Sample Portfolio Cover Memo Assignment

Erik Ellis, Instructor

Cover Memo Format:

May 5, 2004

To: Erik Ellis

From: Your name

Re: Essay #2 Revisions and Edits

Use the memo heading above in place of a title. Handwrite your initials next to your name. Notice the use of bold for “To:”; “From”; and “Re.” Single-space your memo, and instead of indenting each paragraph, use one space between paragraphs. In this first paragraph, give an overview of what your memo contains, and try to persuade me that you’ve learned from the revisions and edits you made. Use an engaging, somewhat informal tone. In other words, don’t sound too stuffy or too chatty.

Major Revisions (Use this subheading)

1. Challenge (just the word “Challenge” underlined and followed by a colon): Summarize the original problem in a few sentences. For example, “My opening paragraph was too vague and dull to capture the reader’s interest. When I looked at the beginning of the essay from my target publication, I realized that it was actually pretty informal and detailed. In my essay, even though I tried to make the reader imagine a specific situation, it still lacked the kinds of details necessary to really engage readers.”

Solution: (just the word “Solution” underlined and followed by a colon): Briefly explain how you solved the problem. For example, “I decided that instead of asking readers to imagine a general situation, I should present them with a specific hypothetical example. So I described the same scene in much greater detail so readers could get a stronger sense of the drama involved.”

Revision (just the word “Revision” underlined and followed by a colon): Put your actual revision here, in quotation marks. Don’t include the original version here.

Explanation (just the word “Explanation” underlined and followed by a colon): Briefly explain why you think your revision is an improvement over the original. For example, “By describing the sound of skis slicing through a fresh layer of sparkly snow, the sight of Vail Valley below, and the excitement of racing against your friend down the steep, uncrowded intermediate slope, I made the paragraph much more interesting to read. Whereas before readers had no strong sense of my controversy—let alone an emotional connection to it—in my revision I put readers in the perspective of an actual skier who sees a friend without a helmet dodge a snowmobile and slam into a tree. That kind of immediacy grabs the reader’s attention and makes them want to keep reading.”

2. Include the same steps above for your second major revision.

3. Include the same steps above for your third major revision.

Edits (Use this subheading)

1. Problem (just the word “Problem” underlined and followed by a colon): Summarize the original problem in one sentence. For example, “I used a comma splice.”

Rule: (just the word “Rule” underlined and followed by a colon): Briefly describe, in your own words, the grammatical or mechanical rule involved. List the page number from Rules for Writers that you read to understand this rule. E.g., Your explanation here (Rules for Writers 241).

Revision (just the word “Revision” underlined and followed by a colon): Put your actual revised sentence here, in quotation marks. Don’t include the original version here.

Explanation (just the word “Explanation” underlined and followed by a colon): Briefly explain why you think your revision solves the problem.

2. Include the same steps above for your second edit.

3. Include the same steps above for your third edit.

Cover Memo Grading Criteria

Cover Memo (20%)	100 Points	Comments
_____ opening paragraph gives good overview of memo contents, persuades audience that you’ve learned from your revisions/edits, and uses an engaging tone	___/10
_____ 3 revision “problems” are appropriate and explained well	___/10
_____ 3 revision “solutions” are appropriate and explained well	___/10
_____ 3 actual revisions are effective	___/10
_____ 3 revision “explanations” are appropriate and persuasive	___/10
_____ 3 editing “problems” are appropriate and explained well	___/10
_____ 3 editing “rules” are appropriate and explained well in own words, with relevant pages #s cited from Rules for Writers	___/10
_____ 3 actual edits/revisions are effective	___/10
_____ 3 editing “explanations” are appropriate and persuasive	___/10
_____ memo uses correct format; revisions and edits are highlighted/circled and clearly labeled on enclosed graded essay (e.g., “Revision #1,” “Edit #1”)	___/10
	___/100