Part 1: Technical Description (Chp 20 Writing Descriptions)
Choose an object, process, or mechanism from your field that you are particularly interested in and explain its purpose.
- introduce the object, process, or mechanism clearly.
- describe what the object, process, or mechanism is used for.
- end with a brief conclusion.
Remember to be specific and provide a lot of detail.
Part 2: Writing Instructions
Now that you have described your object, process, or mechanism, write instructions on how to use it/assemble it effectively.
First, think about your audience. Who is your audience? Depending on who your audience is, decide the kind of language you will use in your instructions. For instance, if you are explaining how to send a text message to your grandma who calls her iphone a “cellular phone,” you’d probably explain a lot slower and use terminology that she could understand. If she were to ask, “where are the buttons?,” you’d have to explain that there aren’t any physical buttons but are rather touch screen. OR, if you were to explain how to send a text message to your 17-year old friend, you’d probably go a lot quicker. Would you point? Repeat anything? What kind of terminology would you use?
The instructions need to include:
- a title
- a general introduction
- step-by-step instructions (number the instructions, present the right amount of information in each step, tell exactly what the user needs to do, and can (but not always) provide feedback statements)
- a conclusion (conclude by stating that the user has now completed the task, describing what they should do next before officially using the item, or offer maintenance tips/troubleshooting guide.
Part 4: Memo
Write a memo to me (Professor Gandhi) answering the following questions:
- explain why you chose your particular object, process, or mechanism
- engaged in genre analysis and multimodal composing to explore effective writing across disciplinary contexts and beyond (how you chose what format to do your instruction set in and why)
- enhanced strategies for reading, drafting, revising, editing, and self-assessment (how you revised your technical description and instruction set)
- developed and engaged in the collaborative and social aspects of writing processes (how peer review helped or did not help you revise your work)
- negotiated your own writing goals and audience expectations regarding conventions of genre, medium, and rhetorical situation
- what you struggled with, if anything, when writing this assignment
- what you learned, if anything, when writing this assignment
The memo should be no more than 2 pages. This is your chance to tell me what you learned, what your experience was with this assignment, and anything else you want me to know.
The more work you put into this memo, the easier it will be to write your Self Assessment Essay at the end of the semester (don’t worry, we’ll go over that eventually).
Due Date:
- Your first draft of the Technical Description is due: Wednesday, 1/3
- Your first draft of the Instruction Set is due: Thursday, 1/4
- Your final draft of the Technical Description and Instruction Set (with Memo) is due: Friday, 1/5 at 11:59pm
