Structuring
the Writing Assignment
Lutz, A Guide to Writing in the Liberal Arts
The following questions provide you with an outline to follow when designing any writing assignment. The more students know what is expected of them in completing the assignment, the better they can meet those expectations.
Audience
|
To whom are
students to write? Is this audience
knowledgeable about the subject and familiar with the specialized
vocabulary? What are its present opinions and biases, its expectations in this situation? |
Purpose
|
What use will the reader make of the piece of writing? What is the writer's purpose in writing the piece? What is your purpose, as an instructor, for giving this assignment? |
Topic
|
Are you giving students a broad topic area they must narrow and define? Are they expected to organize around a thesis? |
Length
|
How flexible are you on length? Do you want them to reach your expected length at all costs? |
Expectations
|
What do you expect from the papers? What qualities in a finished paper please you? What standards will students be graded on? |
Mechanics
|
Standard format, required margins, form of the title page, form for citations, and so on. |
Level of Polish
|
How important is the final polishing in grammar, spelling, and punctuation? |
Process Strategies
|
What steps or strategies might be useful to the students in developing the paper? |
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