APRIL 2011
PART I
Lesson Title: Air Force Effective Writing
Teaching Method: Group Discussion of Exercise
Time Required: 1 hour
Prerequisite Classes: None
Student Preparation: Complete the Tongue and Quill Exercise located in the SSG
before class; also bring T&Q to class.
Certified by: Holm Center/CR (Dr. Charles Nath III)
PART IA
Cognitive Lesson Objective: Comprehend effective writing in the Air Force using The Tongue
and Quill (T&Q), AFH 33-37, 1 Aug 04.
Cognitive Samples of Behavior:
1. Describe the resources available in the T&Q:
a. Seven steps to effective communication
b. Electronic communication
c. Air Force writing products and templates.
d. Mechanics of writing (appendix)
2. Identify common problems in writing (T&Q):
a. Active vs. passive voice
b. Subject-verb agreement
c. Pronoun-antecedent agreement
d. Punctuation
Affective Lesson Objective: Respond to the elements of effective writing in the Air Force.
Affective Samples of Behavior:
1. Actively participate in effective writing exercises.
2. Use the T&Q and other resources to communicate effectively.
3. Maintain a personal copy of the T&Q.
PART IB
Strategy: This lesson has both cognitive and affective objectives. Students will be objectively
tested on the cognitive samples. The affective objective and samples of behavior are included to
provide indications that the students not only understand, but also value the information
presented surrounding the objective. You should consciously strive to reach the affective
domain as you deliver your lecture/guide your discussions. To assess whether you are meeting
the objective, ask questions to obtain responses that demonstrate the affective samples of
behavior. To accomplish this, ask how and why questions while recognizing and “seizing
opportunities” to make your own inquiries of students’ attitudes and feelings. Avoid
providing anticipated responses to how and why questions. This will require you to use
effective questioning to get the value based responses you are looking for, but don’t put the
1
“words in their mouths.” Responses that communicate feelings in line with the objective are the
first level of determining whether you are reaching the affective learning objective with your
students.
This lesson is designed to provide an orientation on how to write effectively in the Air Force.
The most important resource is AFH 33-337, The Tongue & Quill (Aug 04), the focus of this
lesson. The students need to complete the T&Q Exercise (SSG) before class. Instructors may
want to use the exercise as a graded assignment—a great motivator to do the exercise. While the
exercise is easy, the exposure to the T&Q is valuable in developing a habit of using the T&Q for
writing/speaking requirements. During class, have the students correct each other’s papers. (The
four pages can be torn out for ease in grading.) We encourage the instructors to share any
personal experiences in using the T&Q. The answer key to the Exercise follows with reference
pages noted.
Lesson Outline:
A. Correct the T&Q Exercise
B. Guided Discussion
2
PART II
INTRODUCTION
ATTENTION
(Suggested: While we use general grammar rules for writing in the Air Force, we do have some
unique writing and speaking behaviors that are not seen in the civilian world.)
MOTIVATION
(Suggested: The most important resource for writing and speaking in the Air Force is the
Tongue and Quill. The latest version is dated Aug 04. While the Air Force has gone to a
paperless library for our instructions and forms, we are providing you a hard copy that is yours to
keep. We hope that you’ll be familiar with its contents and reach for it whenever you need to
prepare a document or make a speech. Take good care of your copy, too! You’ll only find the
T&Q on-line once you’re on active duty.)
TRANSITION
(Suggested: In this lesson we want to make sure you’ve getting a picture of how the T&Q can
help you in effective communication.)
OVERVIEW
A. Correct the T&Q Exercise
B. Guided Discussion about the T&Q
TRANSITION
(Suggested: First, let’s look at everyone’s papers and go over the answers to the exercise.)
A. Correct the T&Q Exercise. (Answer key has page numbers for where to find the answers.)
1. List the 7 steps to effective communication.
a.
Analyze Purpose & Audience_______
b.
Research Topic__________________
c.
Support Ideas___________________
d.
Organize & Outline Thoughts______
e.
Write Your Draft________________
f.
Edit Your Draft__________________
g.
Fight for Feedback________________
3
2. In Step 1 of the communication process, we need to be smart about the “human factor;”
therefore, effective communication requires us to analyze the audience. The journey into
audience analysis actually involves knowing about three things:
a. Know _yourself____(p. 21)______ “Know the enemy and know yourself; in a
hundred battles you will never be in peril. When
b. Know _your organization_______ you are ignorant of the enemy but know
yourself, your chances of winning or losing are
c. Know _your audience____________equal. If ignorant of your enemy and of yourself,
you are certain in every battle to be in peril.” Sun Tzu
3. The T&Q refers to “logical arguments” as a series of statements to persuade others. We need
to be smart about logical arguments because “If you understand how arguments are
constructed and where they go wrong, you’re less likely to buy into somebody else’s muddy
thinking.” Therefore, what four elements need attention when communicating to persuade
others?
a. _a claim_(position on an issue)___p. 42-43
b. _evidence to support claim/position____
c. _warrants/assumptions that link evidence to claim
d. _qualifications (limiting factors) that limit the claim
14 items: __________
4
4. Identify 12 types of evidence: p. 44-45
2
1
S
T
A
O
N
3
7
E
A
X
P
10
U
D
S
L
I
P
L
9
E
F
O
A
I
N
E
S
C
U
E
I
T
T
4
B
A
T
I
T
E
A
A
S
S
D
I
E
M
T
I
I
N
O
S
O
U
N
O
Q
D
U
N
U
E
M
F
P
B
D
N
E
T
I
O
R
B
A
T
N
S
T
C
E
R
R
S
I
S
T
P
I
C
Y
D
L
I
E
A
O
C
I
I
N
S
11
6
C
N
L
12
C
D
A
R
I
T
A
T
N
8
S
S
T
5
I
P
S
S
Y
M
S
I
A
X
B
T
O
M
P
A
R
U
E
R
C
E
5
I
M
E
N
C
E
S
O
S
S
O
T
N
5. _Emotional appeals try to persuade the heart, not the head. p 48
6. False cause, also known as __Post Hoc_____ fallacy, occurs when you assume one event
causes a second event merely because it precedes the second event. (Maybe a third factor
caused the other two events.) p. 49
7. While the organization pattern, ________, discusses similarities and/or differences, the
_______ pattern shows how ideas/actions/conditions may lead to other
ideas/actions/conditions.
a.
b.
c.
d.
sequential; problem/solution p. 59-62
reasoning/logic; sequential
comparison/contrast; cause/effect
topical; chronological
15 items: ___________
8. The draft for most papers and speeches has a 3-part structure that includes these types of
paragraphs: _introduction_____, __body__, and __conclusion______. p. 57 or 66
9. The __purpose___________ statement in the introduction paragraph is the one sentence
you’d keep if you had only one, while the __overview__________ statement is like a good
roadmap by clearly identifying the main points.
p. 66-67
10. Generally, _internal______ transitions (e.g., first, next, finally) improve the flow of ideas
within a paragraph, while the _external_____ transitions (e.g., Now that we’ve covered X,
let’s talk about Y.) link separate paragraphs or major sections of a paper. p. 71-72
11. By using mostly active voice, your writing is clear, concise, and alive. Rewrite the following
passive sentence so that it reads in active voice.
PASSIVE: Better sentences will be written by you.
ACTIVE: ___You will write better sentences.___ p. 74
12. When editing your work, the 3-step approach—1st pass, the Big Picture; 2nd pass, the
Paragraph Structure/Clarity; and 3rd look, the Sentences/Phrases/Words—means you’ll
need to read your papers at least three times to do a good job. Identify the editing technique
that helps you catch errors because it requires you SLOW DOWN and uses two senses—
SEEING and HEARING?
____Reading the paper out loud___________________p. 95______________________
Subjects and verbs must agree in number—one is, while two are. Mark whether each sentence
below is correct (C) or not correct (NC): p. 98-99
13. C NC A drill team with 12 members is competing during Field Training.
team-singular subject; is-singular verb; members is object of prepositional phrase, not the
subject
6
14. C NC The commander’s main concern are untrained Airmen.
Linking verb needs to agree with the subject (concern), not the complement (Airmen)
15. C NC Everyone within the four squadrons participates in Field Day.
Everyone (singular) participates (singular)
A common error in pronoun use involves agreement in number. If the noun (the antecedent) is
singular, the pronoun used to refer to the noun or antecedent must also be singular. Mark
whether each sentence below is correct (C) or not correct (NC):
16. C NC Everyone needs to eat their meal while sitting at attention.
Everyone is a singular pronoun antecedent, so needs a singular pronoun to reflect it…
To correct…Everyone (singular) with his/her (singular) or Trainees (plural) with their
(plural)
17. C NC The trainees need to eat their meal while sitting at attention.
18. C NC Three lieutenants arrived late; their supervisor was angry with them.
The pronouns, their and them, are plural and correctly reflect the plural antecedent,
lieutenants.
15 items: ___________
19. Air Force Instruction (AFI) 33-119, Official Messaging, provides guidance on official and
authorized use of e-mail. List three of the six situations that are prohibited when using
government communication systems. p. 144
A. 1
2.
B 3.
4.
C. 5.
Distributing copyrighted materials without consent__________________
Using e-mail for financial gain
Intentionally misrepresenting your identity or affiliation_____
Sending harassing, intimidating, abusive, or offensive material
Using someone else’s UserID and password w/o proper authority_____
Causing congestion on the network by sending inappropriate e-mails (chain letters)
20. The template for the Official Memorandum (p. 184) indicates the number of blank lines
between the last line of the last paragraph and the first line of the signature block. How
many??
A. 1 line
B. 2 lines
C. 3 lines
D. 4 lines
21. The template for the Talking Paper (p. 209) indicates that the identification line at the bottom
of the paper must include the following six items:
A.
rank (or title, e.g., Dr., Ms._________
B.
last name________________________
7
C.
unit/office symbol_________________
D.
phone # ____________
E.
initials of typist (often same as the author of document)
F. date_______________________________
22. The T&Q discusses two types of bullets, the __Single-Idea_____ bullet for talking papers
and the _Accomplishment-Impact_____ bullet for performance reports and award
submissions.
p. 213
(A-I bullets are discussed further in the Performance Report section, p. 231)
In the following sentences, demonstrate where to put the commas for closed and open
punctuation.
Open punctuation was
historically promoted in AF
writing, but the 04 edition of
24. OPEN
Will you go by car, train or plane?
the T&Q notes both are
25. How do you abbreviate “Second Lieutenant?”2d Lt_p. 312 acceptable for 3 reasons on p.
275
23. CLOSED Will you go by car, train, or plane? p. 274
26. In titles and headings, all words are capitalized except articles (the, a, an), short prepositions
(at, by, of), and __short conjunctions (e.g., and, as, but, if, or, nor)____p. 320____________,
16 items: ____________
TOTAL Correct Items: _______/_60_
TRANSITION
(Suggested: The exercise provided the BIG PICTURE of the T&Q. What else did you learn
from looking through the T&Q?)
B. Guided Discussion about the T&Q
1. How can the T&Q help you to write a letter or paper in the Air Force?
-
It’s refresher of the basics…an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
The T&Q provides “pictures” (templates) of what the letter or other papers should look
like. For me, a picture is worth a thousand words.
Some of the examples of a paper, like the Talking Paper, also has more information about
how to do a Talking Paper.
The section on logical arguments covers some things I haven’t had in any of my other
classes. Not only can the guidance help me write more persuasively, but there’s guidance
on how someone may use a fallacy in logic to persuade.
Sometimes I get stuck with thinking of another way to say something. The T&Q has
many tables or lists with suggestions for adverbs or transitions.
8
-
The appendices had lots of information about abbreviations or numbering that I haven’t
seen before. The T&Q may help me interpret an Air Force document.
I was shocked at how serious it can be to use e-mail on government or Air Force
computers. Seems like there are some things that we might’ve done as a civilian that we
need to be more careful as a military member.
2. Why is it important to keep your T&Q handy and use it for doing letters, papers, or
briefings?
- The SSG mentioned that I may be writing a letter, but the commander will be signing it.
I
don’t want to have flashbacks from college or high school where there are red
marks everywhere and the paper needs to be redone. I want to do get as much done right
the first time.
- Many of the papers we did in college are only read by one or two persons. In the Air
Force, we have a bigger audience who may read our work or hear us speak. With the
T&Q guidance, I know how to do it—that makes me feel more confident about the big
audiences.
- Communication is such a big part of being a leader and an effective follower. The T&Q
will help me from looking stupid as a supervisor or leader.
TRANSITION
(Suggested: The old saying, “A stitch in time saves nine.” is about doing the job right the first
time. The T&Q is a great resource for helping you to communicate in the Air Force and to do it
right the first time.)
CONCLUSION
SUMMARY
Today, we’ve looked at how the T&Q gives us excellence guidance for our writing and briefing
requirements. In addition, the appendices provide a mini-grammar book plus guidance for our
unique use of capitalization, numbers, and abbreviations.
REMOTIVATION
(Suggested: If you keep your T&Q handy and use it every time you have to write a paper or give
a briefing, you’re sure to make a great impression on yourself and your organization.)
CLOSURE
(Suggested: “Make sure you have your name on your personal copy of the T&Q. AFOATS
made a generous decision to let their students keep a copy of this great resource.”)
Bibliography
AFH 33-337. Tongue & Quill, 1August 2004.
9
THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
10