Correspondence
Overview:
This assignment is designed as an attempt to get students to address audience needs directly. You are writing a letter in response to the situation posited below. Obviously, the quality of writing included in the letter could reflect on the author and on the author?s co-workers. Sample letters are included in the textbook, if you want to base your style on something concrete.
A local newspaper has run an editorial column claiming that the city (CHICAGO) has a number of wasteful projects. This same column argues that the city should cut employees and impose stricter hiring standards. Worse, it claims that a number of employees did not earn their jobs fairly. Assume that you are an employee of the city in an area that has been attacked in the column. Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper expressing how you feel about the column. Proof-read this letter as carefully as possible.
Things to remember:
? The purpose of this project is to demonstrate the ability review writing critically.
? Make sure that you do not make any statements that could be misinterpreted.
? When in doubt, look at the column you are responding to.
Notes
Targeted Grading criteria:
The letter demonstrates the errors in the column without sounding overly defensive. The letter is kept short and to-the-point.
General Grade:
This grade measures how well a student responds to the assignment and fulfills its requirements, how well the basic mechanics and grammatical elements are addressed, and how professional the writing is. It measures the overall impression left by the document.
