Exam 1 - Writing Sentences and Paragraphs
ASSIGNMENT -
Purpose - This examination will give you practice applying all the writing skills you've learned in the first four study units by developing two separate paragraphs of 8-12 sentences each.
Paragraph 1
Background - You've applied for a specific job in your field of study. The Human Resources Department arranges an interview and tells you to bring with you a polished piece of writing for them to evaluate your writing skills. The paragraph must describe one particular experience you've had that inspired you or guided you to choose the type of position for which you applied.
Your audience is your potential employer and your purpose is to show you have thought carefully about what and/or who has motivated you toward this career choice and why. In addition, you want to convey your enthusiasm for this position as it relates to your inspiring experience. Take time to think about what your audience wants to know and strive to reach a balance between informal and formal business writing.
Process
1. Prewrite about your field of study and create a specific job for which you might want to apply at a particular business or organization in your area. Outline what that position would look like. Brainstorm details, names, titles, and facts to provide depth to your paragraph and enable you to write a polished paragraph.
2. Freewrite about the different experiences you've had that motivated you to choose your area of study. Pick one on which to focus-one that triggers sparks of enthusiasm. Review your prewriting and choose what's most pertinent to the experience and position. Decide on an organizational pattern, such as a chronological outline, and arrange those details into a logical, coherent flow.
3. Open a Word document and type the heading Paragraph 1. Begin your rough draft with the topic sentence, in which you state the position and place, as well as your reason for wanting to be hired as it relates to your inspiring experience. Develop the experience you organized in Step 2. Include not only details about the one experience, but also show how that experience inspired you, particularly as it relates the position for which you're applying. Develop your paragraph using clear, varied sentences containing concrete words and transitions or connectives to create a logical flow. Show enthusiasm, yet maintain a somewhat formal tone.
Paragraph 2 -
Background - Your favorite cousin has moved to your town and is looking for a job. Her previous experiences are working as a cashier and sales clerk at two department stores. You know she plans to apply at similar stores in your town. But you also know she is a perfect match for a job opening as a reliable assistant to your boss. You know she has the skills, though she doesn't think she is as capable as she is, and you're sure she'd be good at this job.
Your goal is to persuade your cousin to apply for the job. You email her a paragraph explaining the specifics of the job and the reasons she should apply. You want to convince her that she has the job skills required. You'll use an informal tone, of course, but will take care to use correct business writing to show her that you take your recommendation seriously.
Process
1. Using your imagination, create the kind of skills the job as boss's assistant requires. Make up names for your boss and the company, as well as any facts that might help you prove your case to your cousin. Freewrite about the skills you've seen her show in other settings and about how you can convince her to use those abilities in this position. In addition, consider personality traits that show she would work well with your boss. Also make up details and figures about how this job will benefit your cousin personally and professionally.
2. Circle the information your cousin most needs to hear to be persuaded to apply for this job. You won't be able to use everything you made up. Organize the details and explanation using an order of importance pattern.
3. Open the Word document containing your draft of Paragraph 1 and begin a new page. Type the heading Paragraph 2 and draft your 8-12 sentence paragraph. Begin with the topic sentence, in which you establish your confidence in your cousin and spark her interest in applying for this job. Develop your paragraph using clear, varied sentences and concrete words with transitions or connectives that create a logical flow. Use the information you've identified as most important and make your paragraph as persuasive as possible
Exam 2 - Improving Your Writing
ASSIGNMENT
Purpose - You demonstrate that you're able to work through all stages of the writing process to produce persuasive writing. To accomplish this assignment, you apply skills and rules taught in the first five study units.
Background - Ten years ago, you started working as a clerk for DMD Medical Supplies. Six months ago, Liz Jakowski, the human resources director, promoted you to office manager. You manage two employees: Jack Snyder and Ruth Disselkoen. Your office provides secretarial support for the four members of the executive team. Two years ago, Liz had assigned Jack to support Ralph Alane and Jessica Hilo. Ruth was assigned to Samuel Daley and Frank Daley. The work flow was equally balanced.
You've noticed that in the last three months Ruth has cut her breaks short to complete her work, complains of being tired, and at least twice a month requires overtime hours costing the company an additional $200 a month. In the last three weeks, Frank Daley has complained to you a few times about the poor quality of Ruth's work.
On the other hand, over the last three months, Jack frequently seems to have little to do. He has begun coming in late a couple times a week and taking more than the allotted break times.
What work he does have, however, is always professionally completed. Clearly, you must investigate to determine what is causing this change and how to improve the situation. Since nothing has changed in the personal lives of either Jack or Ruth, you conclude you must focus on the in-office work situation. You learn the following facts:
- Samuel and Frank Daley share a part-time administrative assistant who works only 15 hours a week.
- Ralph Alane and Jessica Hilo share a full-time administrative assistant.
- Jessica Hilo has been on medical leave for the last four months, and Liz Jakowski isn't sure whether Jessica will be able to return to work.
- Jessica's duties have been temporarily reassigned to Ralph and Frank.
Although you don't have the authority to change who Jack and Ruth are assigned to work for, you clearly need to change the work the two do so that both Jack and Ruth work regularly without requiring overtime.
Process - Adhere to the following outlined process when writing your exam.
Planning
1. The background explains the primary cause of the workflow problem and the negative effects resulting from it. Your task is to make up a realistic plan which solves the uneven productivity between Jack and Ruth. Use prewriting tools like brainstorming, cluster or webbing diagrams, and freewriting to outline the cause-effect situation and to develop a specific solution that best solves the problem.
Also ask yourself the following questions to expand your prewriting.
- How long has this situation been going on?
- Why did the problems begin when they did?
- Am I able to solve the problem at its root cause or am I only able to manage the impact of the problem?
- Is this a temporary or permanent problem?
- How has the company been affected?
- How have the employees been affected?
- What's in my power to change? What must stay the same?
- What are two or three ways to improve the efficiency of my office?
- How much work, time, and money would be required to implement each solution?
- Does each solution stop all the negative effects?
- Are there any benefits to the change beyond stopping what is occurring?
- How exactly would each change affect Jack, Ruth, and the executive team?
- What would I have to do to make sure each change goes through as planned and to monitor the situation once the solution is in place?
From your prewriting, develop the single best solution to the situation described in the background. Obviously, you won't be able to use everything you've prewritten, so your first step is to choose what's most important for the purpose and audience. As you outline a solution, you may need to make up more specific details that define the steps of the plan and describe particular benefits of the plan.
Drafting -
3. Next, sort your details and information about the problem and the plan into one of the two sections given below. Don't worry about complete sentences for this sorting stage; merely list the information under the appropriate section. Use information from both the background and your prewriting.
Section 1
- Facts and figures that define the problem (the cause)
- Details that show the impact of the problem (effects) on Jack, Ruth, and the company
Section 2
- The steps needed to change the situation
- Reason to implement each step, including the benefits to your employees, your supervisor, and the company
- Information about your role in the change
4. After sorting the information, draft a first-try, rough paragraph for Section 1 and another paragraph for Section 2. Your goal is to place the listed information in the most logical order using sentence and paragraph format. Leave all spelling, grammar, punctuation, and other mistakes exactly as they are. Don't do any editing as you write this first draft. The worse it looks at this stage, the better your final product will appear in contrast.
5. Set your rough draft aside and don't work any further on this assignment for at least 24 hours.
6. After your break, reread the background information and the questions guiding your prewriting in Step 1. Then reread the rough paragraphs you drafted for Section 1 and 2 to refresh your memory. If you came up with new ideas since you wrote the draft, add your thoughts before you go further.
Revising
7. Focus on the rough draft of Section 2, which you wrote in Step 4. Divide the paragraph into two main ideas and reorganize your information accordingly to develop two separate paragraphs based on Section 2. The paragraphs must first describe your solution and then persuade your supervisor to implement that solution. Each paragraph must have one main idea related to this purpose and audience.
Note: Don't revise Section 1. Revise only the rough draft you wrote for Section 2, expanding the single paragraph into two paragraphs.
8. Prewrite further if needed to develop more details and explanation to flesh out the two paragraphs based on Section 2. Next, apply the drafting and revising strategies taught in this and previous study units to produce two properly developed paragraphs. Together these two paragraphs must total between 200 to 300 words.
9. Once again, set your work aside for at least 24 hours.
10. Read the evaluation criteria given on the next page, which will be used to score your work. Continue to revise, edit, and proofread the two paragraphs from Section 2 to meet each of the criteria.
11. Once you have a final, polished version of the two paragraphs based on Section 2, open a new document on your computer's word-processing program and type your work. Format the document to double space, using a standard font, size 12, left justification (also called align left and ragged right). Set 1-inch or 1.25-inch margins for both left and right sides of the page. Indent the first line of each paragraph by 0.5-inch tab. Hit Enter only once after the first paragraph to begin the second paragraph. Don't use any other type of format, such as a letter or memo. Merely type the two paragraphs.
12. After typing your work, make sure you edit and proofread at least one more time. Use the computer's grammar and spell checks cautiously. Not everything the computer suggests is correct, particularly for the purpose and audience.
Exam 3 - Types of Business Writing
ASSIGNMENT
Purpose - The objective of this examination is to give you an opportunity to effectively apply (1) the writing process as covered by all six study units and (2) the formats presented in this study unit. To do this, you'll produce the following three types of business writing using standard written conventions for American English. You'll create all of these items in Word, without the use of templates or email programs, and submit the three required items in ONE document:
- One business letter
- One interoffice memorandum
- One email
Background - Assume that you've worked for the last five years as an administrative assistant for the Human Resources Department of Broadworth General Hospital. The Director of Human Resources, Miriam Hopkins, has charged you with organizing a two-hour training seminar to be attended by the hospital's 20 office supervisors. The seminar should cover sexual harassment and unlawful discrimination in the workplace.
For the last 20 years, the hospital has contracted all training through the nationally acclaimed Wydade Consulting Services. Jeremy Dittmer, employee relations specialist, is manager of the local branch of Wydade.
He requires a three-month advance notice regarding any training Broadworth needs so he can supply an appropriate trainer and any materials that may be required. This is the first time you've dealt directly with Mr. Dittmer.
You must also make all necessary arrangements for the seminar, including time, date, a room at the hospital for training, any resources the trainer needs, any materials those who attend might need, and light refreshments for a 15-minute break.
Process - Adhere to the following outlined process when writing your exam.
Planning
1. Brainstorm to create the necessary details you'll need to include your letter, memo and email; for example, the mailing addresses for the hospital and consulting firm, the dates, the kinds of training materials, the seminar schedule, and so on.
Drafting
2. Using either full block or modified block, draft a letter to Mr. Dittmer to set up the seminar. Your letter must have at least two paragraphs and at least eight complete sentences. Include the following items in your letter:
a. Thanks for the company's reliable support
b. An explanation of the training need and any special topics to cover
c. A request for a trainer to teach the seminar
d. A request for a list of resources the trainer will need
3. Draft an interoffice memorandum to Miriam Hopkins, the Director of Human Resources:
a. Assume that you've received confirmation from Jeremy Dittmer for the date, time, and materials needed. The trainer he has assigned is Deb Walker.
b. Outline the arrangements you've made, providing explanations as needed. Your goal is to assure her that you've covered all of the details.
c. Invent any additional details as needed.
4. Using your word processing program, draft an email of at least four complete sentences to Deb Walker, the designated trainer:
a. Confirm the arrangements for the seminar, providing only the information she needs to arrive at the right place at the right time.
b. Copy both Mr. Dittmer and Ms. Hopkins.
c. Create an appropriate email business address for yourself and include it after the signature block.
5. Set all three items aside for at least 24 hours.
Revising
6. Review the letter, memo, and email as you answer the following questions:
a. Have I applied the revision, editing, and proofreading strategies taught in this and previous units?
b. Do my letter, memo, and email include an appropriate beginning, middle, and end?
c. Have I used the formats shown in the study unit for each type of correspondence?
d. Have I included all of the necessary parts, like company letterhead, a simulated signature in the letter in italics or a script font, a heading for the memo, To/Cc/Subject lines for the email, and so on?
d. Have I used either the full block or modified block format for the letter?
7. Make sure your work matches the evaluation criteria below.
8. Edit and proofread your work at least one more time before submitting it for evaluation. Use your computer's grammar and spell checks cautiously. Not everything the computer suggests is correct, particularly for the purpose and audience.
Brief Essay -
Attach a brief essay on why you would like to have a career as a Surgical Technologist.
(for college admissions/application).
Attachment:- Assignment Files.rar