March 21 is the due date for Project 2. For today’s session, you’ll write your reflection memo and (if you’re ready) submit your project. We will not talk about Project 2 in class after Friday 3/21; however, you have a one-week grace period if you need it. The very last moment when you can submit Project 2 is Friday, March 28 at 11:55 PM.

Write Your Reflection Memo

For this project, your reflection memo will give me the links to the document you are analyzing and to your rhetorical analysis. You will also tell me about what you have written. Follow these instructions to submit your work:

1. Go to the Assignments tab on the left menu in Scholar.
2. Choose “P2: Technical Description, Definition, and Instructions.”
3. Scroll down to the text box below the headings Submission and Assignment Text. You will write your reflection memo in this box.
4. Add your memo headers (To, From, Subject, and Date).
5. Insert a horizontal divider line using the button indicated with the red arrow in the image below:
   
6. Follow the instructions in Submitting Your Projects to make sure you have sharing set up properly and get the link to the final version of Project 2.
7. Add the Share link from your Google Drive.
8. Follow the instructions in xxxx to save your document as a PDF and upload it to the Help for Hokies website.
9. Add the link to your document on the Help for Hokies site to your memo.
10. Write your reflection comments on the second project, following the explanation in the Project 2 Assignment page. Use what you know about effective memos to organize your reflection. For instance, use headings to arrange the information in your memo.
11. Agree to the Honor Code by clicking the checkbox at the bottom of the page in Scholar.
12. Submit your Project, and save a copy of the confirmation and submission ID.

Homework

We will begin takling about Project 3: Job-Application Materials during the next class session. This assignment will rely on Markel, Chapter 10, “Writing Job-Application Materials” and the Virginia Tech Career Planning Guide (available online or in print from Career Services). Go ahead and begin reading these materials.

Getting Help

I will be in sessions and presenting on Friday, March 21, so I may not see any questions you have about this activity until late in the evening. The process for submitting your work is the same as we used for Project 1, so you should be able to complete the task without any trouble. Email me if you have a question however, and I will respond when I can.

For Wednesday, March 19, you will focus on assessing your work on Project 2 and planning your revision strategies. You have been working on your second project for a month now, so you should have a very complete draft by this point. For Wednesday’s session, your task is to review the information for this assignment and then apply the Writer’s Checklist to your draft. Here are the step-by-step instructions:

1. Review Chapter 14 of Markel (“Writing Definitions, Descriptions, and Instructions”).
2. Go through the slideshows on Writing Definitions, on Writing Descriptions, and on Writing Instructions.
3. Make sure that the images you have chosen fit the guidelines for choosing graphics that we discussed in class. See Chapter 8 (“Creating Graphics”) of Markel if you need any additional information. Remember that screenshots are okay, but they should be properly sized and cropped to eliminate any unrelated information.
4. Complete the online Writer’s Checklist from Chapter 14 of Markel.
   1. Log into your vt.edu Google to get to the form.
   2. Answer the questions honestly. The goal is not to check “yes” for every question. It is to answer honestly and use what you find out to improve your draft. You get credit for completely the checklist regardless of whether you answer yes, no, or other.
   3. Make sure that you click the checkbox at the end labeled “Send me a copy of my responses,” so that you have a backup and so that you can use the information to guide your revision.
5. Check your vt.edu email for the copy of your responses, and address any of the questions that you answered “no” to. Revise your draft so that you could answer “yes” to all the questions.

Getting Help

I will be in sessions and presenting on Wednesday, March 19, so I may not see any questions you have about this activity until late in the evening. Email me if you have a question, and I will respond when I can. Generally though, just do your best work. Consult the page indicated in the textbook for more information if you are unsure of anything, and use the text space at the end to tell me anything else I should know about how the checklist applied to your work.

1. Review the information in the textbook on definitions (pp. 359–366).
2. Go through the slideshow on Writing Definitions.
3. Get some practice by using the Writer’s Checklist at the end of Chapter 14 to evaluate the Hokie Speak glossary of terms (use this version on the Wayback Machine if the vt.edu file is 404). This glossary is shared with new employees during orientation. Focus on the terms, which appear at the top of the page, rather than the acronyms at the bottom. You will use the complete Writer’s Checklist on your own text after spring break.
4. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete the day’s assignment, “03/07 Definition Rewrite.” By completing the writing, you will get credit for attendance as well as the credit for the in-class writing. You have until 5 PM on Wednesday, 3/12 to submit your work.

Homework

• Review your draft before class on Monday, 3/17. Be ready with any questions you have.
• Be sure you are in class on Monday, 3/17. We will go over how to post your project to the website, and I will explain the class plans for Wednesday, 3/19 and Friday, 3/21. Remember that class will not meet either day, as I will be presenting at the Convention of the Conference on College Composition and Communication in Indianapolis. Office hours will be cancelled for 3/19 and 3/21 as well.
• Safe travels if you’re leaving town, and no matter what, enjoy your week off.

• We will go over the kinds of definitions, focusing on sentence and paragraph definitions and talking about glossary format.
• We will look at several example glossaries and talk about what they do well and how they might be improved:
  • Distillation Glossary 1
  • Distillation Glossary 2
  • Engineering Glossary
  • Food Allergy Glossary
  • Nitrocellulose Glossary
  • Soccer Glossary
• We’ll end with the in-class writing. Go to “Tests & Quizzes” in Scholar and complete today’s assignment, “02/24 Project 2 Topic.” As usual, you have until 5 PM tomorrow (2/25) to turn in your topic.

Homework

We will also talk about descriptions (pp. 366–374), so be sure you have read that section of the text.