William Bracy

202D Business Writing

12/06/18

Zack De Piero

202D PROJECT
Company Profile: The Local Borough Government is an organization that is designed to support
the needs of the community that it is responsible for. This responsibility is held within the
ordinance that the local community resides in. Local taxpayers and voters are the like the
customers for the Local Borough Government. These people decide where their hard-earned
Commented [ZDP1]: Bracy, I’m gonna start off with a
very generic note here: *follow directions*, always. I
very clearly specified numerous times (1) WHEN I
wanted this and (2) HOW I wanted this – i.e., an MS Word
doc, along with the rubric at the bottom. You’ll only be
my student for another couple of weeks, but I need you to
get on the ball. Since this is *very* late, I can only
squeeze in some quick comments here too, FYI. In all
likelihood, you’ll need to revise a considerable amount of
more work than what I’m commenting on. Please use my
comments as a general guide for how you can take this to
the next level.

tax paying dollars go towards. Also, why didn’t you include your name, course, date, etc?
Unless otherwise instructed, include that on/with
everything. It’s also a smart idea to name your
fields/attachments.

The Local Borough Government will then come up with a strategic plan to make sure that the

local taxpayers and voters will be satisfied. The Local Borough Government must propose these

plans through the Local Governing Council. The Local Governing Council consists of a group of

committees that oversee all operations within the Local Borough Government. These operations

must be approved with all data presented in a reasonable fashion.

The Local Governing Council will then examine all the data presented by the Local Borough

Government to make an informed decision on whether or not to approve or reject the proposal.

After acceptance the Local Borough Government must provide progress reports to satisfy the

Local Governing Council and support the reality that everything that was proposed is working.

However, if rejected the proposal must be re-evaluated in order to meet the necessary

requirements of the Local Governing Council.

Moves for Company Profile: During my interview at the centralized office of the North Wales

Borough. I spoke directly with Christine Hart, who is the manager of the North Wales Borough.

And as the manager of the North Wales Borough she explained the process of how business is

conducted as a Borough Manager. This gave me a lot of insight into how things operated. It

makes sense that there is a Governing Council of the Borough. And that this Council is

responsible for the operations of the Borough. I personally think that this is a good idea to have

an organizational structure like this for the Local Borough. Christine Hart further explained that it

is difficult to make the tax payers and voters happy while also, making the Local Governing

Council happy. Communicating all information accurately while standing up for the people to

see change holds an extremely difficult position.

Rhetorical situation:

● Exigence: The current local education system is not functioning as effectively and

appropriately as society needs it to. Change has to be made in order to adapt to the

current environment we are living in, which is changing more quickly than ever. And with

the future in mind this will only become a bigger issue for society as a whole.

● Writer: William Bracy as Borough Manager

● Primary/Intended Audience: Local Government Council

● Secondary/Peripheral Audience: Local Residents, Taxpayers, and Voters Commented [ZDP2]: Good! This seems very realistic.
Commented [WB3R2]:
● Author’s Purpose/Goal: Elementary school improvements for the entire education
Commented [WB4R2]:

system. Re-structuring of how students need to be taught in today’s world. Re-evaluation

of what students are being taught for as a career/profession with the future of the world

in mind. What can we expect to be done in order to solve these issues between the

students, the education system, and the professional field?

 ● Context/Background Info: Local Taxpayers/Voters that are residents within the local

borough would like to see their money go towards the education system for the local

elementary school that is building the foundation for their children’s future and ultimately Commented [ZDP5]: What voters>? What school?
What kids? How much money? What’s the story
society as a whole. Prior to this demand students, teachers, and parents have been here?

concerned about the future of young students within the Local Elementary School. This

is because as time progresses it is becoming more and more difficult to teach the

younger generations. Students are losing interest in school and finding it more effective

in most cases to learn outside of school. Teachers are becoming more frustrated as well.

This is due to the fact is more difficult to teach a class of young minds that are not

interested in the material. And therefore, parents in the real world are immediately

witnessing the dramatic changes that are taking place. This is concerning with the future

in mind. As time progresses forwards things will only become more complicated and

more difficult with new problems arising daily.

TEXTUAL GENRE #1: PROPOSAL

To: localboroughcouncil@government.com

Subject: Local Elementary School Re-structuring

From: Billbracy22@gmail.com

Dear Local Governing Council, Commented [ZDP6]: Is this an email? If so, emails
have subject lines…
Commented [ZDP7]: Is this a proper noun? An official
group? If so, capitalization,..
As manager of the local borough I would like to say our taxpayers and voters have collectively

chosen to heavily push a change in the education system for the local school. More than 70%

are ready to see a more advanced and in depth way of educating students. Students more than

ever have been turned off from the “old system”. Change is necessary not only to support the

young minds for the future but, to satisfy their parents as well.
We now have enough support to pay for the necessary improvements from community. This will

be a huge benefit. This education system is designed to implement real world applications.

Instead of learning out of a book written with a limiting perspective at hand. Students will be able

to specialize in each of their interests and grow into who they need to become. While still

staying centered in the same schooling system.

The technology is more available now and it should be taken advantage of while it still can be.

Students should have access to computers, I-pads, or laptops during class to better connect

themselves and immerse there interests within the class. This is done more frequently at higher

level schools, such as universities. However, allowing students in our local elementary schools

will help exponentially.

At younger ages such as between the ages of 5-10, studies have been taken to prove that

learning is completed more quickly and fluently than of those who are closer to adulthood. This

is a reason why returning back to school is so difficult after fully maturing as an adult. And on

top of that it allows the opportunity to become more naturally inclined to learn upon a new

creative, innovative, and effective foundation for the future. If we put things into context for the

future we can accurately project that technology will be more available on an accelerating scale.

About every 18 months the computer processing drives double in speed. In other words, the

bandwidth of data that is processed doubles its limits. This means that today’s “high powered”

computers that are doing unbelievable tasks will be able to do twice that in the same amount of

time, in approximately 18 months’ time from now. And during a time of technological

advancement, 18 months could and may be reduced as we progress further into the future.

These numbers are based off of past events. Rather than reading books that are not being read
anyways. It is time to adapt to the world we are living in. The world is changing and we have to

change with it.

The baby boomers have a huge influence in the workforce today. Baby Boomers represent 75

million people born between 1946 and 1964, which represents about 29 percent of the

workforce on U.S. soil, completed by a study in 2015. Approximately, 10,000 Baby Boomers are

retiring per day in the United States. This is a big issue economically. This is a reason why

social security is not available to those of the previous generation. So, it makes sense to replace

those jobs lost rather than crushing our economy because we do not have the human resources

necessary for those positions. And technology will be the top candidate to do that. This is to

show my logic of why our future as a society is crucial right now in present time. There is a high

demand for these lost positions in today’s world and it will only get worse if we cannot replace

these positions with the correct qualifications.

Technology will most likely replace technical jobs. Basic technical job replacement is already

being developed. Artificial Intelligence is being developed to create an elder care robot to tend

to the needs of those who cannot complete simple physical tasks. Artificial Intelligence is also

being used right now to operate a vehicle fully-autonomous. While this may only be affordable

by more wealthy individuals as of today; tomorrow may not be the same case. This technology

will be developed and it will be used to more efficiently and effectively complete tasks, jobs, or

operations that is in demand by professionals. And the money is there right now. It is only a

matter of time before it becomes available to the general public. So, with the students in mind,

we need a way to prepare them for a future that we have not seen today. Because today will not

be like tomorrow.
Tomorrow most employers will prefer to hire a low cost, highly effective, and highly efficient

applicant over a non-experienced college graduate. Now, the big question is… what exactly can

we expect to prepare students for? This is a difficult question to answer this exactly because we

cannot not even see the future. But, we do have direction and concrete projection of where it is

going. We can expect students to develop specifically within their strengths successfully over

any form of artificial intelligence.

In order to do this and implement it into the Local Education System we need to go beyond our

basic math, reading, writing, science, history…etc. What we need is to teach students how to be

the best versions of themselves. A generic system of educating will not provide the best form of

education for that to take place. We need a way of allowing to find what they like or what they

are attracted to. In Thill and Bovee Chapter 3 – Communication Challenges it states on page 71

“Culture is a shared system of symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms for

behavior. Your cultural background influences the way you prioritize what is important in life,

helps define your attitude of what is appropriate in a situation, and establishes rules of

behavior”. With this in mind we can suggest every student will have different aptitudes.

Although, many may be able to be categorized in a specific field together, that should not limit

the ability of the student individually. Then, the students can expand on this at an earlier age.

Expanding on this at an earlier age will save time, money, and resources if we look at this as an

investment within students. Students will be able to develop their strengths relatively quicker

and therefore excel in their field on a much higher level. Not based on a preconditioned

schooling environment but, a specialized and unique learning process. This is how and why

students and teachers will be able to function more effectively and efficiently.
Here is an example of a student in a specialized schooling environment – “During my current

semester at Penn State Abington, I took a course – “Business Writing” and within this course

and throughout the semester I was inspired to become not only a better writer but; a better

communicator. This course was different than any other course I have previously taken to say

the least”. –Anonymous Student-- Through this course, 1st order thinking and 2nd order thinking

has been presented for the first time. 1st order thinking was a brand new way of thinking and

therefore, not only writing but; communicating. In the first freewriting activity of the class, the

following was completed:

Q1. Characterize Elbow’s “1st order thinking and 2nd order thinking” in your own words.

 1st order thinking is when thought is naturally, openly, and continually projected free

from worrying about what others may think or judge. This type of thinking involves

being/thinking in the moment free from self-reflection.

 2nd order thinking is when thought is reflected on in a logical and rational process. This

effective to improve oneself or critically review someone else’s thoughts.

Q2. Can you think of any instances in which you do either of these in your own life?

Why I annotated…

A1. “First order thinking is intuitive and creative and does not strive for conscious direction or

control.”

Reason: I annotated this because I do not fully agree with the author’s statement. I think that

first order thinking involves a lot of control and self-conscious direction. However, it feels as if

you are not in control. But, in actuality it is you fully.

The students and the parents that feel it is time to move on. We need to realize that the current

system is not as effective as it could be. And we now have the support financially and ethically

to make the right choice for the community. Change is necessary in a world that requires us to Commented [ZDP8]: What tech? What books?
What/how much support?
evolve as a society in order to survive as a society.
I need you to get spcific here, Bracy. It’s also not clear
what you’re trying to accomplish in writing this email.

Best Regards, Commented [WB9R8]:

William Bracy

TEXTUAL GENRE #2: ACCEPTANCE OF PROPOSAL

To: billbracy22@gmail.com

Subject: RE: Local Elementary School Re-structuring

From: localboroughcouncil@government.com

Dear William Bracy,

As the local governing council we have taken into account that the community is ready for

change. This looks like a great place to start since the students are being educated for the

future. We will allow this new education system to take place as long as this system is able to

account for every student.

Each student needs an equal opportunity to learn. This includes assessments based on Commented [ZDP10]: I agree, so what, exactly, needs
to change? That could be how you revise the
aptitude, personality, skills, experience, and personal goals. This tests will be held within the PURPOSE driving this TG.

first year of schooling. There will be written, oral, and online tests to properly evaluate the
students periodically in an orderly fashion throughout the students first year of schooling to

properly set them up in specialized classes throughout their elementary school experience.

Students will also be evaluated by their teachers on their behaviors and ability to improve.

So, as long as each student has that opportunity we will unanimously support this movement

into a new education system. We would also like to see weekly updates and reports to stay

inside the loop and make sure all is going as it should. The community is ready for change and

we fully support the way it should be implemented.

Sincerely,

Local Governing Council

TEXTUAL GENRE #3: DENIAL OF PROPOSAL

Commented [ZDP11]: Denial of what? What’s the

situation? You’ve got to lead me through your ideas
To: billbracy22@gmail.com here.

Subject: RE: Local Elementary School Re-structuring

From: localboroughcouncil@government.com

Dear William Bracy, Commented [ZDP12]: What is this “old system” you’re
talking ab out/. It’s not clear to me why they’re
rejecting/denying anything. (And I’m not sure, exactly,
what the initial propsal is FOR.)

As the local governing council we feel even though the community as a whole is supporting a People write to each other to accomplish GOALS.
Goals are specific hopes, desires, plans, etc. What are
new education system. We need the resources beyond finances to make this movement the plans here? What’s going on?

I very, very, very strongly suggest looking up some

happen. Most importantly we need the right staff at the local school. If the teachers are not articles about local politics and governing boards and
all that --- the roles + organizations you’ve created in
qualified to be experts not only in their field but, to be able to look past the “old system” then it this project – to learn more about what they all
communicate about.
will not be feasible for the students to learn even if they are ready and accepted in that field. We Context is crucial. Specifics are necessary.
are referring to the “old system” as the education system that is proposing to be replaced by

you.

As far as the proposal has been presented to us. We cannot tell if we have the proper staff and

teachers to fulfill this plan. The resources are limited and we would like to see that the teachers

and staff are available for this level of education. We would like to see this before we actually

implement such a system. These are crucial resources that we need.

Also, specializing each student is very difficult enough in their current system. And now, a new

system would be that much more difficult. We understand everyone is ready to see change. Commented [ZDP13]: What does this mean? Is this a
lot of fluff?
However, we need resources and expertise beyond finances to make this happen. Commented [ZDP14]: What resources? And what
expertise?
Commented [ZDP15]: You didn’t capitalize this in an
earlier TG. Why not? Consistency is key.
Sincerely, Commented [ZDP16]: Commas (and punctuation, more
generally) helps to guide a reader’s understanding of
Local Governing Council the relationship b/w the ideas within each sentence.
One way you can bring more clarity here could be to
show the “If X, then Y” relationship

Please check out this badass resource on commas:

TEXTUAL GENRE #4 https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/commas/.
Really, don’t blow this off—commas can be tricky and I
bet that this resource will help clear it up for you.

(As a new and innovative education system, our first

SUMMARY OF ANALYSIS REPORT: priority will be the staff that directly works with the
student body.)
Dear Local Governing Council, Commented [ZDP17]: Bracy I want you to make friends
with paragraphs! They’re your friends, I swear!

Multiple paragraphs here—separated their

function/purpose—would likely enhance this genre and
As a new and innovative education system our first priority will be the staff that directly works (similar ones).

with the student body. With this in mind we are recruiting only the most capable, driven, and Para 1- intro
Para 2 - overview of what’s going on
Para 3 – your plan/purpose - -the specifics
synchronistic candidates. There are not many that are qualified to meet the necessary
Para 4 – the next steps
Para 5 – gratitude
challenges that the new and advanced education system requires. Teachers must see our (*note: this is just a suggestion – it’s NOT a fixed
formula.)
cause on an eye-to-eye level. This may seem unorthodox to most teachers as they have been
Including specific details in your “next steps” paragraph
is your best chance of getting a favorable response.
taught to teach within an already established system.
On top of that it requires a certain amount of personality and aptitude to start teaching in a new

manner. This is where most will have a difficult time coming to a full understanding of how and

why this system is being implemented now. After that is acquired, then and only then we will

consider the skills and experience that teachers and the staff have to offer to the student body.

Students will not be given letter grades or number grades.

They will be assessed by hands-on experiences, while being supervised based on performance. Commented [ZDP18]: Interesting! Such as?! Tell me
more! This could be a whole “next steps” paragraph!
Students will choose what they would like to do from the start and go from there. In Zack De

Piero’s Business Writing Class we conducted interviews based on our interests in the

professional work field. This is an example specializing to students’ interests. This led to a lot

more freedom and interests from within the class. Each student was able to personalize their

interview experience based on interest. Personally, I had a lot of success within my interview. I

was given the insight that instant communication is becoming more demanding. An example

from my interview would be decreasing the amount of time before a deadline is due for a

proposal. This creates a higher demand on time, efficiency, and effectiveness. All these aspects

must be met on a higher level to be successful.

Therefore, allowing the students to be assessed by a hands-on experience will be a huge

benefit. The students will not only have a taste of what it is like but, they will understand the

challenges they will have to face because they have been through the same challenges

conceptually and specialized to themselves.

At first, we will only be able to allow a certain amount of versatility for the students. The start will

be the most difficult time to be successful. Once, we find our rhythm and determine how to fine

tune the process after the initial major adjustment period into the new education system. Then,
we will be able to expand it and it will run much more fluently. We will make this as rounded as

possible and the more our schooling excels; then we can too.

Best Regards,

William Bracy

TEXTUAL GENRE #5 Commented [ZDP19]: This sounds like a cool TG that

solves a problem (on what basis are people
“qualified”?)

But are you talking about to GET hired? Or to

GENERAL STAFF QUALIFICATIONS FOR EMPLOYMENT: MAINTAIN employment? And what kind of
employment are you talking about?
These are the general guidelines that should be met by all staff and teachers hired with the
What is this document? Is it a handout>? A flier? Is it
in people’s contracts? Who wrote it? How was it
intent of implementing the new education system within the Local Elementary School. These are developed?

the qualifications that will be presented on every form of employment.

● Respect- Staff must be in alignment with the system that is being implemented for it to

work properly as designed

● Integrity- Staff must be open, honest, and accurate with their skill-set and experience Commented [ZDP20]: You have an opportunity to
integrate parallelism into this.
● Honor- Staff must support the aptitude levels of establishing a new system
Staff must be able to…

● Versatility- Staff must be able to flex around the student body in order teach effectively What you’ve got right now is a bit random:
- all staff must be
● Discretion- Staff must be able to make decisions strategically and/or on the spot as well - staff must be
- must support
- staff must be able
in a balanced/fair manner

● Skills- Staff must present the necessary skills in their field

● Experience- Staff must have the required grounded experiences to support themselves

through the new education system

 Metacognitive Moves Analyzed and Explained

The first metacognitive move I would like to focus on for textual genre #1 is that students are

ready for a change. Every day since I was a kid, I have been pulling my teeth out to force myself Commented [ZDP21]: Moves = writerly decisions that
you made. “Students are ready for a change” isn’t a
to attend torturous lectures from a book. And not only did I notice this in myself. I recognized it decision that you made. What do you want to get
across here? I need you to focus on your
***language**** : key words, phrases, sentences that
in my elders and my fellow classmates. And to this day it is has become even worse. Nobody you purposefully tailored in a particular way – to
accomplish a particular goal.
likes school plain and simple. There is a reason for this and we collectively have the power to

change that for the current generation and more importantly for the next generation as well. This

will not only benefit students. But, in teachers and the educating staff as well. Teachers are

more and more likely to agree that this is a time of instant-communication. Commented [ZDP22]: OK, so how is all this stuff
manifesting within your project? How do these ideas
wind up directly appearing in the language that you
used in your project?

I have also been led to this in my interview with the Borough Manager of North Wales. Christine
Commented [ZDP23]: <~~ I like how you’re bringing up
Hart stated to me that the biggest issue she has in her current daily operations is instant your interview here. Q: since you’re changing gears
here, is it worth starting a new paragraph? You’re,
communication which is being stressed more heavily than ever. So, with the biggest issue on a now, focusing on a different big idea – dividing your
“papers” into *chunks*/paragraphs is a great way to
make something a *lot* more reader-friendly.
day to day basis of daily operations as the Manager of North Wales, is instant communication.
Bottom line: paragraphs are your friends!
Information has to be able to be processed faster with accuracy. There is a high demand to Commented [ZDP24]: How are these 2
ideas/statements connected? I’m not seeing how
process this information more rapidly since it is the biggest problem in the shoes of Christine sentence 1 connects to sentence 2.

Hart. This leads me to question how effective the current schooling system actually is because
that is the system that prepare human beings for the professional work field. So, if we are not
properly equipped to have the capability to meet demands. Then I ask myself questions like..
Remember: in life, your readers will never be YOU –
that’s the ultimate ongoing struggle of communicating
effectively. It’s important that, as writers, we put
ourselves in our readers’ shoes as much as possible. How
can we best lead them through our thought process?
What information do they need first? Next? Etc.

What would school be like if students attended classes with passion rather than dread? How Commented [ZDP25]: Did you talk about the
educational system during your interview? If so, what
was talked ABOUT? I need to see some specifics in
would this change the way teachers structure their classes if students wanted to be there, rather your TGs, otherwise it comes across as vague fluff.

than fight the assigned work? Would both teachers and students be able to focus on the Remember what we’re doing in this project: you’re
moving your interview knowledge FORWARD to create
scenarios of what “business writing” looks+sounds like
material better? Would teachers enjoy their careers with heightened attitude and/or fullness?
in actual organizational contexts.

These are all questions that I ask myself after moving through these experiences personally. What do people communicate about? What ideas do
they bring up? What are their goals? How do they try
to persuade each other?
And then the next questions follow the next steps into actually making a change. How can such

a system be implemented? Is it possible? Are both teachers and students able and willing to

support such a change? Will the school system comply with such a change? And to what

extent? I think after these questions are asked we can take it to the next level. Breaking down

the last five questions. Actually coming up with a plan. That makes sense and fits together like a

puzzle. What will we keep and what will we change. Coming up with an idea is only the first

step. The journey between where you are at right now and the completion of that idea is how to

do it. Once that is successfully completed you’ll make it from point A to point B. How you get

there is the challenge.

Elon Musk has already taken steps and created and developed his own school without any

grades for his kids and a few others. You can click HERE to read about it. He titles his school Commented [ZDP26]: What does any of this have to do
with your project, Bill?
Ad Astra School. And says this is where traditional schools do not exist. If you are not aware of
For real – you can’t fluff your way through this. The
purpose of this “moves” is to get you *reflecting about
who Elon Musk is, he is the owner of Tesla and SpaceX. A very influential individual who works the choices you’ve made as a writer.* To do THAT,
you’ll need to make specific references to YOUR
on the frontlines of the technological industry. He believes even private schools are not LANGUAGE (i.e. cite yourself).

<~~ All this stuff might be interesting, but it’s not giving
proficient in education his children for the future. And I couldn’t agree more. me any insight whatsoever into your writing
development.

The second metacognitive move I would like to make will also focus on textual genre #1. This Commented [ZDP27]: General note: I need you to
analyze a LOT of moves in each genre. For TG#1, in
will be aimed at the parents and guardians of students. From my eyes parents see reading and other words, you should be examining 3-5 moves you
made.

face-to-face communication as fundamental ways of communicating. While I am on board for

this. The world is changing like never before. This means we will have to take a closer look into
the future rather than dwelling on the past. Previous generations have grown up in an education
system focused primarily on books. And most parents still to this date have not even had a
computer available to them in school as a student.
Commented [ZDP28]: Commas (and punctuation, more
generally) helps to guide a reader’s understanding of
the relationship b/w the ideas within each sentence.
One way you can bring more clarity here could be to
show the “If X, then Y” relationship
Please check out this badass resource on commas:
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/commas/.
Really, don’t blow this off—commas can be tricky and I
bet that this resource will help clear it up for you.
Technology is taking a leap and it is not slowing down. In fact, it is accelerating as time

continues. This means that the future will meet reality faster than we can expect it to linearly.

With all this in mind and including my personal experiences relating to schooling, I believe there Commented [ZDP29]: I need you to read this:

needs to be a change that occurs sooner than later. This was the number one problem that was https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/sentence-
patterns/

presented during my interview with Christine Hart, who is the Manager of North Wales Borough.
Christine Hart stated the biggest problem today in her field of work is instant communication.
She is being stressed by communicating information instantly with the Local Governing Council
that she works with. It is extremely difficult to present all information as soon as possible if the
This is an incomplete sentence, and in some instances,
they’re perfectly legit – magazine articles, for instance,
are full of them. But I need you to KNOW that you’re
using incomplete sentences, and I’m not sure that you
do.
This is important, Bill. Formal writing instruction can
only take you so far; the rest is up to you.

technology is not their to support this. So, knowing that this is the biggest problem in a relatively

important field, there is a high demand for change. And demand causes change to occur. So

furthermore, we can allude to the idea that technology is being developed to fill in these gaps.

Schooling setups careers for students. However, the big problem is how can we teach students

with a teacher that is not from the future? We simply find the teachers that are willing to address

this issue on an eye-to-eye level. If teachers see the purpose and cause they are supporting by

doing this then it can become reinforced by experience. But, it takes a leap of faith to enable this

to happen. Commented [ZDP30]: How is this tied to the language

that you used for this project?

Building off of the last metacognitive move I will focus on textual genre #2 now. At first,

everyone will not be in agreement with the new proposed education system for the Local

Elementary School. It may be because of doubt, insecurity, comfort, perception, or beliefs. This

has to be recognized because it makes sense. Every major change that occurs anywhere starts

small and grows larger over time. And it is not because everyone is on board at first.

It takes a special category of personnel to start such a change. Then after being successful and

fulfilling what they said they would do by actually doing it. Then more and more people will be
attracted to this. However, there will still be those who do not accept it yet. This will change over

time and more will join the movement as well. Being a pioneer on the frontlines requires one to

step out of what is considered the “norm”. It takes ability, drive, personal experiences, and

tenacity.

My third metacognitive move about textual genre #3 involves expectations, respect, and ability.

And before let you into mind about the following three principles I would like to say that all three

are based and grounded on top of perception. Expectations are extremely important. These are

our limits to what we can or what we cannot do. I think that it would be possible for a 1-2 year

old child to speak in complete sentences. However, I cannot expect that to happen.

Expectations take possibility into acknowledgement. But just because it is possible does not

mean it is going to happen. Expectations guide one to make what is a perceivable goal actually

happen in real life. So with the local education system in mind.

Expectations will have to be broken. With that in mind teachers and students will have to have Commented [ZDP31]: How does this connect back to
your TG?
the ability to expand their minds beyond what is expected under “normal standards”. It is a more

advanced way of thinking, doing, and allowing. This can be adopted into an education system

that is ready for this kind of change. And it can set the golden standard for all other education

systems. Living inside this type of education system to me would be much more fulfilling.

Respect is the most fundamental quality/principle/value that any entity/person can have.

Respect grounds everything that is built upon it and within it. There is a quote “Respect is

Everything” and I hold myself to that standard.

Respect allows form to be created and designed. And immediately following respect, ability will

play a huge role as well. Ability does not just mean capability it is more than that. I had a gym

teacher in high school that said “When someone tells me I have potential, I see that as an
insult”. Because potential means that you can do it but you’re not able to do it. Ability means you

can do it and you are able to do it. So with this being said, these are the qualities that need to

be looked at for the education system of the Local Elementary School. People with these

qualities will be the best candidates to implement this system.

Rubric for 202D Final Project Commented [ZDP32]: Why weren’t these rubrics
included? Follow directions.

Rubric for Rhetorical Situations

Did Not Meet Met Exceeded

Expectations Expectations Expectations

Company Profile X

Have you provided relevant background

information to help bring your organization to life?
What’s the name of this organization/company?
What’s their field, industry, or “line of work”?
Where are they located? Who is their clientele?

Exigence X

What prompted the writer’s need to communicate?

What’s the urgency behind the need to enact this
particular genre? Why this, why now?
 Writer X-

Who is the writer? What’s their name, what

organization/company are they affiliated with,
and what’s their role/position?

Audience (Primary and Peripheral) X

Who is the intended/primary audience for this

genre? What’s their name, what
organization/company are they affiliated with,
and what’s their position/role?

Additionally, what other peripheral/secondary

audiences might play a role in how we can
understand this genre? Might other people be
interested in the message that’s being
communicated? Could the writer have additional
people in mind beyond the specific person(s) that
they’ve contacted?

Purpose X

What’s the writer’s goal? Is it realistic? Have

they identified a concrete, actionable outcome that
they’re hoping to achieve?

Context / Background Info X

What additional information is necessary to make

the most sense of this rhetorical situation? Do the
writer and their audience have a “history” of
sorts? Is there an upcoming deadline? Has a
company’s policy or personnel recently gone through
changes? Is there a current “hot topic” that’s
circulating throughout the news cycle that makes
this communication more urgent?

Notes and Score (X/5)

1/5
 Rubric for Textual Genres

Did Not Meet Met Exceeded

Expectations Expectations Expectations

Genre Identification X

Did you (accurately) name/identify each unique

genre that you enacted?

Alignment with the Rhetorical X-

Situation

Does the genre that you created/enacted

accurately reflect the rhetorical situation (for each
genre) that you laid out?

Genre-Specific Conventions X-

To what extent did each textual genre include its

most important conventions? Remember: when we
think of “conventions,” we think of the unique
characteristics, features, patterns, or ingredients of
a particular genre. (e.g. a specific subject or an e-
signature line for an email)

Rhetorical Strategies X

Has the writer used various rhetorical strategies

to persuade their reader/audience in the most
effective way possible? From jargon (technical
terminology), to particular details (e.g. the specific
amount of $ due for a claim; timelines for a call
to action), to communication with internal vs.
external audiences, have you (the student)
brought each genre “to life” in realistic ways with
your language-based decisions?

Organization/Structure X

Is the writer’s communication

organized/structured in a clear and logical
manner? Does the organizational strategy best
support the writer’s goals of each particular
genre?

Mechanics + Punctuation X

Have you demonstrated a control of mechanics

and punctuation? Are you using complete
sentences (unless intentionally avoiding them for
stylistic reasons)?

Notes and Score (X/15)

5/15

Rubric for “Metacognitive Moves” Reflection

Did Not Meet Met Exceeded

Expectations Expectations Expectations

Focus on “Moves” X

What writerly decisions did you make in this

project? Did you identify numerous, consequential
“moves” that you made for this project? Did you
articulate what you did and why you did it? (Or
didn’t do it?) do that

Examples of “Moves” X

Is your analysis of your moves connected to your

language? Have you quoted yourself to provide
concrete examples?

Learning and Insights X

The whole point of engaging in a metcaognitive

reflection (like this) is to better understand what
you’re learning and to communicate that with
others. What insights are you gaining about
written communication? About language? About
 rhetorical situations? About genre? About
organizational structures?

Interview X

Think back to your interview.

How/when/where/why did you draw from insights
that came out of your interview? Indicate how your
interview informed this 202d project.

Connection to Assigned Readings X

Per the syllabus, did you make specific

connections to our assigned course readings? What
ideas, concepts, or strategies informed your
project? I’d like to see you paraphrase and
“quote” at least 5 different times from at least 3
different readings/chapters.!

Notes and Score (X/15)

0/15

6 / 35 - 5 (10 DAYS LATE) = 1 / 35

Bill:
I need you to step it up for your final revision. The portfolio is your last chance to prove to me that you’re
getting something out of this course. It’s not clear to me that your interview—which took us ~6 weeks to
prep for + analyze after—informed your project in any way. And if it didn’t do that, then there’s no way you
can have a successful final project. And if you can’t have a successful final project, that’s a very clear signal
that you haven’t developed the skills + awareness necessary to pass this course.

My advice: read the rubric 5x over. Study it. All the categories are precise + clear. What constitutes a
successful project isn’t a mystery; it’s all right there in the rubric. (For instance, why was there NO
connections to assigned readings?)

The ball is in your court. You can still turn this around if you put your mind + body + soul into this.