ENGL 5902 - Portfolio

7/29/2019 ENGL 5902 - Portfolio

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Guided Tour

Welcome to my portfolio! Take off your jacket, kick off your shoes, and makeyourself at home. Before you wander through my various works, I will give you aguided tour of my portfolio. The most important pieces of writing that I created this

semester are in here; but by far my most favorite to write was the I-Search paper.The creative freedom I was given, combined with my intense interest on the topic,made it an incredibly fun experience for me.However, not all of the writings in here turned out that way. I feel mostuncomfortable with my journal evaluations, only because I feel uncomfortable withmy journal entries. While I did enjoy writing in the journals, I wish that I had donemore creative entries.I feel as though my Individual Piece #1 is evidence of my writing abilities; I felt verypassionate about the topic and I went through numerous revisions beforesubmitting my final copy. It is also the work that I am most proud of.My portfolio proves that I have met the Minnesota State Licensure requirements for

writing in various ways. For many of the works displayed here, I have displayedrough drafts to show the various stages of my writing process. In my principles ofteaching writing, I address the strategies that I believe in for assessing andresponding to student writing.I hope that you enjoy reading through my portfolio!


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Individual Piece #1

Rough Draft

I remember my first day working at the Boys and Girls Club. Equally nervous

and excited. I walked in with the impression that all of the kids would instantly likeme and want to talk to me. That is not exactly what happened. I learned quickly thatyou have to earn their friendship. I felt like the new kid looking for a table to sit at inthe lunchroom. There were a few kids on the first day that instantly warmed up tome, but the majority were skeptical: they would give me short answers andimmediately walked away when I introduced myself and asked about them. Thiswas, however, understandable. Many of these kids have been going to BGC for yearsand have witnessed a plethora of staff come and go. Since a majority of the YDPs arecollege students, there is a high turnover rate. Slowly, over the next few weeks,everyone started warming up to me. Once they realized I was there to stay, they feltsafe opening up to me. Soon, I would hear kids yell Danielle!in excitement as I

walked through the door. It seemed as though I gained the acceptance of all the kids,save for one. I slowly noticed that there was one kids who never greeted me at thedoor or attended any of my programs. This was Walt. Walt was autistic, so whenthere was a change to his daily schedule, it affected him more than the average child.He spent most of the day playing Legos on his own. He turned down most offers toplay with other kids because he liked playing on his own. If someone did not playthe way he wanted, then he would get very upset. Over the next few months, I got toknow each one of the kids. While some of them opened up to me more than others,all of them interacted with me and gave me a chance to get to know them. Again,Walt was an exception to this. Perhaps he knew that someday, near or far, I wouldbe leaving like the rest of the staff did. My co-workers and I would often discussways to get Walt to be more involved with kids and with us, but none of our effortsworked. One day, the Legos were being cleaned so Walt could not play with them.The staff was nervous, because we knew that Legos were Walts security toy.However, he surprised us all. Walt chose to play with other kids when he found outthat he could not play with Legos. While this pay seem insignificant to anyone whodoes not know Walt, it was momentous to us. He was laughing and enjoying himself,while sharing with other kids. I took a chance and asked Walt if he would like to playpool with me, and he accepted my invitation. I learned more about Walt in 15minutes of playing pool with him than I did in the eight months I had been workingat BGC. All too soon, however, things went back to normal. When the Legos were out

the next day, Walt again became more secluded from everyone else. I knew that if hecould open up once, he could open up again. Witnessing this development in Walthas helped me to understand him, and has made me aware of the potential he hasworking with other kids. If opened up once, I know he can do it again.


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Boys and Girls Club Impact Statement (Final Draft)

I remember my first day working at the Boys & Girls Club. Equally nervousand excited, I walked in with the impression that all of the kids would instantly like

me. Instead, I was met with skeptical glares and hesitant smiles. I learned quicklythat you have to earn their friendship. I felt like the new kid looking for a table to sitat in the lunchroom. There were a few kids on the first day that instantly warmed upto me, but the majority were skeptical: they would give me short answers andimmediately walked away when I introduced myself and asked about them. Thiswas, however, understandable. Many of these kids have been going to BGC for yearsand have witnessed a plethora of staff come and go. Since a majority of the YDPs arecollege students, there is a high turnover rate.

Slowly, over the next few weeks, everyone started warming up to me. Insteadof moving to another table when I sat next to them in the lunchroom, they wouldangle their chairs towards me to have a conversation. Once they realized I was there

to stay, they felt safe to open up. Soon, I would hear kids yell Danielle!in excitementas I walked through the door. It seemed as though I had gained the acceptance of allthe kids, save for one.

I slowly noticed that there was one kid who never greeted me at the door orattended any of my programs. This was Walt. Walt was autistic, so when there was achange to his daily schedule, it affected him more than the average child. Walt alsonever attended any of the programs that went on during the day. He opted, instead,to play Legos.. Walt tended to get nervous and explode when there was a change tohis daily schedule. One day during the summer, we had mayor Don Ness visit theclub to speak to the kids. This cut into our normal schedule and usual activities. Waltwas anxious during the whole speech. When the mayor asked the kids if they had

any questions for him after he was done speaking, Walt let his built up angerexplode. He raised his hand and said things like, That was the stupidest speechever, and Are you done talking yet!? We discovered that letting Walt play on hisown during events like this helped to keep him calm, especially Legos. Now for Walt,Legos were not just toys that he enjoyed playing with; they were his safety net. Waltcould depend on his Legos because they would always be there for him to play with,and they never changed. He would often get upset when other kids would play withthe Legos while he was. However, sharing toys is something that Walt needed tolearn. He turned down most offers to play with other kids because he liked playingon his own. If someone did not play the way he wanted, then he would get veryupset.

Over the next few months, I got to know each one of the kids. While some ofthem opened up to me more than others, all of them interacted with me and gave mea chance to get to know them. Again, Walt was an exception to this. Perhaps he knewthat someday, near or far, I would be leaving like the rest of the staff did. My co-workers and I would often discuss ways to get Walt to be more involved with boththe kids and ourselves, but none of our efforts worked. One day, the Legos werebeing cleaned so Walt could not play with them. The staff was nervous, because weknew that Legos were Walts security toy. However, he surprised us all. Walt chose


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to play with other kids when he found out that he could not play with Legos. Whilethis may seem insignificant to anyone who does not know Walt, it was momentousto us.

Walt was laughing and enjoying himself, while sharing with other kids. I tooka chance and asked Walt if he would like to play pool with me, and he accepted my

invitation. Walt, who had not uttered more than short complaints to me whenever Ihad talked to him in the past, was now confiding in me his struggle to make friends.He said that he felt like people liked him more when he played with other kids likehe was doing now. I told him that we all just wanted to get to know him, and that iseasy to do when you are playing with someone. He expressed his nervousness ofsharing toys, and I explained that while it is hard to let someone else play withsomething that you want to play with, they will, in turn, share one of their toys withyou. Walt found this concept to be novel, and the excitement showed in his smallsmile. I learned more about Walt in 15 minutes of playing pool with him than I didin the eight months I had been working at BGC. All too soon, however, things wentback to normal. When the Legos were out the next day, Walt again became more

secluded from everyone else. I knew that if he could open up once, he could open upagain. Witnessing this development in Walt has helped me to understand him, andhas made me aware of the potential he has working with other kids.


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Individual Piece #2

A Letter To My Future Students

Dear future students,

Summer is coming to an end and a new school year is rapidly approaching. Iam writing to you to express my excitement to be working with you this comingschool year! We are going to have such a great time. I have a lot of lessons plannedthat I know you will enjoy, and I am excited to adapt and change them with yourhelp to best fit your learning style. I look forward to us growing as a class and I alsolook forward to getting to know each one of you individually.

Before we all meet together as a group, I would like to go over a few issueswe should all be aware of. One of the most important things we can bring with us toclass, along with our over-stuffed backpacks, is respect: respect for each other and

respect for ourselves. I will not assume anything about you. I do not think of myselfas better than any of you because of my position to share my knowledge with you. Iunderstand that I will learn just as much from you as you will from me.

In return, I ask for you to also respect me. I will make mistakes: there is nodoubt about that. But in the process of going through this learning experiencetogether, I will learn how to adapt my teaching style to best fit your needs. If youstick with me, I will not let you down.

Besides respecting yourselves and me, you must also respect each other. Wewill not be a bunch of strangers in a room together; we will be a group, a team, and afamily. We will work together to solve problems and discuss issues. We must trusteach other enough to share our writings out loud and in groups. In order for this to

be possible, we must all be on the same team: rooting for each other to succeed.Before you come into class, I would like you to think about a few things. What

are your expectations coming into my class? What do you hope to learn? What can Ido to help you learn at your best? My goal for this class is to help you grow and tonot let you down. I am very excited for this task.

I look forward to meeting you soon!

Best,Ms. Arcand


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I-Search Paper Proposal

My topic for this paper will be backpacking through Europe. I will beresearching the pros, cons, and tips in order to make an informed decision about

whether or not I will take this trip myself. I will primarily be using the I-Searchpaper method to write my research paper. However, I will be incorporating someelements of the multi-genre research paper into it. I think that using an I-Searchresearch method is best for this my topic because the pay-off is ultimately for me.There is a set amount of knowledge that I already know about the subject andthrough research I will attain the information that I need in order to make aninformed decision about the topic.

One idea that I have been considering is writing the paper in the order of thejourney, almost as a textual map. So when reading the paper, one is essentiallytaking the journey that I would be if I were to go on the trip. This is one of the waysthat I would like to incorporate the multi-genre method into this paper.

I also want to investigate the quality of information about backpacking throughEurope between scholarly sources and anecdotes from personal blogs, videos,articles, etc. Perhaps I will want t convince readers why a certain type of source ismore trustworthy over another. Before I start my research, I have the impressionthat personal accounts and tips hold more truth. Perhaps they seem more sincerebecause the information is coming from someone like you who has taken the trip,not a distant author or journalist. These are things that I will discover and weigh outthrough my research process.

In July of 2012, a group of six friends and I started planning a hypotheticalbackpacking trip to Europe for sometime in the not-so-near future. Fast-forward toSeptember, and my friends decided that they want to start this journey as soon as

possible: June 2013. Everyone is booking their plane tickets at the end of December,so I need to make my decision by then. Of course, there are many factors that go intomaking a huge decision like this. I need to research all aspects of this trip to makesure I am ready. Writing this paper will be the perfect opportunity for me to explorethe pros and cons that come with backpacking through Europe and will help me tomake my decision by December.

My knowledge of backpacking in general (let alone in Europe) is very smalland vague. I know that it will be expensive. I know that I will need to buy gear andtravel books. I also know that it could be the experience of a lifetime (provided thatwe plan out trip properlywhich is something that I do notknow how to do).

I have discovered a few things in my early research. It is very important toget a proper backpack, and for a backpacking trip you should get one that is about4,000 cubic inches. You should get your torso measured to get the right size.(Goldhammer).

One of the main things I am concerned about is the cost. The answer to this issubjective and will vary with every type of traveller. You should expect to spendbetween $3,000 and $6,000 per-person ($3,000 would be almost impossible).(Anderson).


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There are many ways to save money while traveling, but one that manypeople do not know about is by bringing your college ID! A lot of hostels andmuseums offer discounts to students. This is great to know.

When it comes to packing you should bring clothing that can is very versatileand can be easily layered. It is recommended to bring one pair of good walking

shoes and also a pair of flip-flops for the hostel showers. (YouTube).My next step for the project is to dive into more research. I would like to

research about each location that is planned into the trip, and write about it in theorder that we plan on traveling. I also would like to learn more about the opinions ofpeople who decided to travel while in college. Was the timing right? Do they wishthey had waited until they graduated? Also, I want to compare and contrast betweenscholarly and non-scholarly sources. There definitely seems to be a lot moreanecdotal advice from blogs, but is that advice as reliable as those from actualpublications? I also would like to know more about staying in hostels, or otherinexpensive sleeping accommodations. These are things that I will be discovering inmy upcoming research.

Sources:Goldhammer, Amy. "Ask the gear girl." Shape Apr. 2004: 124.Academic OneFile.

Web. 29 Sept. 2012.

Anderson, Tom. The Average Cost of Backpacking Across Europe: An In-depth LookAt My 2 Month Trip.Active Backpacker. N.p., 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Sept.2012.

Backpacking Europe: Our Packing System. 2012. Video. YouTube. Atlanta. Web. 29Sept. 2012. .


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I-Search Rough Draft

Introduction or What I Already Know/ What I Want To Know

Are you up for an adventure? These are the first words that came out of my

friends mouth in July. I laughed at the abruptness of his question. Of course I am up for

an adventure. Who isnt? I thought his idea ofadventure would be a camping trip up the

North Shore, or perhaps hiking along Lester River for the day. Little did I know, his plans

were a tad bigger than what I had imagined. Were going to Europe. My immediate

thought was Yes, yes, of course! (As would be of anyone consumed by wanderlust). For

the next hour we planned all of the countries we would explore and all of the people who

would change our perspective on life. We were like children who had just consumed a

bucket of Halloween candy in ten minutes. Soon enough, however, the sugar rush faded

and we were left dealing with all of the logistics. When would we go? We are both still in

college for two more years, and we work during the summers. How would we pay for it?

What about supplies? Our dreams slowly withered as reality set in, although neither of us

acknowledged it. If we admitted out loud that this was not likely to happen any time

soon, then the realization would be true. At that moment, we were content to live in our

dreams.

Fast-forward two months. Its now September, and classes are about to begin. My

friend called me and asked, Are you still up for an adventure? I just laughed. I had too

much on my mind to take him seriously. However, he was determined. No, its really

happening this time. Five of my friends had decided that they were going to be

backpacking around Europe this June. It was no longer just the fantasy of two college

students, it was really happening. My first instinct was to scream with excitement. Part of


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me just wanted to throw caution to the wind and go on this adventure. Immediately

following that was a rush of thoughts going through my mind. What about my

obligations? What about expenses? And did I really want to go right now, with these

people? Is this how I wanted to experience my first European adventure?

Now I am currently in the process of making a huge decision. I know very little

about Europe, and even less about backpacking in a different country. I dont know how

much it will cost, but I know it will be very expensive. These are things that I need to

research in order to make an informed decision. However, there are also other factors that

I need to consider. I want this to be my adventure, the European experience that I have

always dreamed of. With so many people going, I am afraid that this will become

someone elses adventure, and I will simply be tagging along on for the ride. The timing

is not opportune, but is it ever going to be? Maybe this is something that you make time

for, rather than waiting for the perfect moment. With all of these thoughts rushing

through my mind, I am ready to dive headfirst into research, and discover the information

that I need (through both the internet and self-reflection) to make an informed decision.

Now I just need to answer his question;Am I up for the adventure?

The Story of My Search/ My Search Process

My search has been a slow process over the course of about two and a half

months. There were large chunks of time within this frame in which I was not concerned

about my research and large chunks in which I was intensely focused on my research.

Although I was never steadily researching my topic, I found that it worked well for me to


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have gaps where I did not research so that I could mull over and think about what I had

just learned. The new information that I acquired had time to settle in.

Before I started my research, I narrowed down the essentials of what I really

wanted to know into two categories: how much was this trip going to cost me and

whether or not I wanted to go with this particular group of people. I broke the category of

costup into six subcategories: food; hostels and sleeping arrangements (lodging);

entertainment; traveling to Europe; getting from place to place once I am in Europe

(transportation); traveling supplies that I will need to buy; and discounts that I can

receive.

I commenced my research in the Academic OneFile database from the UMD

library web page. The primary reason that I started my journey here is because I wanted

to find scholarly articles. At the beginning of my research process, I was still under the

impression that is was essential for a research paper to cite erudite sources to support

their evidence, because if a professor or scholar did not authorize the information you

were presenting, there is no way it could hold any validity, right?

I found myself questioning this personal belief more and more often as I

researched on. In any case, I found myself typing in various combinations of the phrases

backpacker, Europe, cost, travel, and studentinto the advance search of Academic

OneFile. I weeded through a plethora of unrelated titles to pick out a few promising

articles. One thing that I had to keep mind of was the date of the articles. Even those that

were written as recently as 2010 had to be questioned and inspected because much of the

information that I was looking up had to do with costs that were constantly changing.


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I found that, aside from the dates, I did not question the articles that I was reading.

I did not even have to look at who the author wasjust a simple glance at what journal

the article came from gave me confidence that I could trust the information it was feeding

me. What I soon found, however, was that many of the articles sourced regular

websites throughout their writing. The first article I came across that did this was How

To Backpack Through Europe by Elissa Leibowitz. In her article, Leibowitz sourced

fourteen non-scholarly websites for the reader to refer to.

Most of the websites that she sourced were created by ordinary people with not

much information in their bios other than travel lover. This is when I first started

questioning the importance of my scholarly sources. I understand that this query is not

appropriate for all types of research topics: subjects that are more educational probably

need more professional or scientific evidence to back up their claims. However, this

professional support may not be essential to all topics.

I believe that a topic like mine (backpacking through Europe) may be better

learned through reading about personal experiences, and those personal experiences are

not always told by a writer with a doctorate degree or a journalist for the Washington

Post. Most often, they are written by ordinary citizens with a wide variety of educational

backgrounds.

I slowly transferred from Academic OneFile to the ordinary websites that many of

the articles I read sourced. I like to refer to the second wave of my research as my

Google-sites. You could find all of them through a simple Google search, which would

have been abhorred by my high school teachers. These websites seemed less formal and

more believable. I was reading personal accounts from people who had backpacked


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through Europe first hand, and often multiple times! They would explain what worked

and what did not work, advice for their readers, and tips that one can only learn from

experience. The lack of formality helped me to connect to the articles in a way that I

could not with the ones from Academic OneFile.

However, I knew that I could not senselessly believe everything I was reading.

There was always the risk that there author of the websites I was reading was a total fraud

who had never travelled in their life. I guess you have to both develop a sense of trust

and also be able to tell from the context whether or not they know what they are talking

about. After researching this topic for quite some time, I can now tell, just from reading

the first few lines of an article (for my topic) whether or not the author knows what they

are talking about.

My Search Results

Of the two essential categories that I narrowed my search down to, the one of

most importance was the cost. This is what would either make or the possibility of my

adventure. In my early research, I read estimates from $3000 to $7000 for a price for this

trip. Essentially, you can choose the price of your trip based on what you can and cannot

go without (Anderson). How does one arrive at these numbers, and what circumstances

go into the incredibly wide range of prices?

I broke up the category ofcostinto seven subcategories: food; hostels and

sleeping arrangements (lodging); entertainment; traveling to Europe; getting from place

to place once I am in Europe (transportation); traveling supplies that I will need to buy;

and discounts that I can receive. The cost of plane tickets seemed like the most logical


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place to start researching since packing for this trip is the very first thing that I will be

doing.

From almost every source that I read, I learned that the farther in advance that I

start my search for airline tickets, the better. Choosing a less popular airline that makes

multiple layovers may be cheaper in the long run. While it may not immediately sound

appealing, it is a great way to save money and get to visit (albeit briefly) places that you

may not have visited otherwise. A round-trip ticket from Minneapolis to London can cost

from $1200 to $6500. The price range decreased significantly when I looked up flights

with layovers: about $1200 to $3000 is the most affordable range.

Once you are in Europe, it is very easy (and relatively inexpensive) to get

aroundif you know where to look, that is. Train, bus, Eurostar, Eurail, plane, and car. I

was surprised to find that when traveling in a small group, it might be cheapest to rent or

lease a car for the duration of your stay. Depending on deals, bus passes can also be

cheap, even cheaper than train passes (but not always). They seem to be a good deal for

those who are traveling Europe for more than two months because many rail passes are

only valid for two months (backpackeurope.com). BusAbout has passes that start at $399

for 10 days travel in two months. They also offer passes for travel in large air-

conditioned buses to 11 cities in one geographical area for $499, or $45 per leg. There is

no time limit for travel, but at least six overnight stays are required (busabout.com).

BusAbout also makes lodging reservations and drops passengers off at their hotel or

hostel doors (Fuchs). This could save money on a taxi ride, or any other transportation,

from a train station or airport to the hostel. Rather than dishing out money for a taxi, it is

actually cheaper to hop on shuttle from the airport to your hostel (Steves). One restriction


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with an option like this would be your inability to have spontaneity. You could never stop

at a random location; you would have to stay with the tour.

While buses are cheaper and more convenient than trains, trains are usually

speedier and more comfortable for overnight travel. The Eurostar is a high-speed train

(backpackeurope.com) and is faster than flying if you factor in the trip to the airport.

Round-trip fares start at $90, all included (Fuchs). This seems to be one of the best

options if you want to venture farther into Europe.

The Eurail is a train pass that is available to anyone who is not a citizen of Europe

(backpackeurope.com). Eurail has a variety of options, the cheapest being the Eurail

Selectpass, which is $328 for five days of travel in two months, in three countries

(Leibowitz). Two or more people traveling together receive a 15 percent saver discount

(Fuchs). Before buying a pass, you should check the price of point-to-point tickets, which

are often sold at a discount with advance purchases.

When I found out that we would be staying in hostels on our trip I was a little

hesitant. Images from the horror film of the same name flashed through my head, and I

was convinced that we would get abducted. After some research, however, I found that

hostels are not only convenient and cheap, but they are also great way to meet other

travelers.

Many have kitchens and storage rooms available to guests. Larger ones also offer

low-cost meals. While they provide bedding (blankets and pillows), you must bring your

own sheets and towels, or rent them (Randall). Most hostels also offer a washer/dryer

which are either coin operated or paid for upon arrival at the front desk

(backpackeurope.com).


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I was relived about the safety when I discovered that many hostels give keys or

keycards to people staying in a particular room. This would be very convenient if we do

not want to carry all of our things around with us while we explore a city. You usually

have to pay a refundable deposit for they key (backpackeurop.com).

There is a variety of rooms to choose from within hostels: you can get a single sex

room or a co-ed room; you can request a 2,3,4,6,8 person room (these tend to cost a little

bit more) or a large dorm room (10+ person room); you can also request to have a lower

or upper bunk within each room (backpackeurope.com).

A bed for the night in large cities costs on average $18-$25. In smaller and rural

areas, you can get accommodations for around $10 (Randall). Perhaps staying in a hostel

that is on the outskirts of a large city is cheaper than staying in the city itself. However,

then you have to factor in the cost of a getting to the city and to your hostel.

Steves, Rick. "A weaker dollar, but a richer travel experience." USA Today 13 June2005: 13A. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

Leibowitz, Elissa. "How to Backpack Through Europe." Washington Post 4 Mar. 2001:E11. Academic OneFile. Web. 05 Nov. 2012.

Fuchs, Dale. "Dust Off Your Backpack." New York Times 23 Apr. 2006:TR6(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 05 Nov. 2012.

Randall, Carol. "Unhostile hostels." PN - Paraplegia News 52.6 (1998): 20+.Academic OneFile. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.

Anderson, Tom. The Average Cost of Backpacking Across Europe: An In-depth LookAt My 2 Month Trip. Active Backpacker. N.p., 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Sept.2012.

Hendrickson, Kaaryn. Backpack Europe On A Budget. N.p., n. d. Web. 29 Sept. 2012.


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I-Search Final draft

Introduction

Are you up for an adventure? These are the first words that came out of

Matts mouth in July. He is my adventure buddy. Ever since high school, weve made

it a tradition to go on outdoor excursions with out group of friends; camping in the

Black Hills, kayaking on the Apostle Islands, and hiking the Porcupine Trail are just a

few examples of our adventures. I laughed at the abruptness of his question. Of

course I am up for an adventure. Who isnt? I thought his idea ofadventure would be

a camping trip up the North Shore, or perhaps hiking along Lester River for the day.

Little did I know, his plans were a tad bigger than what I had imagined. Were going

to Europe. My immediate thought was Yes, yes, of course!As would be of anyone

consumed by wanderlust. For the next hour we planned all of the countries we

would explore and all of the people who would change our perspective on life. We

would try weird sea food in the Mediterranean just so we can say we did. We would

step in the very same castle that Daniel Radcliffe had practically lived in for years

(and I would subsequently swoon). He laughed at me for a solid five minutes when I

expressed my totally plausible dream of following Coldplay around Europe. We

were like children who had just consumed a bucket of Halloween candy in ten

minutes. Soon enough, however, the sugar rush faded and we were left dealing with

all of the logistics. When would we go? We are both still in college for two more

years, and we work during the summers. How would we pay for it? What about

supplies? Our dreams slowly withered as reality set in, although neither of us

acknowledged it. If we admitted out loud that this was not likely to happen any time


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soon, then the realization would be true. At that moment, we were content to live in

our dreams.

Fast-forward two months. Its now September, and classes are about to

begin. Matt called me and asked, Are you still up for an adventure? I just laughed. I

had too much on my mind to take him seriously. However, he was determined. No,

its really happening this time. Five of my friends had decided that they were going

to be backpacking around Europe this June. I knew that this was something that

they had been talking about for a while but I assumed that, like Matt and I, thats all

that it was: talk. It was no longer just the fantasy of two college students: it was

really happening. My first instinct was to scream with excitement. Part of me just

wanted to throw caution to the wind and go on this adventure. Immediately

following that was a rush of thoughts going through my mind. What about my

obligations? What about expenses? And did I really want to go right now, with these

people? Is this how I wanted to experience my first European adventure?

Now I am currently in the process of making a huge decision. I know very

little about Europe, and even less about backpacking in a different country. I dont

know how much it will cost, but I know it will be very expensive. These are things

that I need to research in order to make an informed decision. However, there are

also other factors that I need to consider. I want this to be myadventure, the

European experience that I have always dreamed of. With so many people going, I

am afraid that this will become someone elses adventure, and I will simply be

tagging along on for the ride. The timing is not opportune, but is it ever going to be?

Maybe this is something that you make time for, rather than waiting for the perfect


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moment. With all of these thoughts rushing through my mind, I am ready to dive

headfirst into research, and discover the information that I need (through both the

internet and self-reflection) to make an informed decision. Now I just need to

answer his question:Am I up for the adventure?

The Story of My Search/ My Search Process

My search has been a slow process over the course of about two and a half

months. School and work have slowly taken over my life and have made it difficult

to make time specifically for this project. There were large chunks of time within

this frame in which I was not concerned about my research and large chunks in

which I was intensely focused on my research. Although I was never steadily

researching my topic, I found that it worked well for me to have gaps where I did

not research so that I could mull over and think about what I had just learned. The

new information that I acquired had time to settle in.

Before I started my research, I narrowed down the essentials of what I really

wanted to know into two categories: how much was this trip going to cost me and

whether or not I wanted to go with this particular group of people. I broke the

category ofcostup into seven subcategories: food; hostels and sleeping

arrangements (lodging); entertainment (tourist stops); discounts that I can receive;

traveling to Europe; getting from place to place once I am in Europe

(transportation); and traveling supplies that I will need to buy.

I commenced my research in the Academic OneFile database from the UMD

library web page. The primary reason that I started my journey here is because I


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wanted to find scholarly articles. At the beginning of my research process, I was still

under the impression that is was essential for a research paper to cite erudite

sources to support their evidence, because if a professor or scholar did not

authorize the information you were presenting, there is no way it could hold any

validity, right?

I found myself questioning this personal belief more and more often as I

researched on. In any case, I found myself typing in various combinations of the

phrases backpacker, Europe, cost, travel, and studentinto the advance search of

Academic OneFile. I weeded through a plethora of unrelated titles to pick out a few

promising articles. One thing that I had to keep mind of was the date of the articles.

Even those that were written as recently as 2010 had to be questioned and

inspected because much of the information that I was looking up had to do with

costs that were constantly changing: airplane tickets fluctuate week to week; let

alone year to year, the cost of hostels vary depending on the time you travel; they

were also much higher a few years ago when hostels were not as popular, the cost of

attractions changes just as frequently as new attractions come into existence, etc.

I found that, aside from the dates, I did not question the articles that I was

reading. I did not even have to look at who the author was just a simple glance at

what journal the article came from gave me confidence that I could trust the

information it was feeding me. What I soon found, however, was that many of the

articles sourced regular websites throughout their writing. The first article I came

across that did this was How To Backpack Through Europe by Elissa Leibowitz. In

her article, Leibowitz sourced fourteen non-scholarly websites for the reader to


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refer to. Most of the websites that she sourced were created by ordinary people

with not much information in their bios other than travel lover. This is when I first

started questioning the importance of my scholarly sources. I understand that this

query is not appropriate for all types of research topics; subjects that are more

educational probably need more professional or scientific evidence to back up their

claims. However, this professional support may not be essential to all topics.

I believe that a topic like mine (backpacking through Europe) may be better

learned through reading about personal experiences, and those personal

experiences are not always told by a writer with a doctorate degree or a journalist

for the Washington Post. Most often, ordinary citizens with a wide variety of

educational backgrounds write them.

I slowly transferred from Academic OneFile to the ordinary websites that

many of the articles I read sourced. I like to refer to the second wave of my research

as my Google-sites. You could find all of them through a simple Google search,

which would have been abhorred by my high school teachers. These websites

seemed less formal and more believable. I was reading personal accounts from

people who had backpacked through Europe first hand, and often multiple times!

For example, Tom, of activebackpacker.com backpacks frequently with his wife, and

they strive to update their website constantly with new information. They

frequently answer questions that visitors of their site leave in their question box.

Their involvement with their visitors helps to create a connection between them

and the people reading their articles. Another blogger that I found very informative

was Rick Steves. Rick started out backpacking in college and it soon became a hobby


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of his. He loved it so much that he wanted to help other backpackers by giving them

tips and advice. Along with opening his own website, he now writes European travel

books. His passion for travel is much more interesting and helpful to read about

than a scholarly article. These various bloggers often explain what worked and what

did not work for them, give advice for their readers, and offer tips that one can only

learn from experience. The lack of formality helped me to connect to the articles in a

way that I could not with the ones from Academic OneFile.

However, I knew that I could not senselessly believe everything I was

reading. There was always the risk that there author of the websites I was reading

was a total fraud who had never travelled in their life. I guess you have to both

develop a sense of trust and also be able to tell from the context whether or not they

know what they are talking about. After researching this topic for quite some time, I

can now tell, just from reading the first few lines of an article (for my topic) whether

or not the author knows what they are talking about.

My Search Results

Of the two essential categories that I narrowed my search down to, the one of

most importance was the cost. This is what would either make or break the

possibility of my adventure. In my early research, I read estimates from $3000 to

$7000 for a price for this trip. Essentially, you can choose the price of your trip

based on what you can and cannot go without (Anderson). How does one arrive at

these numbers, and what circumstances go into the incredibly wide range of prices?


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I broke up the category ofcostinto seven subcategories: food; hostels and

sleeping arrangements (lodging); entertainment (tourist stops); traveling to Europe;

getting from place to place once I am in Europe (transportation); traveling supplies

that I will need to buy; and discounts that I can receive. The cost of plane tickets

seemed like the most logical place to start researching since packing for this trip is

the very first thing that I will be doing.

From almost every source that I read, I learned that the farther in advance

that I start my search for airline tickets, the better. Choosing a less popular airline

that makes multiple layovers may be cheaper in the long run. While it may not

immediately sound appealing, it is a great way to save money and get to visit (albeit

briefly) places that you may not have visited otherwise. A round-trip ticket from

Minneapolis to London can cost from $1200 to $6500. The price range decreased

significantly when I looked up flights with layovers: about $1200 to $3000 is the

most affordable range.

Once you are in Europe, it is very easy (and relatively inexpensive) to get

around if you know where to look, that is. Train, bus, Eurostar, Eurail, plane, and

car. I was surprised to find that when traveling in a small group, it might be cheapest

to rent or lease a car for the duration of your stay. Depending on deals, bus passes

can also be cheap, even cheaper than train passes (but not always). They seem to be

a good deal for those who are traveling Europe for more than two months because

many rail passes are only valid for two months (backpackeurope.com). BusAbout

has passes that start at $399 for 10 days travel in two months. They also offer

passes for travel in large air-conditioned buses to 11 cities in one geographical area


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for $499, or $45 per leg. There is no time limit for travel, but at least six overnight

stays are required (busabout.com). BusAbout also makes lodging reservations and

drops passengers off at their hotel or hostel doors (Fuchs). This could save money

on a taxi ride, or any other transportation, from a train station or airport to the

hostel. Rather than dishing out money for a taxi, it is actually cheaper to hop on

shuttle from the airport to your hostel (Steves). One restriction with an option like

this would be your inability to have spontaneity. You could never stop at a random

location; you would have to stay with the tour.

While buses are cheaper and more convenient than trains, trains are usually

speedier and more comfortable for overnight travel. The Eurostar is a high-speed

train (backpackeurope.com) and is faster than flying if you factor in the trip to the

airport. Round-trip fares start at $90, all included (Fuchs). This seems to be one of

the best options if you want to venture farther into Europe.

The Eurail is a train pass that is available to anyone who is not a citizen of

Europe (backpackeurope.com). Eurail has a variety of options, the cheapest being

the Eurail Selectpass, which is $328 for five days of travel in two months, in three

countries (Leibowitz). Two or more people traveling together receive a 15 percent

saver discount (Fuchs). Before buying a pass, you should check the price of point-

to-point tickets, which are often sold at a discount with advance purchases.

When I found out that we would be staying in hostels on our trip I was a little

hesitant. Images from the horror film of the same name flashed through my head,

and I was convinced that we would get abducted. After some research, however, I


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found that hostels are not only convenient and cheap, but they are also a great way

to meet other travelers.

Many have kitchens and storage rooms available to guests. Larger ones also

offer low-cost meals. While they provide bedding (blankets and pillows), you must

bring your own sheets and towels, or rent them (Randall). Most hostels also offer a

washer/dryer that are either coin operated or paid for upon arrival at the front desk

(backpackeurope.com). I was relived about the safety when I discovered that many

hostels give keys or keycards to people staying in a particular room. This would be

very convenient if we do not want to carry all of our things around with us while we

explore a city. You usually have to pay a refundable deposit for they key

(backpackeurop.com). There is a variety of rooms to choose from within hostels:

you can get a single sex room or a co-ed room; you can request a 2,3,4,6,8 person

room (these tend to cost a little bit more) or a large dorm room (10+ person room);

you can also request to have a lower or upper bunk within each room

(backpackeurope.com). A bed for the night in large cities costs on average $18-$25.

In smaller and rural areas, you can get accommodations for around $10 (Randall).

Perhaps staying in a hostel that is on the outskirts of a large city is cheaper than

staying in the city itself. However, then you have to factor in the cost of a getting to

the city and to your hostel.

So, now that we have arrived in Europe and have a room full of bunks to call

home, what do we do? We recently decided what countries we will be visiting

which, might I add, was a much easier process than I expected. It was a relatively

unanimous decision, since everyone wanted to visit the more popular countries in


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Europe. We will be spending thirty-eight days in six countries; six days in France,

three days in Switzerland, eight days in Italy, two days in Austria, six days in

Germany, and five days in England. The destinations that we will be stopping have

all been decided, save for England, and I will organize our activities by the course we

plan on following. Well start with France. Within our six days in France, we plan on

visiting two major cities: Paris and Versailles. The must-sees for Paris are the Eiffel

Tower, The Louvre, and the Pere Lachaise Cemetery. The must-see for Versailles is

the Notre Dame Cathedral.There are three different options to choose from when

purchasing tickets for the Eiffel tower (Van Son). You can get a stairs entrance ticket,

which is valid up to the second floor; the cost is $6.58. The next option is to get a lift

entrance ticket that is valid up to the second floor, the cost of which is $11.19. The

third option is to purchase a lift entrance ticket to the top of the tower, which would

cost $18.42 (Payson). So, the Eiffel Tower will cost approximately between $7 and

$19, depending on what type of ticket we want to get. When visiting the Louvre,

there are three ticket options: The Permanent Collections, which costs $14.47; the

Exhibitions in the Hall Napolon, which costs $15.79; or a combined ticket, which

costs $19.74 (Ponsin). The Louvre is free on the first Sunday of every month

(Ponsin), so perhaps we will take that into consideration when planning on what

day to visit. However, another thing to consider is that the counterpart to having

free admission on Sundays most likely means that it will be packed with people.

Paying the extra price to go on a regular day may be worth escaping a stampede.

The Notre Dame is free (Van Son) as well as the Pre Lachaise Cemetery (Erikssn)!


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Most of the places that we are visiting in Berne, Switzerland can be seen just

by exploring the city for free. The Zytglogge Clock Tower, Rose Garden, and City

Fountains are all free. So, Ill move on to Italy. We will have eight days to visit three

locations in Italy: Cinque Terre, Rome, and Venice. Cinque Terre will consist of

driving along the rugged coast of the Italian Riviera and soaking in the scenic views.

The colorful towns built into rocky seaside coasts will be a feast for the eyes and the

heart. Our time in Venice is short, so we will just be exploring the city. Rome,

however, will be a bit less laid-back. The must-sees for Rome are The Roman Forum,

the Colosseum, the Vatican Museums, and the Trevi Fountain. The admission fee for

the Colosseum is $20.40 or you can purchase a ticket that will give you access to the

Colosseum, The Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill for $31.00 (Pastirikova). It is best

to visit in the late afternoon after the crowds have started to disperse (Von Son).

Full-price admission tickets for the Vatican Museums are $19.74, however, if you are

under 26 years old and show a valid student ID card, the admission price is reduced

to $10.53 (Biller). Alas, the Trevi Fountain is (of course) free!

Next stop: Vienna! The only tourist spot that we want to make sure to visit is

the Schnbrunn Palace. There are two different tour options and both of which have

an optional student discount with proof of a student ID. The Imperial Tour is $13.82

and the Grand Tour is $20.40 (Sattlecker). The Imperial Tour visits 22 rooms and is

about half the length of the Grand Tour, which visits 40 rooms.

We will be spending six days in Germany traveling through Munich and then

head up to Berlin. The Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial and the Nymphenburg

Palace are on the top of our to-see list in Munich. The regular cost for one admission


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ticket to the Nymphenburg Palace is $7.90 (Anderson) but with a student ID you can

reduce your price to $6.58 (Forster).

Like I mentioned previously, one easy way to get discounts in Europe is to

bring your student ID card. Almost every blog, journal, article, and website that I

read were unanimous in saying that packing a student ID with you is a must. You

can get discounts on everything from museums to cinemas to train tickets

(Summerfield). For $22, you can purchase an International Student Identity Card

(Leibowitz). You can use this card at many tourist sites and get discounts on regular

admission prices. A Hostelling International Card offers discounts at many hostels

around Europe and costs $25 (Leibowitz).

Now, on to the best part: food! I am salivating simply thinking of the delicious

Italian pastas, French pastries, and German beer that I fully intend to devour.

However, I understand that dining out at a luxurious restaurant every night is just

not feasible in terms of cost. So how much should I expect to spend on food? Are

there ways to cut costs or tips to save money? One incredibly easy way to save

money on meals is to cook in your hostel. You could get by spending $14 a day by

buying food from the local food market and cooking it later (Summerfield).

Depending on how long you stay in each hostel, you can buy food more food to last

you a longer time. Buying a loaf of bread, meat, cheese, and a condiment is a cheap

way to make sandwiches that will provide many meals for days (Hendrickson). One

thing to keep in mind while shopping at the local markets is that most food is priced

by the kilo (Steves). Some hostels also serve cheap meals; (Logan) this would be a

great option if you do not have time to cook and you do not want to spend money at


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a restaurant. If you decide to dine out, keep your eye out for a tourist menu

(Steves). This menu, popular in restaurants throughout tourist zones, offers visitors

a no-stress three-course meal for an inexpensive price that usually includes service,

bread, and a drink. This can be a simple way to sample some regional flavors for a

reasonable price. Europeans tend to take more time with their meals than

Americans; one of the biggest surprises for Americans, when dining at a European

restaurant, is the excruciatingly slow service (Steves). This is a great fact to keep

in mind if you have a particularly busy day ahead and dont want to get caught

spending three hours eating breakfast. Although it would be unreasonable to dine at

a five-star restaurant for every meal, I believe that eating in Europe is sightseeing

for your taste buds so I definitely do want to have the experience of eating out in

unique European eateries.

What do I pack for a trip like this? How much do I pack? I currently have

almost nothing in terms of supplies. I have shoes, towels, a backpack, and clothing

but I am not sure that they are equipped for the type of traveling that I will be

partaking in. Of course, I can get little things like a toothbrush, deodorant, hairbrush,

etc. on my own; but what about the big things? Since I will be backpacking around

Europe, the first thing I want to discover is what to look for in a backpack. I know

that my school backpack will not suffice. A proper backpack for a backpacking trip

should be about 4,000 cubic inches (Goldhammer). If you go over this, you risk

getting back pains and other injuries from carrying too much weight. When youre

trying on different style, you should ask the sales person to put weights in your

backpack so that youll have an idea of what you are carrying (Hendrickson). Your


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backpack should be proportional to your body size; if you are short then a taller

backpack will hit you in the head. Things to look for in a backpack: lockable zippers,

this will help protect your belongings; padded shoulder straps, makes carrying the

weight more comfortable; padded hip belt, comfort is important because you carry

most of the weight on your hips; and a sternum strap; helps to distribute the weight

by bringing it forward and away from your shoulders (Hendrickson). A moderately

priced backpack will cost between $100 and $250 (Goldhammer). Moisture wicking

socks are a great alternative to bring regular socks that you may already own

because they will absorb much of the moisture that backpacking will surely cause

your feet to produce (Steves). One pair of flip-flops and one pair of comfortable

walking shoes will suffice for shoes (Hendrickson). The flip-flops have a double

purpose: you can wear them in the showers at the hostels and also if you are going

on a short walk or trip somewhere. For clothing, pack lightweight and absorbent

materials that can be layered (Steves). You should avoid bringing jeans because they

can weigh down your backpack and they will also get very uncomfortable to walk in

very fast. As far as documents go, make sure that you pack your passport, airline and

rail pass tickets, reservations, drivers licenses, and any other useful cards (Logan).

A safe way to carry all of these important documents is in a money belt; a flat,

hidden, zippered pouch that you can strap around your waist and under your

clothes (Steves). This way you can be hands-free and know that your money is in a

safe place. The item that I am most concerned about is the backpack. It is the most

expensive necessity that I will need to purchase and also the most important. I have

most of the clothing that I will need for the trip, and my dad has a lot of supplies


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from his old hiking trips that I can borrow. I found the wicking socks to be a very

interesting tip; I never thought about how short the life span of a regular sock would

be on a backpacking trip. Also, the money belt is an item that I am seriously

considering purchasing; one of my worst fears is to get pick pocketed while abroad,

and a money-belt seems like a great way to avoid this problem.

Now that I have a better understanding of the estimated cost of this trip, I am left

with one big question: do I want to go with these particular people? When I took

time to really thing about this dilemma, I realized that I was not in fact worried at all

about this group of people. They are not just a random group of students; they are

my friends and I enjoy being around them all. I also am not particularly worried

about the timing. I still have a whole year of college left and all I am doing this

summer is working. I definitely have the time for an adventure like this. No, these

were all excuses that I used to distract myself from the real problem: I was worried

that I was not ready to make a decision this big. Before I started my research, the

whole idea of backpacking through Europe overwhelmed me. Sure, it seems

idealistic to leave the country for a month of traveling, but there are so many tiny

decisions and factors that go into planning a trip like this. I just made the

assumption that it would never happen before I gave it a chance to become a

possibility. Luckily, my parents are willing to help me with the costs of this trip.

They too believe that an experience like this is worth the money. Now that I have a

solid understanding of what goes into planning a backpacking trip through Europe, I

am ready to make a decision.


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The Decision

Throughout this process, I have grown incredibly as a researcher. I have

discovered that I do my best work when I research for a small chunk of time, and

then stop for a small chunk of time. This helps me to consider the new things that

Ive discovered and it gives me time to come to a decision on how I feel about them.

Before I started this research process, I was incredibly overwhelmed by the whole

idea of backpacking through Europe. So many factors go into a decision like this, and

the whole idea of it overwhelmed me. This paper has helped me to make sense of

this topic in a way that I did not know was possible. I am proud of the research that I

accomplished. I believe my paper to be an accurate and extremely helpful

culmination of all the information that a novice backpacker like myself would want

to know before heading to Europe. I am finally ready to stop worrying about all of

the costly factors that go into this decision. I am ready to get excited about making

this decision: the decision to go on the trip of a lifetime. The decision to discover

who I am with the people I love. The decision to make memories that will last

forever. Four months ago, my friend Matt asked me the question;Are you up for an

adventure. I am finally ready to give him an answer. Hell yes.


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Spelling Log

Correct spelling: in caseMy Misspelling: incaseWhy The Word Confused Me: two words, not one

Correct spelling: affectMy Misspelling: effectWhy The Word Confused Me: different definitions sound alike

Correct spelling: historiesMy Misspelling: historyWhy The Word Confused Me: I thought the plural was the same as the singular

Correct spelling: woman

My Misspelling: womenWhy The Word Confused Me: singular vs. plural

Grammar Log

Personal Grammar: The poem is broken up into two different conversationsWritten Grammar: Two different conversations break up the poemReasons for Difference: passive voice

Personal Grammar: After revealing her worries to him, his reply is simpleWritten Grammar: After she revealed his worries to him, her reply I simpleReasons for Difference: Misplaced Modifier

Personal Grammar: A 21st century womanWritten Grammar: A 21st- century womanReasons for Difference: hyphen

Personal Grammar: be a part of the planning, I haveWritten Grammarbe a part of the planning: I haveReasons for Difference: colon introducing a quote

Personal Grammar: God is the one that is punishing himWritten Grammar: God is the one who is punishing himReasons for Difference: word usage

Personal Grammar: she is given a robotic qualityWritten Grammar: a robotic quality is given to herReasons for Difference: passive voice


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Works Cited

Anderson, Stuart. "Nymphenburg Palace."Destination Munich. Stuart Anderson, 2012.Web. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. .

Anderson, Tom. The Average Cost of Backpacking Across Europe: An In-depth LookAt My 2 Month Trip. Active Backpacker. N.p., 07 Feb. 2012. Web. 28 Sept.2012.

"Backpacking Europe: Our Packing System." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 17May 2012. Web. 9. Sept. 2010.

Biller, Anastasia. Italy. Vatican Museums Management.Tarriff's Details. Vatican City: ,2012. Web. .

Erikssn, Anna. "Cemetery Info ."Meet Me At Pre Lachaise. Hudson-Ivy Press, 2012.Web. Web. 16 Dec. 2012.

Forster, Christoph. "Information for Visitors."Bayerische Verwaltung der staatlichenSchlosser. The Bavarian Department of State-own Palaces, n.d. Web. 16 Dec2012. .

Fuchs, Dale. "Dust Off Your Backpack." New York Times 23 Apr. 2006:TR6(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 05 Nov. 2012.

Goldhammer, Amy. "Ask the gear girl." Shape Apr. 2004: 124.Academic OneFile.

Web. 29 Sept. 2012.

Hendrickson, Kaaryn. Backpack Europe On A Budget. N.p., n. d. Web. 29 Sept. 2012..

Leibowitz, Elissa. "How to Backpack Through Europe." Washington Post 4 Mar. 2001:E11. Academic OneFile. Web. 05 Nov. 2012.

Logan, Gabi. "The Typical Budget For Backpacking In Europe." USA Today. n.d. n.page. Print. .

Pastirikova, Zuzana. "Roman Colosseum."Rome.Info. N.p., 2012. Web. Web. 16 Dec.2012. .

Payson. "Eiffel Tower Prices."Eiffel Tower - The Amazing Paris Landmark. N.p., 2012.Web. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. .


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Ponsin, Claire. "Hours & Admission."Louvre. Muse du Louvre, n.d. Web. 16 Dec 2012..

Randall, Carol. "Unhostile hostels." PN - Paraplegia News 52.6 (1998): 20+. AcademicOneFile. Web. 19 Oct. 2012.

Sattlecker, Franz. "Palace Tickets." Schlo Schnbrunn. Schlo Schnbrunn Kultur- undBetriebsges.m.b.H, n.d. Web. 16 Dec 2012.

Steves, Rick. "A weaker dollar, but a richer travel experience." USA Today 13 June2005: 13A. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2012.

Steves, Rick. "Tips on Eating in Europe."Rick Steves' Europe. Rick Steves EuropeThrough The Back Door, Inc., 2011. Web. 17 Dec. 2012..

Summerfield, Tom. "The Ultimate Offline Guide To Backpacking Europe."ActiveBackpacker. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Dec 2012..

Van Son, Brendan. "A Backpacker's Guide to Paris."Brendan's Adventures. Wordpress,n. d. Web. Web. 16 Dec. 2012. .


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Rubric

Rubric for AssessingI-Search Paper

Name: Danielle Arcand

Criteria Unsatisfactory Satisfactory Excellent

Mechanics Contains many errors thathinder the readers ability tounderstand the text.

May contain a few errors thatdistract the reader but doesnot hinder theirunderstanding.

The writer shows controlover the mechanics over themechanics of standardwritten English. The paper ishighly polished; almostentirely free of spelling,

punctuation, and grammarerrors.

Organization/ Coherence No structured organization.The paper lacks transitionsand coherence.

Uses a logical progression ofideas and somewhatdeveloped transitions. Thereader might have a hardtime following the progressof the paper.

The writer presentsinformation in a logical andinteresting sequence that isappropriate to the paperssubject, purpose, andaudience. The writer usestransitional sentences thatdevelop one idea from the

previous one. The reader hasa clear understanding of the

progress of the paper.

Research Poor background, context,and idea development. Uses

irrelevant ideas or lackssupporting evidence entirely.

Adequate background,context, and idea

development. Sourcessomewhat support the themeof the paper.

Excellent background,context, and idea

development. The writeruses evidence appropriatelyand effectively. Sourcessufficiently support theme of

paper.

Ideas/ Content The paper lacks a theme orcentral idea, neglects to usesources where necessary.

Adequate but not effectiveuse of presenting ideas. Thetheme of the paper is vague.Ideas are presented ingeneral terms. The writershows basic comprehension,

but not full understanding, ofsources.

The theme of the paper iswell defined. Paper discusseswhat the writer alreadyknew, what they wanted todiscover, and what theylearned. Shows a fullunderstanding of sourcesused.

Conclusion Does not include thoughtfulreflection of results.

Includes satisfactoryreflection of results.

Includes thoughtfulreflections and interpretationof results.

Effort The writer fulfills little of therequirements of theassignment.

The writer fulfills some ormost requirements of theassignment.

The writer exceeds therequirements of theassignment and has put careand effort into the process.

Style The paper has no distinct The writer takes a passive The paper conveys a strong


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voice. role in the research and usesconfusing language.

sense of the writers voiceand contains precise anddescriptive language. The

paper reflects the writersperseverance and ingenuityas a researcher.


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Journal Evaluation I

I have made 26 entries in my journal since the beginning of thesemester. I usually always write right after class, so that the things we

discussed are fresh in my mind. Other than that, I write whenever I feel theneed to get my ideas on paper (or computer) before I forget them.

I most often write in my big green chair in my room. It sits next to thewindow that overlooks Lake Superior, which I find calming and inspiring forwriting. I have used this journal writing for solely this journal.

Every week I have entries that discuss the conversations that we havein class. In these entries, I usually expand further on my ideas. Since myclasses are becoming much busier, I might start using these journal entries toput snippets of rough drafts for writings in my other classes (as well as thiscourse).

I am actually really surprised at how often I go back and read old

entries. Some of my entries are poetry or short stories, but I do not usuallysubmit those. I most often feel inclined to write about something that isrelevant to the class (which I know is not required). I am going to try tosubmit some of my creative writing more often.

Many of my journal entries reflect on the ideas that we discussed in class andhow I would incorporate the things we learned into my own teaching one day. Ihope to keep these entries as a reference for when I am student teaching. I havealready forgotten a lot of things that we discussed in class, but when I go back andread my journal entries, it is easy for me to recall what I have learned.


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Journal Evaluation IISince my last journal evaluation, I have made 10 journal entries. This is

considerably less than the first half of the semester. At first, the journals were anexciting way for me to document what I was learning in my classes. They were a

great way for me to review what was discussed and they allowed me to furtherinterpret various topics and ideas. However, this soon became difficult to keep up

with.As my schedule got busier, I found myself finishing the journals simply to

complete them for class. They became a chore for me. Although I have stuck to it, Ido not enjoy writing them as much as I used to. The journal is useful to me when Iwrite about something that truly interests me and when I am not worried about thelength or completing it on time.

A few of the writings that I entered are bits that I was drafting for anotherclass. Other than that, the entries have not really been used for anything else.

An excerpt from a journal in which I discussed my thoughts on tracking in schools:

Another major factor that either makes or breaks a studentsexperience in a tracked class is the teacher. I remember taking amoney management class my senior year of high school. It was myonly non-advanced class that quarter. I felt very out of place you getused to being with a certain group of kids when you take all advancedclasses, so I didnt really know anyone in this class. I remember itbeing total unstructured chaos. The kids would ignore the teacher andlesson instructions, opting to text and listen to music instead, and theteacher did nothing about it. Nothing. He held no authority in the classand made no attempt to encourage the students to learn. If youfinished the assignments, good for you. If not, then that was that. Hemostly sat behind his computer until then bell rang. I was so in shockthe first week. I was used to having teachers who not only attemptedto help you, but even enjoyedit. The teachers who inspired me in myadvanced classes were a stark contrast to the unfriendly stranger whocalled himself a teacher in my money management course. Sadly, Ithink that many teachers of basic classes give up on their students. Ormaybe they dont even try in the first place because they see it as aworthless effort. I could write for pages about how much this upsetsme.

An excerpt from a journal in which I discussed my thoughts on my adopt-a-classexperience:

To say that our experience in My Shingens classroom was amazing isan understatement. We were incredibly lucky to work with a teacherthat was so accommodating and open to us planning out and


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implementing our own lessons and activities. For the most part, he letus do our own thing during class, then he would give us feedback atthe end of the class period. On Wednesday, when we were talkingwith him after class, our excitement about our improv idea waspalpable. We were literally jumping around planning all of the things

we could do with them that would have them recall on things we hadlearned over the past three days. He was excited, too. Before we left toplan out Thursdays acting activities, he said to us Now, this feelingyou have right now? Dont forget it. This is the good stuff. This is whyyou teach. Although there were some frustrating moments in classwhen the students would tune us out and go into their owndiscussions, being able to witness them having fun with our lessonswas the best feeling ever, and nothing feels better than the excitementof planning a lesson that you know the kids will love. Mr. Shingenwelcomed us to come back to his classroom whenever we wanted, andHaley and I plan on visiting his class on Fridays. We are incredibly

excited to see the students again and I am so happy that we had such awonderful experience.

Journals have a special ability to capture a moment in time that wouldotherwise be forgotten within days of the event happening. I can look back at oldjournal entries (from both this class and my personal journal) and when I readabout what happened, I am transported back to that moment. I can momentarilyrelive the feelings I felt, the sounds I heard, and the smells that filled the air. If youwrite an entry in a journal and never look at it again, you are only fulfilling part of a

journals purpose. Your understanding only comes full circle when, at a later point intime, you wipe the dust off your journal, flip through the pages, and relive whathappened.

I believe that journals are a great tool for students to use in the classroom. Ialso think that it is very easy for kids to get into a routine with them (much like Idid) and forget that they are allowed to be creative. Perhaps to help overcome thisforeseeable problem, the teacher could assign a theme to random journal entries(but not every journal entry). This will keep the students engaged when they may befalling into a routine.


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My Principles of Teaching Writing

1. Students should be able to make direct and indirect connections between writingand their real lives. In order to do this, they need to understand what kind of writer

they are. A great way to get students to consider themselves as writers is through aninterview project like we did in our ENGL 5902 course. This should take place at thebeginning of the class semester so the students can build a foundation ofunderstanding of what they already know about themselves, and what they have yetto accomplish as writers. Obviously, the students will not relate the story theirwriting life to teaching, but they will become aware of what they are capable of. Thiswould be especially useful to students who enter a writing course feelinginadequate before it even begins. If a student understands what they are capable ofand what they have already accomplished, they will then be motivated to learnmore; by having an understanding of what they have already learned and arecapable of doing, they will be able to decide what they want to learn next.

2. Conferences are delicate situations that need to be prepared for properly toensure the best possible reactions from a student. Students should feel comfortablecoming to me for questions and also discussing their classwork during conferences.In his article about conferencing, Romano emphasizes the importance of making astudent feel comfortable. He gives many examples of how to do this in his writing,and I agree very strongly with some of them. One way to make a student feel morecomfortable is to carry a small stool around the classroom, essentially bringing theconference to the student. This eliminates the role of teacher: authority. This set upalso places the teacher and the student side by side, rather than facing each other;which again, makes the situation seem less formal and more comfortable. I believe itis important to leave out grammatical errors in a paper when discussing a studentswork face-to-face. They can read about those notes when the look over my edits, andby commencing a conference with their errors, you will make a student feel self-conscious right away which might lead to them being closed off during theconference.

3. Writing should not be a chore for students; it should be a hobby. I feel that thiscan be overcome by teaching students about the variety of genres out there. We dida great job at exploring this through the variety of research papers (I-Search, Multi-Genre, and Cultural Journalism) that we got to choose from. Students should have a

choice. Giving students choices, instead of assigning a specific structuredassignment is a great way to make them an active participant in their writing. Theyare choosing what they will be writing about and how they will present theirinformation. Their excitement will lead to creativity; thinking outside the box.Breaking the norms of what they think writing is all about and defining the terms ofwriting on their own. This is when writing ceases to be a chore and grows into ahobby.


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4. Not all students will be at the same level in my classroom. They will need to getadequate attention. Every student will have troubles with writing, and each of thesetroubles will be unique. I believe that it is important for teachers to know andunderstand a students background knowledge and any troubles that they may havewith writing before class begins so they are prepared to help that student with their

particular needs. Similarly, a teacher should be aware of that their teaching stylemay not be helping a student or may even be hindering a students learning.Students, like Tracy in Linda Miller Clearys book, will not always point out to youtheir problems with your teaching style. It is the job of a teacher to be self-awareand to recognize if a students learning problem is caused by the students abilitiesor the teachers teaching style. There needs to be a strong, open communicationbetween the teacher and their students where both parties understand what theyneed from the other, and are cognizant of on anothers expectations.

5. I believe that a grading contract is an effective way to make students more activeparticipants in their own grading process. A grading contract gives a student great

time management skills: they know what has to be done, and when it needs to bedone by. Contract grading emphasizes learning and reduces grade competition.Instead of simply viewing each assignment as a separate project, they can look athow an assignment fits into the class as a whole. Since this is a contract between astudent and their teacher, the class becomes less of a teacher-directed learningenvironment and the student becomes an active participant in their grade. Whilesome might claim that a grading contract only encourages students to do the bareminimum work in order to get the desired grade, I would argue against that. If astudent does not adequately complete an assignment to the level that the teacherexpects, then the assignment should be returned to the student to revise. If thestudent chooses not to revise, then that assignment will not be completed as a part

of that contract. Grading contracts allow students to take an active role in thelearning by choosing the grade that they want and then putting forth the effortneeded to acquire that grade.

6. I believe that journaling is an important tool to use in the classroom. It is not onlya way to create a relationship between the student and the teacher, but it also helpsthe teacher to understand the student as a writer and for the student to understandthemselves as writers. Journaling can also be a way for the teacher to assess whatthe students are learning in class. I believe that for journaling to be effective, theteacher needs to provide some structure. A very important quality of the journals isthat it gives the students freedom to write about whatever they feel the need to

explore. However, as classes get busier the students may have a difficult timefinding the time to write. This can result in the students writing simply to fulfill theassignment of creating a journal entry rather than writing to become better writers.One way to overcome this is to have writing prompts assigned to random journals.This would prevent the students from falling into a routine and also to keep thestudents excited about journals. Blackout poems, found poetry, or other writingprompt ideas are a great way to get students think creatively and to also encourage


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students who would rather be writing a research paper to give creative writing ashot.

7. Students should learn by doing. One of the best ways to become a master at asubject is to teach it to other people. A great way to apply this in the classroom is to

have students teach mini-lessons. They could be grammar mini-lessons, like we didin our class, but the mini-lessons could also be on a variety of other subjects. Themini-lessons could be taught by the teacher to help assist the students in problemthat has been frequently occurring in papers, or by the students themselves toassess what they have learned.

8. Teachingis preparation and theater. I remember reading this quote agesago and loving it. However, it was not until I completed my adopt-a-class projectthat I understood it. You can spend hours planning out a lesson; bullet-pointingmain subjects you would like to discuss and jotting down topic questions to inducegroup discussions. However, you can never fully anticipate how your students will

react to your material. Haley and I spent hours planning out the lessons we weregoing to teach our adopted-students during the four days that we taught in theirclassroom. There was not a single day that our lesson plans went exactly as we hadplanned, and that was the best thing that could have happened. The students tookreins of the discussion. Our main points inspired them, but they took it a stepfurther and applied the ideas that we were teaching to other things. Be prepared forthings to change. Anticipate it. Welcome it. And be excited when it happens, becausethat means that the students are not only listening to what you are saying; they areinterpreting it, analyzing it, agreeing and disagreeing with it. They are thinkingabout it. They are learning.

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ENGL 5902 - Portfolio