn to share much earlier than the average child. Sharing a

room, our toys, and our parents was the hardest for us to deal with. One day, after I had

lost my doll, I decided to claim Emily’s doll as my own. Screaming and crying, she

latched onto her doll with every fiber of her being. Unfortunately for her, I grabbed onto

the doll’s head with my tiny little fingers and vowed to never let go. Tugging with all of

my might, I braced my feet and the doll’s head separated from its body. Now, no one got

to have the doll.

REFLECTION #9

As one of the last activities of our class, this activity put numerous of my newly

acquired grammar skills to work. Firstly, I paid attention to comma placement, which is

something I am still working on, but is also an aspect of my writing where I’ve seen great

improvement. This exercise made me think about many of the comma rules and place

them in the correct positions. This activity also helped me to continue using the past

participle in a way that enhances my writing. Another aspect that this exercise helped me

to practice was using adjective phrases. I used adjective phrases unknowingly prior to this

class, and now can use them to better describe the nouns in my sentences.

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#10. Exercise 5E

During the last week of May, I drove my packed car to Montauk, NY, the very

end of Long Island. By the end of this drive, I arrived at my destination, hugging my

sister, who opened the back of my car and began to help unpack. I was so thankful to my

sister for getting me this job as I took a tour of the beautiful establishment, which was

right on the water, looking out at a different sunset each night. My managers welcomed

me with hugs and introduced me—a bunch of employees smiling at me as I joined their

team. Bright-eyed and outgoing, they showed me the ropes while I stood taking it all in,

thinking of my family, and wondering if this great opportunity in front of me might

alleviate some of my homesickness.

REFLECTION #10

Exercise 5E is the most cumulative activity of the semester. This exercise shows

an abundance of skills I learned in grammar class, while allowing me to be creative as

well. Techniques such as fragments, dashes, and early modifiers are great additions to

sentences that lengthen sentences, add variety, and add clarity. I never realized that

adverb phrases were also early modifiers that give the reader a sense of time. I think that

this technique is very effective and makes paragraphs a lot more cohesive. I will continue

to practice many of these skills so that they can remain prominent in both my teaching

and in my writing.

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