Appendix A

Information Processing Cycle

Appendix B

Employability Skills Are Critical

Employability skills are the generic skills , attitudes and behaviours that employers look for in new recruits and that they develop through training programs for current employees. In the workplace, as in school, the skills are integrated and used in varying combinations, depending on the nature of the particular job activities.

The Council recognizes the need for employers to accommodate indevidual differences and to provide equal opportunities for woment, native people, visible minorities and people with disabilities.

How Are Employability Skills Developed?

Employability skills are developed in school and through a variety of life experiences outside school. The student, the family and the education system, supported and enhanced by the rest of society, share this responsibility.

How Does This Profile Fit with the Goals of Education?

All the skills listed in this profiles are already either explicit or implicit in general educational goal statements of the provinces and territories. Drawing attention to skills necessary for employability is compatible with and can enhance a school’s efforts to meet its other goals and objectives.

Corporate Council on Education Core Purpose:

To be a catalyst to engage business and education in partnerships that foster learning excellence to ensure that Canada is competitive and successful in the global economy.

Member companies:
AGT Limited
BP Canada Inc.
Bank of Montreal
Bell Canada
British Columbia Telephone Company
Canada Post Corporation
Canadian Occidental Petroleum Ltd.
CP Rail
Dofasco Inc.
General Electric Canada Inc.
General Motors of Canada Limited
IBM Canada Ltd.
Imasco Limited
Imperial Oil Limited
Inco Limited
Laurentian Financial
Newfoundland Telephone Company Limited
Noranda Forest Inc.
Norcen Energy Resources Limited
Northern Telecom Limited
Royal Bank of Canada Shell Canada Limited
TransAlta Utilities Corporation
TransCanada PipeLines
Xerox Canada Ltd.

Employability Skills Profile

What Are Employers Looking For?

The academic, personal management and teamwork skills outlined in this profile form the foundation of a high-qualify Canadian workforce both today and tomorrow.

The Corporate Council on Education invites and encourages students, parents, teachers, employers, labour, community leaders and governments to use the profiles as a framework for dialogue and action.

Appendix C

Time Management Log

Date	Type of Activity/Job	Time started	Time completed	Job Code/ Document name	Form of input	Total lines	Total time used	Additional Comments

Guitar Design

Instructions: Set margins for 56-space line. Single space. Use the upper case X and I keys. Use courier font.

Line

1. 42sp 3X

2. 40sp 5X

3. 38sp 6X

4. 37sp 7X

5. 36sp 7X

6. 35sp 8X

7. 34sp 9X

8. 33sp 10X

9. 32sp 12X

10. 31sp 14X

11. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

12. 31sp 1X 1sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1sp 1X

13. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

14. 31sp 1X 1sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1sp 1X

15. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

16. 31sp 1X 1sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1sp 1X

17. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

18. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

19. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

20. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

21. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

22. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

23. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

24. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

25. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

26. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

27. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

28. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

29. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

30. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

31. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

32. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

33. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

34. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

35. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

36. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

37. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

38. 32sp 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 3X

39. 31sp 3X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 4X

40. 30sp 4X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 5X

41. 29sp 5X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 6X

42. 28sp 6X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 7X

43. 27sp 7X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 8X

44. 26sp 8X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 9X

45. 25sp 9X 1I 2sp 1I 2sp 1I 10X

46. 25sp 9X 1I 2sp 1I 2sp 1I 10X

47. 25sp 9X 1I 2sp 1I 2sp 1I 10X

48. 26sp 8X 1I 2sp 1I 2sp 1I 9X

49. 27sp 7X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 8X

50. 28sp 6X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 7X

51. 29sp 5X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 6X

52. 30sp 4X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 5X

53. 32sp 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 3X

54. 33sp 1X 1I 2X 1I 2X 1I 2X

55. 35sp 6X

Appendix E

Keyboarding Relay

This is a keyboarding skill development game that can be played throughout the year. A variety of keyboarding drills may be used. Some teachers may choose to follow a variety of themes when selecting the keyboarding practice. Students will be "jumping" out of their seats with excitement!

Game Objective: To key as many lines as possible in a given timed interval.

Skill Objectives: To develop keystroking skill through repetition (drill and practice).
-------------------To reinforce the use of touch keyboarding skills.
-------------------To make the drill and practice of keystroking drills "fun".
-------------------To encourage the development of team-building skills.

Instructions:

1. Divide the class into teams of equal numbers (i.e. by rows).

2. Select the copy (textual information, drill lines) that will be used.

3. In a predetermined time frame, such as 30 seconds, each student will key the text as many times as possible in the time interval.

4. When time is up, students will quickly proceed to the next computer, find where the previous student stopped keying, and continue keying the text/line from that position.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 until the final timed interval is called.

6. Total the number of lines produced by each team (total lines from each team member's computer).

7. The team with the largest number* of lines produced is declared the winner.

*Relay may be adapted to consider the largest number of accurate lines. The skill objective would then reflect keyboarding accuracy.

Appendix F

Warmup Lines

As sufficient practice time should be allowed in order for students to improve their keyboarding techniques and skills, the teacher may choose to set aside a portion of each class devoted to the practice of previously-learned material. For example, the first ten minutes of each class may be devoted to the keyboarding of "Warmup Lines." The material for warmup lines can be assigned by the teacher, either on a group or an individual basis.

"Warmup lines" can take the form of straight-copy drill lines that will allow for the practice of alphabetic material. However, warmup lines may be extended to include composition at the keyboard; flash cards showing letters; number drills; reaches (juj); backwards words and sentences; magazine or newspaper articles; legends; printed material dealing with the topic of the day's lesson; review questions requiring students to key the question and insert the correct answer; or, other relevant material. A variety of materials may be used for keyboarding practice. Teachers will need to be aware of the messages communicated in the materials used to ensure that stereotyping and biases are not present.

Although accurate keyboarding should be encouraged, it is not generally recommended that students correct their errors during the keyboarding of warmup lines. However, it is important that students be aware of the types of errors made during the warmup period and note any corrective measures.

How can warmup lines be evaluated? The teacher may collect assessment data during student practice of warmup lines. Observation checklists, anecdotal notes or rating scales may be used to collect data on students' keyboarding techniques, work habits, and attitudes demonstrated during the keyboarding of warmup lines. Data collected on the number of warmup lines keyed during each session can be used by the students as self-assessment information to guide their achievement of goals they may set for themselves. In addition, the teacher may monitor the number of lines that the student keys during specified time periods and use the information as formative evaluation to guide further student instruction and practice.

The following is one suggested method of assessing warmup lines:

• Students could begin working as soon as they arrive in the class thus encouraging punctuality and the development of business-like attitudes. At the end of the specified amount of class time (ten minutes, for example), students finish keying the line they are on. Although hard copies of warmup lines may be printed, an alternative would have students record the number of lines they have keyed. Students could record the date and number of completed lines in the appropriate spot on a warmup record (see the sample in the Templates for Assessment and Evaluation section of this guide). This documentation provides valuable charted information on student progress in producing warmup lines--important information for student self-assessment and formative evaluation information for the teacher. The warmup record could become a page in the student's reference manual (see Learning Objective 1.5), thus becoming a permanent and ongoing record of achievements in warmups. Alternatively, the record sheet may be kept in a student's portfolio of assessment information.

How can the teacher ensure that the student is recording an accurate figure for the warm up lines produced? Although the teacher may collect data on student progress and attitudes during the keyboarding of warmup lines, in order to determine the amount of work that is keyed, the teacher may wish to check and initial each students' warmup record sheet while the warmup lines are still on the screen. This would provide an opportunity for student and teacher feedback on progress. Classmates could initial one another's record sheets. For verification, students could store their work on diskette and be required to submit it to the teacher along with their completed warmup record sheet. The teacher may wish to assess the correspondence of student disks to the recorded information on a random basis. On occasion, the teacher may instruct the students to output hard copies of their warmup lines which may be placed into student portfolios.

Appendix G

Building Skill in Proofreading

Proofreading is the skill of checking work to ensure its accuracy. Proofreading is a skill that can be developed. The following are some tips for developing good proofreading skill.

Reading Tips

1. Read the work slowly, word for word.

2. Read for spelling and keystroking errors.

3. Read for correct punctuation and grammar.

4. Read for meaning.

Eight Characteristics of Effective Proofreaders

He or she:

1. Is a good speller.

2. Knows the basics of punctuation and applies them.

3. Pays attention to detail.

4. Uses various methods of proofreading.

5. Recognizes frequently overlooked types of errors.

6. Takes the time to proofread.

7. Is conscious of errors.

8. Uses the dictionary and other reference materials when in doubt.

Appendix H

Proofreaders' Marks

When submitting material to a typesetter, the correct proofreaders' marks should be used.

Appendix I

Letter-Planing Chart

A letter planning chart may be used to plan and organize thoughts for composing at the keyboard or in preparation for dictation. Although this chart specifically assists in the preparation of a letter, the phases may also be used when creating other correspondence.

Appendix J

The Interview Project

This project will allow you to visit a work site to interview someone who is employed in a career area that is of interest to you. You may choose someone that uses the computer to process information. For example, people you may be interested in interviewing could be a producer, banker, doctor, accountant, pharmacist, engineer, or clerk.

Note to Teachers:

It is suggested that the date of the interview be established well in advance - preferably one month from the introduction of the project. Students may collaborate on a calendar of timelines that will assist with the planning and completion of arrangements and tasks, in order of priority. The design and maintenance of "To Do" lists may be helpful in assisting with the completion of projects and covering all the required items during students' contact with the interview candidates.

Some of the considerations involved in the Interview Project are offered below.

Identification of Interviewee: Make a list of all the candidates that you may like to interview. Establish your priorities and contact the candidate at the top of your list. Introduce yourself and explain the project. Ask the candidate if he or she is willing to participate. Most interviews require no more than thirty minutes. Keep working through your list until you get a positive response! Once a candidate has agreed to participate, establish the date, time, and location of the interview. Your teacher may provide a form to record the interviewee's name, title, work place, address, telephone number, date and time of the interview. Be sure this information is correct!

Letter of Confirmation: Send a personal-business letter of confirmation to your interviewee. The letter should confirm the day, date, location and time of the interview appointment. You will need to prepare an envelope, too. Don't forget to sign your letter! Consult your reference manual for format.

Questions: Think about what you would like to know about this career. Prepare a set of questions to ask during the interview. (Note: If time is limited, teacher-prepared questions may be provided to the students*. Students should be encouraged to revise, add, or substitute questions as required, depending upon the individual situation. If time is not limited, teacher and/or student prepared questions could be generated and produced by class members.)

Interview: During the interview, ask your questions and clarify as necessary to get the detail required. Record the answers that the interviewee provides. You may wish to make a tape recording of the interview. Make a few notes about the work site itself.

Thank-you Letter: After returning to the classroom, send a thank-you letter or note thanking the interviewee and any other individuals who were involved in arranging the interview.

Presentation: Share what you have learned, either in a presentation to the entire class or with small groups of students.

Report: Prepare an unbound multiple-page report detailing the "Interview Project". Refer to your reference manual for correct format if necessary.

*The following page offers sample interview questions for this project.

Sample Interview Questions

The following are some questions that you may ask during an interview with someone who is employed in a career area that is of interest to you.

1. What is your name, title, business or company name, mailing address, and telephone number?

2. What are your normal job duties?

3. What are your normal working hours?

4. Is working overtime required in your job? How often?

5. Do you ever work nights or weekends?

6. What aptitudes and abilities are needed for your career?

7. What education and training requirements are needed to enter and advance in your career area?

8. Can you give an approximate beginning salary for someone in your career area? What is the average salary after five years?

9. Does your company have a dress code for employees? What is considered suitable?

10. What are some things you enjoy about your job?

11. What are the fringe benefits of your career area? (sick leave, dental plans, life insurance)

12. Are there any disadvantages to your career area?

13. Do you think the demand for workers in your career will increase or decrease over the next five years? Why?

14. What advice would you offer to a young person making a career choice?

Conclusion: Student's Opinion

In conclusion, do you think you would like to work full time in this type of career? In this particular organization? Why or why not? If not, why did you choose this particular interviewee?

Appendix K - Sample Student Projects

Student Project--A Whirlwind Trip

The following is a sample project involving the application of airline timetables and the twenty-four hour clock. Students will be actively involved in organizing and managing their air travel plans for a "whirlwind" trip.

Students may work independently or in pairs. They could present their information in the form of a written document or an oral presentation. Although locations are identified for the "whirlwind trip", they may be adapted to suit individual needs. The activity could be extended to include considerations for night accommodations.

The Whirlwind Trip of (Student Name)

Welcome to the corporate world. What a busy week you have coming up! You will be travelling all across Canada and into the United States to give company presentations and complete other work-related duties. Make the necessary airline reservations for your trip (see questions 1-6 below) and prepare a schedule of your airline flights. For each "question", provide the following information:

• Departure--place and time
• Name of Airline
• Flight Number
• Local Time Zone--at place of departure
• Arrival--place and time
• Local Time Zone--at place of arrival
• Number of Stops
• Name of Airport--only if more than one is in the city

1. This Sunday, you will need to be in Victoria and you decide to take the earliest flight.

2. On Monday and Tuesday, you need to work in the branch office in Victoria. On Wednesday, you have to travel to Montreal but need the earliest flight as you will need time Wednesday evening to set up your materials for Thursday's presentation.

3. Friday's meetings will be over before noon. On Saturday and Sunday, you are registered for an international convention in Los Angeles, California and plan to get some rest and relaxation in the sun. You determine that a Friday afternoon flight to Los Angeles is preferred.

4. The following Tuesday morning, you have an appointment with the regional manager in Calgary and will spend Wednesday working in the branch office there. A Monday evening flight is fine.

5. Thursday evening, you are the guest speaker at a dinner banquet in Saskatoon and need to stay in Saskatoon on Friday until mid-afternoon. You prefer a Wednesday evening flight.

6. Friday evening you travel home to see your family for the weekend!

Student Project--Travel Itinerary

Once students have been introduced to travel itineraries and have formatted one, they may be challenged to prepare their own. The following is a sample project that involves students researching and preparing an itinerary for a trip to a destination of their choice. A limited time frame for travel is suggested in the sample project. However, students may choose to visit Disney World in Florida for a week, travel to the Orient for a month, or take a weekend ski trip to British Columbia. Teachers are encouraged to adapt the sample project as needed.

Your Dream Trip!

Plan a "getaway" weekend for yourself. Take along a friend or two, your family, or go alone. Cost is no object. If you wish, feel free to fly first class to your destination, rent a limousine . . . hire a personal tour guide! When planning and preparing your itinerary, allow for three days at your vacation destination, in addition to travel time. Schedule activities and visits to tourist attractions, restaurants, etcetera but be sure to allow time for rest and relaxation.

Some things to include in the itinerary are:

• names of travellers;
• dates of travel;
• times of all events;
• air/land/water transportation, dates, and times;
• accommodation; and,
• activities/attractions.

Appendix L

Suggestions for Assessing Production Proficiency

(Modules 7 and 10)

An emphasis in Optional Module 7: Business Keyboarding and Word Processing and Optional Module 10: Advanced Keyboarding and Word Processing is to provide students with the opportunity to develop effective keyboarding and word processing skills that will enable the efficient production of business documents. Students must strive to prepare error-free documents in minimal time. The use of "production tests" and the calculation and recording of "production lines a minute" are offered as instructional and assessment ideas that may be adapted or used in Information Processing to assist students to gain production efficiency. Teachers may use or adapt these guidelines to suit individual needs.

Administering Production Tests

A production test can be considered to measure the accurate production of work under timed conditions. Production tests may be used as one tool to heighten student awareness of the expectations for document production in the business world. Business expects rapid and accurate production of documents. The information that is to be processed can originate from a variety of sources. The following is one suggestion for administering production tests. Teachers may use or adapt these guidelines to suit individual needs.

Prior to a production test, the students could be provided with an example (advance organizer) of an accurately completed document. The document may be annotated by the students and retained for future reference, such as the review of the theory for formatting the document.

Each new section of a document that requires attention to specific formatting practice would be introduced individually so that students may practise to master the formatting concept before moving on to another section of a document. Once each individual section of a document requiring formatting attention is mastered, students could progress to producing the entire document.

Each section of a document may be practised under short timed intervals. These timed intervals, practised repeatedly, can assist students to automate the procedures necessary to format that section of the document. For example, the opening or closing lines of a letter could be practised beginning with 30-second timed intervals and progressively decreasing the timed intervals to 15 seconds. When the same timings are repeated, students should strive to complete more work each time.

Before production timed intervals are given, students should be informed of the purpose and objective of the timing. If students are aiming to automate the processes for formatting, students may be instructed to accurately format and complete as much work as possible, disregarding any keyboarding misstrokes. If the timed interval will focus on efficient and accurate production of work, students need to be informed so that they may strive to meet that objective.

Once students have completed short-interval timed trials of all the various sections of a document, a production timed test requiring students to strive to produce an entire document accurately within a prescribed time limit may be given. For example, the timed interval may progress from two-minute to five-minute to ten-minute timings depending on the nature of the document. As previously mentioned, copy used for a production test may originate in a variety of forms; however, it is recommended that printed, arranged copy be used initially, progressing to the use of unarranged, handwritten, rough draft, or prerecorded copy.

As part of a production timing, students could be expected to plan and proofread the documents produced. Documents to be produced during production timings should progress to being as realistic as possible. For example, teachers may select a copy with handwritten, unarranged text with little or no formatting instructions for a production timing. Students may access reference material during the production timing when necessary. However, students should know that productivity decreases if time is used to consult reference materials unnecessarily.

Assessing Production Skills

The ongoing recording of information about production skills provides valuable data for student and teacher evaluation. The calculation of "production lines a minute" may be recorded and used for assessing production skills.

The quantity of production work may be measured by recording the number of lines in a task and the time required to complete that task. To calculate the production lines a minute rate, the number of lines produced is divided by the time interval in minutes as indicated below.

lines produced = production lines a minute rate

time (minutes)

The production lines a minute rate may be calculated on an ongoing basis to provide information on the development of production skills. The number of lines produced, the time interval, and the production lines a minute rate may be recorded. Like the determination of keyboarding skill improvement suggested in the core module for Information Processing 10 (Module 1), students' improvement in production skills may be developed and assessed following the three phases as suggested for assessing keyboarding skill development. These three phases are: determination of an entry rate, development and improvement, and determination of an exit rate. The difference in the production lines a minute rate determined for an entry and exit rate could form part of the assessment information used to evaluate production skill development assessment.

The following is a production skill building plan offered by Hicks, Hepburn, and Rooney (1990) that could be used.

Ten-Step Production Skill Building Plan (Reprinted with permission from Teacher's Resource Guide: Keyboarding: Information Processing Applications by Nancy Hicks, Mhora Hepburn, and Margaret Rooney, published by Nelson Canada, Scarborough, Ontario, Copyright 1990, p. 17.)

Here is a Ten-Step Production Skill Building Plan that will promote both efficiency and effectiveness:

1.Build a conceptual framework and purpose of the new task, along with understanding of relationships to previous learnings. These conceptual understandings are crucial to eventual use of efficient procedures on real-world applications. Use visual illustrations, examples, analogies, and any other learning aids you can devise to help students develop these understandings.

2.Establish standard procedures,demonstrate techniques for efficient production of the task, and have students imitate these as you check their progress. Sometimes student pairs can check each other's work.

3.Time parts of the task, e.g., the opening and closing parts of a letter, including procedures for getting ready to key. Use repetitive timings of 15, 30, and 60 seconds.

4.Time the whole production task. Direct students to disregard errors and to record their time to the nearest quarter minute (mark the quarter minutes on the board). When students finish, they should practice another task as noted elsewhere on the board until you tell them to stop. This procedure will also apply to the subsequent timings.

5.Time the whole task again with students disregarding errors. This time, students try to complete the task a quarter of a minute faster than last time.

6.Time the whole task again with students correcting errors as they detect them as well as proofreading their work. They should record their time as above, to the nearest quarter minute.

7.Time the whole task again with students correcting their errors as before, but trying to complete the mailable task a quarter of a minute faster than last time.

8.Set a time limit of 15 minutes and instruct students to produce as many mailable tasks as possible within that time. Provide enough similar materials so that all students are keying the entire time.

9.Repeat Step 8 for a period of 20 minutes.

10.Repeat Step 8 for 30 minutes.

Appendix M

Appendix O

Objectives: To provide opportunities for students to:

• design and produce letterhead stationery;
• apply problem-solving skills;
• use word processing software applications; and,
• compose business correspondence.

Part One: Design and Produce Letterhead Stationery

Imagine that you are the owner or manager of a small business that offers a service or markets a product (your choice). Apply problem-solving strategies to design and produce letterhead stationery for your small business.

Suggestions for Incorporating the Problem-Solving Model

Work through the stages of a problem-solving model to design and produce your letterhead. An example follows.

• Identify the problem by producing a simple written statement.
  
  Explore alternatives by examining several samples of business stationery. If you want, combine concepts you find from the samples with your own design. Use computer graphics, fonts, clip art, borders, calligraphy, hand-drawn art work, or other devices to enhance the design of the stationery.
  
  Gather and organize information to generate ideas and develop rough drafts of several alternative letterhead designs. Use your imagination and creativity to select and design the letterhead that includes the name of your business, the street address, city, province, postal code, telephone number, and business logo or trademark.
  
  
• Act by producing your letterhead design.
  
  
• Evaluate by reflecting upon your product and considering whether your letterhead design is suitable for the business world. Are there changes that you would like to make?

Part Two: Composition of an Accompanying Letter

Using the word processor, compose a letter announcing the opening of your new business, encouraging readers to attend the opening-day celebrations. Use a letter-planning chart (see Appendix I) to assist in planning and composing your letter. Be sure to schedule some exciting activities to help draw attention to your new business. For example, door prizes, free merchandise, discount coupons, complimentary beverages and snacks, or guest appearances by local celebrities may be offered. Prepare the final copy of the letter on your letterhead stationery.

Suggestions for Assessment and Evaluation

The following are some suggestions for assessing and evaluating this activity. Students should be aware of the criteria that will be used for assessment. Teachers are encouraged to adapt these suggestions as needed. Teacher, peer, or self-assessment of the activities may be used.

*Suggested Criteria for Assessing the Letterhead Stationery

• Content. Does the letterhead contain the name of the business, the street address, the city, province, postal code, telephone number, facsimile number and any other data network communication numbers, if available, as well as a logo or trademark?
  
  
• Placement. Is the letterhead appropriately placed on the paper within the guidelines given?
  
  
• Design. Is the logo or trademark relevant and clear? Is the letterhead eye-catching and interesting?
  
  
• Effort. Has the student included an extraordinary amount of detail deserving special recognition?

*Suggested Criteria for Assessing the Application of the Problem-Solving Strategies in Designing the Letterhead

• Did the student clearly identify the problem?
  
  
• Did the student explore all relevant alternatives by examining several samples of business stationery to assist in idea generation?
  
  
• Did the student consider a variety of display techniques and tools?
  
  
• Did the student gather and organize all relevant information, considering all sources of information?
  
  
• Did the student apply the process of evaluation to eliminate alternatives and choose the best option?

*Suggested Criteria for Assessing the Composed Letter

• Did the student identify the purpose of the letter?
  
  
• Did the student develop the first paragraph to capture the reader's attention and interest?
  
  
• Did the student include all points to be covered in the letter?
  
  
• Is there no evidence of redundant information?
  
  
• Did the student organize the important information in a logical sequence?
  
  
• Does the last paragraph indicate the desired action and summarize the ideas expressed?
  
  
• Has the letter been formatted in an acceptable business letter style?
  
  
• Has an acceptable punctuation pattern been used in the letter?
  
  
• Is the text of the document free of errors?

*Criteria may be listed on a checklist or rating scale template. See the Templates for Assessment and Evaluation section of this guide for sample templates that may be used.

Appendix P

Writing Strategies, Suggested Activities, and Assessment Techniques (Optional Module 11: Effective Business Writing)

Business Letters and Memoranda

What are some simple writing strategies that students could incorporate into their business letters and memoranda? The order in which the writer presents information in a business letter or memorandum may depend on the expected reaction of the reader.

When writers expect their audience's reaction to be neutral or positive, the writer should communicate the message as clearly and briefly as possible. The following are some suggestions for using this approach:

• State briefly the main purpose of the letter or memorandum (usually in the first paragraph).
• Provide all the information and details that the reader needs (usually in the middle paragraph[s]).
• Close the document with positive reinforcement and a request for action (when appropriate).

Communication in this category may include letters or memoranda: of request or inquiry; ordering goods; for reservations; offering expressions of thanks, congratulations or sympathy; and acknowledging a request or an order.

The following writing strategies may be used when the writer anticipates that the receiver may resist the suggestions and information provided (a negative reaction):

• Begin the communication with a goodwill paragraph that touches on the "negative" subject but does not directly refer to it.
• Provide detailed information regarding the reasons for resistance of the request.
• State that the request has been refused in a positive tone.
• End with a goodwill conclusion. Suggest an alternative proposal (if possible) or a request for action.

Communication in this category may include letters or memoranda complaining about products or services, refusing a request, and dealing with credit and collection.

Reports

How are reports used? How can students adapt their knowledge of the writing process to produce reports for business?

Reports may be used for sharing or presenting information, for the presentation of recommendations to solve problems, or to assist in decision making. Reports usually require research. Reports can be formatted as a bound or unbound manuscript. They usually include a cover page, a table of contents, and a bibliography. Endnotes may be included. Appendices, charts, graphs, lists, diagrams, maps and other visuals may be included.

When writing reports, students may incorporate the following guidelines:

• Choose a specific topic.
• Prepare questions. Ask what the receiver wants to know about the topic.
• Collect data. The complexity of the questions to be answered and the time limitations will determine the amount of data that will be collected. Methods of collecting data may include manual and electronic means.
• Organize information. Delete any redundant information. Pertinent information should be organized to prepare an outline for the writing.
• Compose and prepare the report, applying the stages of the writing process. Considerations should be given to formatting the report as a bound or an unbound manuscript.

Suggested Instructional Approaches and Assessment Techniques

Business Letters and Memoranda

The following are some suggested activities that may be adapted or used to facilitate the incorporation of writing strategies to produce business letters, memoranda, and reports.

• Working in pairs or small groups, students could examine several samples of business letters and interoffice memoranda. Imagining themselves as writers, they could identify the following for each communication: the purpose; the intended audience; special characteristics of the audience; the topic; and, the format. They could discuss the message of each document and sort the correspondence into two categories, depending upon the expected reaction of the reader to the message. One category could include those communications that expect a neutral or positive reader reaction. The other category could be comprised of those documents that expect a negative reaction on the part of the reader. Student contribution and attention to the task may be recorded using anecdotal notes.
• Working in pairs or small groups, students may be provided with a communication that expects a neutral or positive reaction on the part of the reader, such as a letter granting a credit adjustment or a letter thanking an interviewer. Didactic questioning may be used as students examine the letter, and discuss and record answers to questions similar to the following: What is the main purpose of the letter? Is the purpose clearly stated in the first paragraph? Has all the necessary or pertinent information been provided? If so, in which paragraph(s)? Has the letter closed with positive reinforcement, showing goodwill? How? Is there a request for action? If so, is it clearly stated? Provided with a communication that expects a negative reader reaction, such as a letter of complaint or a letter refusing a request, students may examine the document and discuss questions similar to the following: Has goodwill been demonstrated in the opening paragraph? How? What details have been provided justifying the refusal of the request? Is it clearly stated that the request has been refused? How? In your opinion, has the receiver been treated fairly? Why or why not?

  Has the sender created goodwill in the concluding paragraph? How? Is an alternative or a request for action suggested? Content and process skills may be assessed.

• Case studies or simulations may be used to provide students with the opportunities to write business communications that expect the readers' reactions to be positive, neutral, and negative. Peer, teacher, and self-assessment may take place using the Sample Criteria for Assessing the Application of the Writing Process checklist provided in this guide.

Reports

Students can integrate and combine the stages of the writing process and writing strategies experienced in this module to plan, research, write, and produce a report. Although they may use any range of subject areas, they may select from business topics such as careers, dress codes, entrepreneurship, law and the office worker, or occupational health hazards. Students may be reminded to narrow their topic to one major idea.

When editing and proofreading, students may check for, and correct, errors in grammar, sentence structure, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, format, and attractiveness of presentation.

Students may conduct peer or self-assessment of their writing by considering the following questions: Is the topic specific enough? Is the purpose clearly stated in the introduction? Are pertinent questions answered clearly? Are the facts clearly presented? Are the facts reliable? Is all the information pertinent? Are sources indicated? Have headings and subheadings been used to organize the information? Is the report formatted correctly? Does the report achieve its purpose? The criteria listed on the Sample Criteria for Assessing the Application of the Writing Process template provided in this guide may also be adapted and used to assess the writing.