2013-2014

TECHNICAL WRITING SYLLABUS

Mr. DeBrosse
Arcanum High School
tim_debrosse@darke.k12.oh.us
(937)692-5175 Ext. 1260

Memorandums, professional letters, news releases, and much more are the
concepts offered in Technical Writing. It is designed to prepare both college bound
and non-college bound students for the writing challenges that each faces in the
real world. This course provides students with the methodology needed to
construct and to deliver oral presentation, create tables, graphs, and charts, and
write a variety of reports and proposals. It is necessary to develop these and other
communication skills because those working in a technical or business occupation
will spend at least 20% of their time writing. It is vitally important that people in the
workplace can prepare these documents effectively.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: Failure to meet these requirements will result in percent

taken off the final average. One percent will be deducted from the final average for
each documented failure to meet these requirements.

1. Read regular assignments in Technical Writing for Success

2. Do in class editing and writing assignments
3. Take quizzes and tests
4. Do assigned problems, exercises, and projects
5. Do all additional course work and writing assignments

GRADES: Quizzes and homework generally equal 10 points. Major tests equal 100
points. Major projects generally equal 10 points for each day of work on each
project. Time on task and participation grades are also occasional assigned 10
points.

NOTE: Any requirement that is not handed in or that is taken late will have
penalties attached (one-half letter grade for same day, on full letter grade for next
day, and one additional letter grade for each day thereafter up to five days). After
five days, starting with the original due date, the required work will not be accepted
and a zero will be assigned. If the assignment was checked in class, the missed
work cannot be made up.

Final grades will be determined according to school guidelines, including the revised
method for figuring grades (see Arcanum-Butler School District Grading Policy in
the student handbook on pages 43-46.).

TEXT: Technical Writing for Success 2008

OVERALL GOAL: I CAN

 use the writing process, including planning, drafting, and revising, in a
way that produces an effective piece for publication that is consistent with
the appropriate style that I can adjust to based on that type of document.

COURSE OUTLINE with chapter specific goals

First nine weeks

Main Unit Mini Lessons

Unit 1: What is Technical Writing? Attitude

I can define technical writing.

I can give examples of technical writing.
I can list the characteristics of technical writing.
I can explain how technical writing differs from other forms of writing.
I can identify ways in which technical writing is similar to other forms of
writing.
I can establish a reader-centered attitude in my technical writing.

Unit 2: Audience and Purpose Tone

I can determine how to meet the needs of a specific audience and of a

multiple audience.
I can plan a documents purpose, scope, and medium.
I can adjust the tone of my writing in a way that suits the requirements of the
document.

Unit 3: Technical Research Parallel structure

I can differentiate primary and secondary sources.

I can find such sources.
I can determine the usefulness of each source that I find.
I can identify the presence of parallel structure, understand its emphatic
nature and apply it to
my own writing.

Unit 4: Writing Process Sentence economy

I can identify a writing process that suits my own style that proves to result in
effective writing.
This process includes some variation of planning, drafting, revising,
editing, and publishing.
I can identify weaknesses in sentence economy and resolve them in the
sentences of others.
I can apply this element to my own writing, making my documents more
clearly and concisely
readable.
Unit 5: Brief Correspondence Using numbers

I can identify the audience for any form of brief correspondence (texts, e-
mails, memos, etc).
I can establish a purpose and prepare correspondence using the appropriate
format.
I can apply effective strategies for composing good news, bad news, and
persuasive messages.
I can follow the standard guidelines for the use of presenting numbers in a
technical document.

Unit 6: Document Design and Graphics

I can design and produce effective documents and graphics for audience and
purpose.
I can format and the construct graphics to make them easier to understate
for the intended
audience and purpose.

Unit 7: Informative Reports

I can write two types of summaries and an abstract.

I can create a mechanism description with a visual aid.
I can write a periodic report, a progress report, and a news release.

Second nine weeks

Unit 8: Investigative Reports Clarity

I can develop a trip report that meets the needs of the audience.
I can compose an effective incident report.
I can compose science reports.
I can compose forensic reports.
I can create technical documents with absolute clarity.

Unit 9: Instructions Active and Passive Voice

I can analyze audience expectations and provide the steps required for
written instructions.
I can determine an appropriate format for instructions.
I can prepare a clear, concise set of instructions.
I can determine when active voice is more effective than passive voice and
visa versa and
apply those choices appropriately in technical documents.

Unit 10: Employment Communication Gender-Unbiased Language

I can plan, organize, and compose an appropriate resume, cover letter,

follow-up letter,
 and resignation letter using the appropriate style and format.
I can be sensitive to the diversity of the workplace and avoid gender bias in
my technical
documents.

Unit 11: Presentations Effective Transitions

I can plan a presentation accounting for audience, topic, graphic aids,

location, and time factors.
I can organize and compose effective presentations using outlines or notes.
I can deliver a presentation with confidence.

Unit 12: Recommendation Reports Other lessons as needed

I can adjust the structure of a recommendation report to accommodate the

read.
I can devise criteria for evaluation of the recommendation.
I can compose a recommendation report by evaluating the criteria and
drawing conclusions
using a point-by-point analysis

Unit 13: Proposals

I can define proposals and determine their purpose.

I can plan and write information proposals and formal proposals

Unit 14: Ethics in the Workplace

I can explain what it means to act ethically.

I can develop a plan for resolving ethical dilemma.
I can understand the barriers to ethical behavior.
]
Semester Exam

Plagiarism Warning:

Plagiarism refers to the presentation or submission of the work of another without

citation or credits, as your own work. Whenever the thoughts, words, drawings,
designs, statistical data, computer programs, or other creative work of others are
used by either direct quotation or by paraphrasing, the author and the source must
be clearly identified through the use of proper referencing or citing. When no
recognition is paid to the author for phrases, sentences, thoughts or arguments
within a students work, damaging plagiarism exists. When plagiarism is
suspected, it becomes the writers job to show that plagiarism did not occur. This
can be done by presenting all of the documents used to write the paper, by showing
the development of the paper through the writing process. It is very easy for an
experienced teacher to identify plagiarism and there are methods teachers can
used to even identify the original sources. But, it is up to the student to show he or
she has not plagiarized

The consequences for plagiarism begin with an automatic zero for the assignment,
but could also include detentions, suspension, and so on, depending on the
individual circumstances. School policy and precedence apply.

Always do your own work. Cheating in any way is not a noble deed.