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last.updated 8.7.09

 

Sample Assignment

Purpose

You all know from your own experiences as students that the generic expectations for assignment sheets (or the document an instructor uses to articulate the instructions for a major project) are fairly loose. We have been presented with a wide array of this curricular material. For the students, this articulation and presentation of instructions can either facilitate or hinder the process of completing an assignment and fulfilling the audience's expectations, especially when they are at home trying to figure out what the instructor wants. This assignment will give you the opportunity to practice writing an assignment for the syllabus that you are developing.

Instructions

The syllabus that you are developing as your major project should have a few major writing assignments geared towards either a first-semester or second-semester/year composition course. For this assignment you will be writing out the instructions for just one of these assignments.

Compose the writing instructions for this text (no more than a page). As you do so, keep in mind...

  • your audiences' academic level
  • the genre of the assignment and the corresponding expectations
  • how you will provide all of the necessary information your audience will need to fulfill the assignment successfully
  • what you want to help your students accomplish versus what you want them to learn to do
  • the scholarship you have read
  • document design principles

To give the instructor the context for your assignment sheet, compose a brief cover sheet (no more than a page) in which you explain...

  • the audience of this document (i.e., the context of the writing class)
  • the overall goal of the unit (if applicable), how this assignment fits into the course goals and the goals for the course you are designing (i.e., the syllabus). Explain why doing this assignment will help the students fulfill these goals
  • any background information the instructor needs to understand this assignment sheet. This will include relevant assignments or activities that precede or follow (build upon) this assignment–anything that demonstrates that your students will be prepared for what you are asking them to do or that makes this assignment more relevant to the overall semester
  • A theoretical rationale for the assignment. Use the readings we have done for the class and the readings you have done independantly to support an argument about why this assignment is designed the way that it is. For this assignment use in-text citations without a Works Cited or References section.


Criteria

Logistic:

  • due on October 26, 2009
  • no more than one page for each part; ideally you will submit one sheet of paper with the assignment on one side and the cover sheet on the other.
  • 50 points

In addition to the general evaluation criteria, the instructor will be looking for evidence of...

  • a sense of audience–is the assignment something that composition students should be able to accomplish? will the students be able to understand all of the terminology and concepts presented? will the students understand why they are doing what they are being asked to do?
  • an assignment that is executable and corresponds with your course goals and assignment goals
  • clear, manageable instructions that are easy to follow
  • an informed understanding of the field of composition studies and how its theory translate into practice.
  • appropriate use of conventions, especially a readable format that complies to document design principles and appropriate use of MLA and APA conventions.
  • a teacherly persona