Each of your works might need an explanation of what the assignment was and maybe what the class was. Remember, this is an assemblage, so there are no other markers. When I read The Onion, I expect satire. When I read the New York Times, I expect serious news. On your portfolio, there are no markers except the ones you make. Reading a satire right next to an serious essay on sexual assault can lead to confusion.
A headpiece appears before included work and serves one primary function but can have secondary functions as well. Its primary function is to tell us what the assignment was, and usually, to tell what class it was for.
The secondary functions can be one or more of the following:
- What strengths in your writing does it show?
- What did you learn about writing from it?
- What are you most proud of?
- How does it fit into your oeuvre or portfolio?
- What skills are you taking away from this assignment (the thinking ‘forward’ part of the reflection assignment in this class?
- How do you feel about this assignment in retrospect?
You might invent other secondary purposes as well. You don’t want them to be too long, however. A good range is 75 — 150 words.
The design of it depends on your layout. You can write a short, one sentence blurb that points to a larger headpiece. You can attach headpieces to coursework descriptions. Here are three recent examples so you can get a sense of the design (and content) of a headpiece: