Overview/Setting
The following assessment is a writing component for a classroom of upper-level ESL learners in the high school setting.
It is the end of the year, and students are finishing a unit on the usage of English in formal and informal "real life" situations, including writing for a variety of audiences and purposes.
Students have had lots of practice writing, anywhere from informal notes written to one another to business letters written to potential employers. We have discussed, modeled, and practiced writing for different audiences, paying particular attention to letter formats, appropriate tones and styles, and clarity of a writer’s message.
As one test of writing ability, students will compose a business letter to the special events coordinator of a local hotel. The purpose for their letter is to find out if the hotel has accommodations appropriate for an end-of-the-year party for the ESL students. As another test of writing ability, students will create an invitation to the party they are planning for their peers.
The students will be given two to three class sessions to compose the business letter, because the context provides that students, although they may not consult their peers (in class), may consult the teacher. The invitation writing activity will be on a separate day (or assigned as homework), and students may consult each other while constructing the invitation.
Rationale
The two writing exercises provide students with an opportunity to illustrate their written skills to two very different audiences. One piece must be formal in nature, not only because business letters should be formal, but because they don’t want to "scare" away the hotel from a willingness to host the ESL party. The other selection is meant to provide information the given audience while at the same time attempting to elicit a particular response.
Whether writing a memo to the office manager in a business office or leaving a note for a roommate or colleague, effective writers consider the context of the written piece as well as their audience, and compose written work that is appropriate to the given situation. These exercises ask students to do the same thing, considering context, audience, and what information they need in return.
Because we often find ourselves in situations where we do want or have access to help with our writing, students will compose the business letter without help from peers. Students may, however, use any written composition aids (dictionaries, thesauri, synonym finders, etc.) to help in their composition, and will have opportunities to consult with the teacher for guidance. This provides the instructor with an opportunity to review a more authentic sample of the student’s formal writing ability, because the student will compose the letter independent of peer help. This approach to writing in part subscribes to the process-oriented approach to writing, which suggests that "it is unnatural for a learner to write a single draft of a composition and submit it for a grade." (Cohen, 309)
The invitation, on the other hand, may be shown to others before it is submitted to the teacher for review.
Targeted Learning Objectives (from WA ELRs):
When people communicate with the written word, effective writers take into consideration the context, purpose, and audience. They tailor their writing to fit the specific genre and audience (1). In composing a letter, note, or document of any kind, part of the process of composing the piece is selecting vocabulary that conveys the intended message. Effective writers communicate their message in a fashion that is consistent with purpose and audience, and this means that the message is conveyed in a natural way (2). When finalizing a formal piece of writing, those in the field pay close attention to writing conventions and mechanics in order to reinforce meaning and clarity (3).
Because writers do not always write for the same audience, they vary their writing style depending on the audience of the given composition (4). Effective writers do this in order to communicate in the most efficient and effective fashion possible for the given audience. Ways that writers accomplish this goal include the manipulation of form, detail, and structure. By varying these and other elements, writers aim to bring their writing into accordance with their intended purpose and audience (5).
Like the speaking/writing assessment, this assessment is meant to be administered near the end of the term so that the "feel" associated with arranging a party can seep into the students, hopefully enhancing their performance and decreasing test anxiety. Attention must be paid to the classroom setup during the days when composition of the business letter is the task at hand, because students should be working independently. This does not necessarily mean that they are not sitting close to one another, but that there should be a minimum of student interaction. This respects the needs of those concentrating on composition.
At the beginning of day one, students will be given the business letter writing assignment, and are allowed to ask any questions in a large group format. When questions are exhausted, students will begin work independently. At any time, they may consult the teacher or any written resource in the classroom. At the end of each class period, students must hand in any work (outline, notes, drafts) they have done on the letter. This may be awkward, but the aim is to give students as much time as they need to compose what they feel is an acceptable letter. Choosing to collect the letters reinforces that the business letter is an in-class activity, and may detract somewhat from students exchanging information/ideas/hints about the letter outside of class.
When students finish the business letter, they should be allowed to begin on the invitation assignment. They will need to be aware that others may still be working on the business letter, and to respect their need for an appropriate working environment.
A Written Inquiry
Imagine you are secretly finding a place to hold an end-of-the-year party for the ESL class. You have decided to write a letter to the special events coordinator of a local hotel to ask if the hotel can meet all of your party needs. Because the party is coming up in two weeks and the invitations haven’t even been made yet, you do not have time to waste!
Compose a formal business letter to the hotel manager (name and address below). Some of the things she will need to know include:
Elaborate on any of the above elements as you feel necessary to get your message across. You can also include other items you feel might be missing from this list.
Because you are planning the party in secret, you should work independently in composing your letter. You may use any dictionary, thesaurus, etc. to help you, and you may consult the teacher, but you may not consult with your peers.
"A Letter of Inquiry" Writing Rubric
Letter format and content
___ Above Target: Letter has proper business format as defined in class; begins with clear statement of purpose; writer identifies self; writer relates all items noted on assignment sheet AND others, detailing how items relate to the proposed party; closing is professional, requesting a prompt response without any tinge of anxiety or rudeness
___ On Target: Letter has proper business format as defined in class; begins with clear statement of purpose; writer identifies self; writer relates all items noted on assignment sheet; closing solicits prompt reply from addressee
___ Work in Progress: Letter adheres mostly to business format as defined in class; includes statement of purpose, yet may not be at beginning or lacks somewhat in clarity; writer identifies self; writer relates all or some of the items noted on assignment sheet; appeal for prompt reply ambiguous or not readily apparent
___ Unacceptable: Letter does not adhere to business format as defined in class; statement of purpose absent or not readily located; writer may or may not identify self; none or one of the items noted on assignment sheet is mentioned; appeal for prompt reply missing OR student fails to address writing prompt on assignment sheet
Student Writing
___ Above Target: Student’s writing is on par with or exceeds typical L1 business correspondence in style, tone, and convention; no mechanical errors exist
___ On Target: Student’s writing is formal/businesslike in nature; student uses stylistic conventions and vocabulary appropriate for business correspondence, contributing to ease of reading; there are few problems with mechanics (grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization)
___ Work in Progress: Student’s writing is formal/businesslike, but some lapses exist; student displays knowledge of stylistic conventions and vocabulary appropriate for business correspondence, but does not always apply such conventions, causing some pauses in reading flow; there are some problems with mechanics (grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization)
___ Unacceptable: Student’s writing is not formal/businesslike, displaying disregard for formality OR lacking in maturity; student does not display knowledge of stylistic conventions and vocabulary appropriate for business correspondence, causing serious problems in reading flow; there are numerous problems with mechanics (grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization)
Writing Sample - On Target (letter format altered somewhat by HTML)
Addressee in upper left, followed by double space, then date, then four returns to salutation Block letter format uses : after sal., then double space; each par. begins w/o indent; double spc between par
Four lines between closing and name, name signed in between |
Linda
Jones, Special Events Coordinator Sandman Inn 12345 6th AVE W Somecity, WA 98000 May 30, 1997 Dear Ms. Jones: I am writing you to request information about whether your hotel has facilities to host a party. My name is Pat Ng, and I am organizing an end of the year party for my ESL class at school. We would like to have the party on Friday, June 20. It would be a dinner party, so it would begin at about 6:00. I also would like to know what kind of food the hotel could provide for the party. I am expecting approximately thirty people will attend the party, and would like to offer them at least two meal options. At the party we would like play some music, and perhaps have room to dance a bit or play some group games. I look forward to your reply. Sincerely, Pat Ng |
Opens with statement
of purpose Identifies self, task at hand Provides relevant info in formal style, asks relevant questions Writing easy to follow; flows w/ little interruption There are few or no lapses in mechanics Solicits reply from addressee |
||
Imagine that you are in charge of creating an invitation for all of the ESL students, inviting them to an end-of-the-year party. Your job is to create an invitation that will make everyone who reads it want to come to the party. Because there are many students, you probably will want to make the invitation "copyable," in other words, make an invitation that can be copied on a copy machine so that you can give one to each student.
Some of the items you will want to address in your invitation may include:
Of course, this is a creative activity, so there may be some other items you want to put in the invitation that are not included on the list above.
Remember, when students see and read your invitation, they should be able to clearly see what the invitation is for, and want to come to the party.
For this activity you may get help from others and consult any resource in the room.
"Party Invitation" Writing Rubric
Content
| Above Target Addresses all items on assignment sheet PLUS others not mentioned |
On Target Addresses all items suggested on assignment sheet, no more |
Work in Progress Addresses some of the items on assignment sheet |
Unacceptable Addresses only one or none of the items on assignment sheet |
Tone/style
| Above Target Approach is strictly formal or informal, purpose of any combination of the two contributes to enhanced stylistic effect |
On Target Approach is strictly formal or informal in nature, or natural combination of the two; some lapses exist in attempts at enhanced style |
Work in Progress Approach is formal or informal in nature, but some lapses in style exist, detracting from stylistic effect |
Unacceptable Approach is inappropriate for given assignment |
Appeal - textual
| Above Target Writing makes the reader want the party to be right now! |
On Target Writing draws reader’s interest in attending party |
Work in Progress Writing draws some or little interest in attending party |
Unacceptable Writing draws no interest in attending party |
Appeal – visual
| Above Target Layout is near professional quality with visual and textual enhancements |
On Target Layout is attractive and enjoyable to read with some visual or textual enhancements |
Work in Progress Layout suffers from a lack of attractive visual or textual enhancements |
Unacceptable Layout is haphazard, yet not for stylistic effect; no attempt at visual or textual enhancement |