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.
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Read regular assignments in Technical Writing for Success
Do in class editing and writing assignments
Take quizzes and tests
Do assigned problems, exercises, and projects
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
Unit 1: What is Technical Writing?
Mini Lessons
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 document’s 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.
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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 student’s work,
damaging plagiarism exists. When plagiarism is suspected, it becomes the writer’s 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.