ENGLISH to Inform English 4113-3 Evaluation Situation 3 Graded on (date): Signature of the evaluator: Score: /100 IDENTIFICATION Name: Address: Email: Telephone: Sent on (date):
Project Manager: Michael Rutka (SOFAD) Writer: Paul Fournier Content Editor: Joanne Trussler Copy Editor: Michèle Ortiz Proofreader: Claudia de Fulviis Graphic Layout: Robin Patterson Rights Agent: Nicole Cypihot (SOFAD) SOFAD (Société de formation à distance des commissions scolaires du Québec) All rights for translation and adaptation, in whole or in part, reserved for all countries. Any reproduction by mechanical or electronic means is forbidden without the express written consent of a duly authorized representative of SOFAD.. Notwithstanding the above, reproduction is authorized solely for use by owners of the English to Inform learning guide. This work is funded in part by the Ministère de l Éducation, de l Enseignment supérieur et de la Recherche du Québec and by the Canada-Quebec Agreement on Minority Language Education and Second Language Instruction.
Evaluation Situation 3 Complete this activity after you have finished Learning Situation 9 in your learning guide. It is recommended that you to obtain a mark of at least 60% or more in the Evaluation Situations before doing the final exam for this course. Instructions Fill out the section titled Identification. Give this Evaluation Situation to your teacher if you are taking the course at an adult education centre or send it to your tutor if you are taking a distance course. We recommend that you keep a photocopy of your work, just to be safe. When you receive your corrected copy, read your teacher s or tutor s comments carefully. If you have any questions, don t hesitate to ask for feedback. SOFAD 3
ENG-4113-3 English to Inform Presentation of Evaluation Situation 3 Assessment: 60% overall = Pass Retakes: The adult learner must retake each Evaluation Situation separately. Permitted materials: an English-only dictionary an English language thesaurus course notes Allotted time: 2 hours Take your time and remember to read over and revise your work before you hand it in. For each task, you will be provided with a checklist to help ensure you have completed the task. At the end of the Evaluation Situation you will find the evaluation grid that your teacher or tutor will use to grade your work. Unless your teacher or tutor gives you specific instructions, you may use a word processor or write by hand on loose-leaf paper. Remember to write your name, your student number, the date, and the title of the activity at the beginning of every task. You may use a dictionary and any of your notes. Evaluation Situation 3 has just one task: Write a Feature Article - 100 points Task 1: Write a Feature Article Based on the preparation and development you have done in Learning Situation 9, you will write a feature story that respects the main features of this type of writing. Text length: approximately 600 words Communication context: unfamiliar audience; less formal than a news report Allotted time: 3 hours Recommended use of time: read the instructions carefully (5 min) write down the ideas you want to keep (30 min) organize the information in a template (30 min) write a rough draft (1.5 hours) edit and proofread your text (25 min) edit and proofread your paragraph (15 min) 4 SOFAD
Evaluation Situation 3 Your task is to write a feature article based on the information you have obtained. You should: Find a compelling idea Determine the purpose Select your target audience Research or investigate the topic Find a focus Select relevant information Organize the story Cause and effect Chronological order Listing of ideas or sequence Explanation Example Determine what the readers will keep in mind You can use this template below to organize your thoughts and information before you start writing. You should choose the most relevant information to include in your feature article. Beginning: the Hook or Lead Many strategies are possible in writing a lead or hook: inner thoughts, often attempting to be funny flashback to an event or a situation description of a place or people an anecdote or some dramatic event and what led to it dialogue My Notes If two paragraphs are needed for the lead, the second paragraph will expand on your lead or hook. The readers should learn more about the story and why it s worth reading. What matters about it? If necessary for comprehension, include where and when the story takes place. Include any references that help provide a context for your article. SOFAD 5
ENG-4113-3 English to Inform Middle or Body The body of the story should provide background information and make the thread clear, with the help of appropriate transitions. If needed, dialogues or quotes could be included. My Notes A new paragraph should be used for each main idea. Make sure every idea is related to your focus and purpose, and appeals to your audience. Ending My Notes 6 SOFAD
Evaluation Situation 3 The kind of ending may be influenced by your purpose. If your purpose is to inform, you can highlight or summarize what should be remembered. If your purpose is to explain, you may restate some main points. If you want to entertain, you can end with a twist that serves as the final outcome of your story, or you could finish with something that will make the readers think. You can also use a tragic ending if it supports the points you are making in the article, or a happy ending if it fits in with your story. You can also use a quote from one of the people interviewed for the article, but if your article covers different points of view, this may introduce bias. SOFAD 7
ENG-4113-3 English to Inform Writing Your Text Write your text using the notes above and the work you did in Learning Situation 9. Use the editing checklists below to edit your report. Editing Checklist 1 There is a clear lead that hooks the readers. The paragraphs in the body of the text provide background information and make the thread clear. The supporting details from sources is included where relevant. The clear ending restates the main points to remember and ends in a way that makes the readers think. Useful transitions for subordination and coordination guide the readers. The irrelevant details were deleted. Each part of the feature article fits with the context, purpose and target audience, and is coherent with the other ideas. The words are in the proper register. The subject-verb agreement, verb tenses and verb tense sequence are used correctly. The capital letters are used correctly, including in acronyms and abbreviations. The spelling is correct. The punctuation, such as commas or end punctuation is correct. The quotation marks used for reported speech follow the proper format. Yes No Now, reread your article and edit it using the following checklist. Editing Checklist 2 I replaced slang and rude or informal language with formal and polite alternatives. I organized all the relevant information into paragraphs. I used transition words to link ideas, sentences, and paragraphs. I combined simple sentences to make compound and/or complex ones. I used capital letters for the names of people, places, and languages. I checked that all sentences have correct punctuation. I made sure that all sentences are complete. I removed unnecessary words and irrelevant details. Yes No 8 SOFAD
Evaluation Situation 3 Below is the evaluation grid (rubric) that your teacher or tutor will use to evaluate your feature article. Evaluation Grid for Task 1 Organization Very Weak Weak Good Very Good Excellent 0 12 13 23 24 30 31 35 36 40 /40 Effective organization of texts in order to communicate Frequent deficiencies in paragraph development. Lack of clear connection between paragraphs. Lacks either introductory elements or conclusion. Organization not discernible or inadequate to convey meaning in relation to topic. Some jumbled ideas. The logic is hard to see. Transitions are used but not with consistency. Some deficiencies in paragraph development. Logic is occasionally hard to see. Introductory elements or conclusion might be incomplete or inconsistent with other ideas. The logic may be hard to see. The text organization needs to be improved. The text is coherent and complete with all the parts required by text type. Appropriate introductory elements are present. Leads to a logical conclusion. Some elements lack a clear connection. Transitions often rely on numbering. Introductory elements or conclusion might be incomplete. The text is coherent and complete with all the parts required by text type. Appropriate introductory elements are present. Leads to a logical conclusion. All the elements of the text are linked with appropriate transitions to provide flow. Skillful organization. Creates good flow. The text contains occasional rhetorical devices. The text is coherent and complete with all the parts required by text type. Content Organization might not follow text requirements, e.g. comparison, etc. 0 10 11 17 18 23 24 27 28 30 /30 Appropriate adaptation of language for target audience and purpose Main ideas are not sufficiently apparent. Sparse content. Little relevance to the task or requirements. Inaccurate or not credible. Some relevant content, but too few ideas. Limited development of support, often just popular views or opinions, or commonly known facts. Incorrect or unreliable sources used as support. Might not always be clear that writer understands purpose of text. Tone or word choice might not match audience and purpose. Enough ideas are relevant to the task, purpose and topic. Most ideas are effective such as focus on topic and lead to conclusion. Supporting details are rather general in nature. Ideas are relevant to the task, purpose, and topic. Mostly dealing with difficult or abstract concepts. Most ideas are effective such as focus on topic and lead to conclusion. Supporting details are effective. Tone and choice of words are generally appropriate to audience and purpose. Can put together ideas to create new meaning or structure. Sheds new light on topic or theme. Ideas are relevant to the task, purpose, and topic. Mostly dealing with difficult or abstract concepts. Supporting details are convincing. Tone and choice of words appropriate to audience and purpose. Text has emotional, aesthetic, or intellectual appeal. continued... SOFAD 9
ENG-4113-3 English to Inform Evaluation Grid for Task 1 (... continued) Language Very Weak Weak Good Very Good Excellent 0 10 11 17 18 23 24 27 28 30 /30 Appropriate use of structures, features, codes and conventions of texts; correct application of language conventions such as usage and mechanics Frequent errors, some might be impeding comprehension. Problems with choice of words. Inaccurate spelling. Problems with coordination and subordination transitions. Punctuation problems. Layout uses some textual features for feature stories. Frequent errors, some might be impeding comprehension. Problems with word choice. Inaccurate spelling. Problems with coordination and subordination. Punctuation problems. Problems with capital letters. Quotes might not follow appropriate format. Vocabulary mostly sufficient for the task with some inaccurate or inadequate terms. Minor grammar mistakes. Control over almost all common sentence patterns, such as coordination and subordination. Layout respects models for feature stories. Control of grammar, punctuation and spelling. Minor grammar mistakes. Flexibility in tone and style is limited. Demonstrates awareness of register. Layout shows some original use of textual features for feature stories. Only rare mistakes that do not impede comprehension. Stylistically diverse. Extensive vocabulary; use nuances. Highly efficient sentence flow; variety in sentence types appropriate to task. Control of formal and informal registers. Layout shows original use of textual features for feature stories. Layout uses some textual features for feature stories. Other comments / observations: Total out of 100: 10 SOFAD
Evaluation Situation 3 STUDENT S QUESTIONS: SOFAD 11
TEACHER S COMMENTS: 6006-07 January 2016