Judith E.

Darling

Peer Coaching Lesson Plan Submission

Spring, 1998

Instructions and Rubric for Proposal

A proposal is a solution offered for a problem. It must recommend a course of action not
now being pursued that would solve at least one aspect of the problem under
consideration. Your written proposal will have a heading and three sections:
Heading: Use the model on page 309 of Technical Writing for Success.
Statement of the problem: Describe the current state of the problem, using
information gathered from research. Use at least three sources. The ideas and/or
direct quotes from these sources must be documented properly using parenthetical
documentation. If you do not have at least three sources documented in this section,
the proposal is not done to specifications and will receive no credit.
Solution: This section is brief but formally worded in the following pattern:
(Agency/responsible person/group) should (specific course of action).
Method: This section will require careful and creative thinking on your part. You
are to discuss the methods by which this proposal can be carried out. Be specific,
mention who will be involved, where funds will come from, who should monitor
and enforce, and anything else that you can imagine will need to be done in order to
implement your proposal.
Conclusion: This section should contain your persuasive comments about how
effective your proposal will be. You ought to describe how the problem will be
resolved
and how the world could be different if your course of action is
adopted.
You will do a Works Cited page and attach it to the proposal. The Works Cited page will
have the three works you cited in the Statement of the Problem section, in proper format
and in alphabetical order.

Please remember that in the model of Mastery Learning, you will

either demonstrate that you have learned the skill of creating a
proposal, or you will receive no credit.

Judith E. Darling

Peer Coaching Lesson Plan Submission

Spring, 1998

NAME__________________________DATE:______SCORE______
Rubric and scoring guide
An excellent proposal will demonstrate the following skills
The ability to synthesize sources into a sound summary.
The ability to think creatively about solving problems.
The ability to think carefully about implementing a solution.
The ability to follow directions precisely.
The ability to form sentences well.
The ability to organize ideas and information effectively.
A good proposal will demonstrate the following skills
The ability to summarize a problem.
The ability to follow directions with few errors.
The ability to think about and offer a solution
The ability to think about what is needed to implement the solution.
The ability to form sentences well.
The ability to organize ideas and information effectively.
A fair proposal will demonstrate the following:
Some difficulty in thinking clearly about what makes a problem.
Some difficulty in following directions and using a model.
Some difficulty in suggesting a new and effective solution.
Some difficulty in creating the strategies needed to implement a solution.
Difficulty in forming sentences well. Grammatical problems and careless errors in
spelling, using pronouns, prepositions, and punctuation.
Difficulty in organizing ideas in ways that make an impact upon the reader.
A very poor proposal will demonstrate the following:
Severe difficulty in thinking clearly about what makes a problem.
Severe difficulty in following directions and using a model.
Severe difficulty in suggesting an effective solution or proposal.
Severe difficulty in understanding the steps needed to implement the proposal.
Severe difficulty in managing the language sentences are poorly formed and contain
careless errors of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Severe difficulty in using ideas or organizing information for reader impact.

Judith E. Darling

Peer Coaching Lesson Plan Submission

Spring, 1998

Very poor proposals may reflect a lack of skill or a lack of concern. In either case,
these run the risk of being considered unacceptable and indicative of the former.

Lesson Plan for Academic English = Career Unit

Proposal Writing
Objective: Students will learn the components of a written proposal.
Students will understand how to organize information for maximum effect
when proposing for change.
Students will synthesize research into their statement of the problem, using
MLA documentation.
Students will learn how to follow a model for form and structure.
Materials:

Text: Technical Writing for Success

Model proposal
Instructions and rubric
Packet of research

Day one:

Introduce students to the concept of a proposal, explaining the relevance of

the form, the need for solutions, and the effectiveness of organizing
information well.
Direct students to read packets of research provided to them.
Guide students in prewriting activities, including a review of a Works Cited
entry and the use of parenthetical documentation.

Day two:

Guide students in writing the statement of the problem, wording the solution,
and developing the section on method. Monitor and provide written feedback
with silent conferencing while students work.

Day three: Guide students to revise and finish their first drafts, giving additional input for
the conclusion of the proposal.
Fourth
Day:

Return evaluated proposals and provide the teacher model. Share both good
and not-so-good excerpts from student proposals. Begin guided revisions.