Now that you have edited and proofread each selected piece for your portfolio, it's time to write what may be the most important piece: a letter of introduction about your work. This letter is different from any other piece in your portfolio because it is meant to show how your writing abilities have changed over time and where you plan to focus your energy in the future.
Although writing something that both praises and criticizes your own work might sound hard to do, here's some good news: you should have all of the information you'll need for this letter already written down—on your Writing Self-Assessment worksheet. Now it's just a matter of shaping that information into the structure of a letter, with a salutation, a body, and a closing. Use the tabs below to learn what information should go in each part of your letter.
The salutation of a letter does two things: it addresses the person or people you are writing to, and it introduces the main ideas you will be covering in your letter. You can begin your letter with either the word Dear followed by your teacher's name or To Whom It May Concern if your letter will be read by more than one person.
Then you need to write a short paragraph that introduces your work. Your introduction should briefly describe the purpose of your letter and also provide a broad and general answer to this question: How have my writing abilities improved over the course of this year? You could explain what you have learned about yourself when reflecting on your work. You might even briefly describe some challenges you encountered and how you dealt with those in completing the portfolio. Finally, introduce the selection of portfolio pieces you are including and explain how or why you chose those pieces to be examples of your best work.
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Remember to set up your letter correctly with the date and salutation and punctuate it properly. Then write your introductory paragraph(s).
The body of the letter is the most important part and the largest chunk of writing. Here, you will dig into the specific strengths and weaknesses of your writing. You will also be showing the specific pieces of evidence you made notes of from the last page. Remember the purpose of your letter. In it, you are explaining:
- your progress and growth as a writer through the year
- what strategies or skills influenced and improved your writing
- revision or editing strategies that were helpful
- the kinds of changes you made to your writing and the reasons for those changes
- what skills you need to still focus on or skills that were challenging for you to master
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In the body of your letter, describe each area of progress that you noted on your worksheet. Then provide examples of that progress as copied and pasted paragraphs, passages, poems, etc. Repeat this process for your areas of needed improvement.
This last section of your letter's body should transition from reflection to self-improvement. Be specific with your goals and explain why you chose particular objectives to focus on. Tell your reader how you will accomplish your goals.
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Write your goals and objectives in this paragraph. Make sure to tie your goals into the specific weaknesses you mentioned.
In the last paragraph of your letter, you should summarize and reflect on what you've learned about yourself as a writer over the course of this year. Explain to your reader how your approach to writing has changed because of your new knowledge. This is also a good place to add any other comments you want to make about this year's writing.
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Finish your letter with a strong summary of the work and revisit some of the points you made in the opening. Remember to format this part correctly, too, with a proper signature.
