Instructions:
This week you will write a rough draft of the
section of the final report
assignment .
Step 1: start writing the section of the
final report.
Step 2: submit one or two pages of the section on Tuesday.
Step 3: continue writing the same section by adding more details
and more content and turn it in on Thursday.
++ As you write this section, organize your ideas carefully (see
# 7 below).
Assignment: Rough Draft of the
section of the final report.
Due: See Course Content
Grade: 
or 0
Submit by email a rough
draft of the section of the final report. Some key points:
- Give the section a clear title.
- Define terms as you introduce them.
- Present data.
- BE SURE TO ANALYZE DATA (don’t just dump data).
- See the
Criteria for the Section of the final
report.
- Try to write 2-3 pages double spaced for the
rough draft. The final draft
needs to be at least 5 pages long
-
ORGANIZE Carefully:
a. Deal with information in blocks. Write
everything you want to write about "topic A" in one place.
Then move on to "topic B" and write everything you want to write
about that.
b. Move from general to specific, from less technical to more
technical.
c. Try to use organization to replicate the reality you are trying
to explain.
d. Use paragraphs: focus each paragraph on one key
term, one very specific topic.
*** Use a topic sentence to introduce each paragraph.
*** Emphasize one key term in the topic sentence.
*** Focus on that key term in the paragraph.
*** Keep paragraphs relatively short.
e. Use
HEADINGS
f. Put main point first. What you place at the
beginning gets emphasized. The points of emphasis in any document
are the beginning and the end.
g. See the basic
report structure.
h. Avoid forward references (e.g.: "as will be explained
later") or back references (e.g.: "as was explained earlier).
Deal with information in blocks.
After you have written the draft, and before
you send it, do this exercise:
Evaluate some of the paragraphs in terms of analysis. To do this
label each sentence with these letters in brackets:
• I = introducing
• D = details/data
• A = analysis
Example:
This example paragraph is from a civil engineering report on
structures that can be used to prevent landslides from affecting
roads. The writing here is from a junior at the University of Idaho.
A flexpost fence and wire-net is shown in Figure 3
(not shown with this example). [I] The flexpost fence works by
catching the rocks and boulders in netting composed of Maccafferri
rock mesh enhanced with steel aircraft cables [6:62]. The flexible
tendons holding the netting up allow the structure to bend. [D]
Andrew reports that the most durable flexpost fences employ 19
tendons [6:62]. [D] The posts can deflect an angle greater than 90°
when large boulders strike the nets [5:451] and the flexpost tendons
are pre-stressed [D] so when a rock strikes the wire net, the rock
is slowed considerably. [D/A]. The device is designed so large rocks
or boulders with a significant amount of momentum will roll out of
the net and stop on the slope; others will dump from the net as the
flexposts return to their original position. [D] Since the ground
absords much of the kinetic energy the rocks produce, rather than
the flexposts [5:452], even very large rocks rarely damage the
flexpost and wire net. [A]
Note how this paragraph employs the basic 3-step
pattern of
- Introduce
- Give data, examples, facts, ….
- Analyze—tell what it means.
Remember, readers are not mind readers. You need
to show them what is important by adding analysis.
Assignment: Second Rough Draft of the section of the final
report.
Due: See Course Content
Grade: √ or 0
Submit by email a rough draft of the section of the final report
Some key points:
- Add a couple more pages. Be sure that the
whole draft is at least 5 pages (double spaced).
- Be sure to revise the material you already
sent.
- Be sure to meet the
criteria
- Be sure to use
transition words
- Be sure to analyze!
- As you write the section, consider using
headings and subheadings.
After you have written the draft, and before
you send it, do this exercise again. Just do it for a couple
paragraphs:
Evaluate some of the paragraphs in terms of
analysis. To do this label each sentence with these letters in
brackets:
• I = introducing
• D = details
• A = analysis
