A Guide For Change: Resources for Implementing Community Service Writing
by Ann Watters, Marjorie Ford
Category: Education

A GUIDE FOR CHANGE is designed for instructors and students who would like to integrate "real world" writing projects into their courses. The wide range of writing options presented include, a letter to the editor, an article for a community newsletter, a research paper geared toward a topic of community interest for submission to local government or community agency, and an informational brochure or a grant proposal. While different from academic writing, these writing activities directly reinforce for students the need to follow a form that is appropriate to a particular situation and to take the audience's expectations into account. The opportunity for students to pursue "real writing" for their class or community challenges them to engage the attention of their audience, to inform them honestly, and to convince them to listen to their point of view. A GUIDE FOR CHANGE provides a complete guide for incorporating "real world" writing projects into the classroom with a variety of practical worksheets, two casebooks, and models of community service writing projects. It can be used alone or with the companion reader, WRITING FOR CHANGE.