To: Art Fricke
From: Allen Curtsinger, Amanda O’Neall, Miara Cave, and Brandi DeWaters
Course: ENGL 2311-27
Working Title: “Sex Education in Lubbock Independent School District”
Assignment Title: Project Plan Memo and Proposal Report Outline
Due: November 4, 2010
Date Handed In: November 4, 2010
This memo will describe the process for writing a report to discuss how and why Lubbock public
schools need to either improve or implement sex education. In this memo we explain what the
problems are, and we explain how we will try to fix this problem through a group report.
This memo describes how our four-person group will create a proposal to:



Describe how rampant teen pregnancy and STD’s are in Lubbock.
Describe how Lubbock School lack of sex education is partly the cause of this.
Present how sex education can combat the teen pregnancy and STD problems.
This memo is going be a guide to how our group is going to complete this proposal report. This
memo will help our group divide up the responsibilities between us, and it will help us develop
a schedule. Please let us know how realistic Please let us know how realistic you think our plan
is.
There is also a tentative outline attached to this memo. Please let us know if the outline
matches our proposed audience and goal that we describe in the memo.
The Problem Our Report Will Deal With
We are going to confront the out of control teen pregnancy and STD rates in Lubbock. Lubbock
has some of the highest teen pregnancy and STD rates in the state. This causes Lubbock to
have many unprepared parents and widespread STD’s.
Our Document Goal: Presenting a Partial Solution
Our group is going to present various reasons why a different sex education program is needed
in Lubbock public schools. We will give statistics and accounts of how a better sex education
program can help combat the problems Lubbock is facing.
Our Audience: Principal Lynn Akin (Coronado High School)
The audience we want to appeal to is the Principal at Coronado High School, Lynn Akin. He
cannot change or implement the program himself, but he does have sway with the school
board. We will appeal to our audience in the following ways:
1) Explain that we know public school funds are tight
2) Describe how this can be implemented at very low cost
3) Emphasize how he can really help prevent his students from making these life changing
mistakes
4) Show how this can improve the quality of life at the his high school
Procedures- Our Sharing Process
Our group will use email to share our documents and to check our progress. Each person in the
group will write their assigned section on their own time. Once a member in the group has
finished a section, we will email it to the other group members to check and edit the section
and make suggestions.
We will also use our in-class time to answer any questions and make suggestions. The in-class
time will also allow us to help other group members on their writing sections.
Our group has made a template that we will use when writing our papers. This will make the
final process of collaborating everyone’s papers easier and in a shorter amount of time.
Procedures – Our Communication Process
Our group has decided to communicate in four ways.
First, we will use our in-class time. We will use this time to update the group on our progress.
We will also use this as a discussion time and make any suggestions on our topic. This in-class
time will also be use to plan and outline our sections and the final paper.
Second, we will use our Texas Tech email to share our documents with other group members.
Email will be used when we send out a group email for all the members. This process will be
what we can use to eliminate meetings outside of class. It will be our main outsidecommunication for this project.
Third, we will call or text each other if the subject is important and needs to an immediate
response. We will send a text if a group member has not emailed their section of the
assignment to the person in charge of putting it together. This form of communication will not
be used as often as email.
Fourth, we will use outside class time, if needed, to work on the project as a group. We will use
this time if we think it is the best way to complete the paper. Our group will try to
communicate as much as possible before we have to meet as a group outside of class.
Procedures – Our Individual Responsibilities
Our group has created a detailed timeline that shows what each member is required to work on
by each deadline. The work that we all plan to do is researching, writing, and editing. No one
person in the group is solely responsible for one job like writing the entire paper. Another
example would be another member of the group editing the entire paper. We are choosing to
do this so that the workload on each person is minimized. Hopefully this will allow us to finish
the project faster.
When it comes to meeting times, we plan to work effectively during the class periods so that
we do not have to meet outside of class. We also want to hold each member accountable for
bringing in their part to class when it is scheduled. However, if we had to meet outside of class,
it would be to finalize the project.
The table below describes what each member of the group plans to do:
Member
Research Topic
Brandi DeWaters
Comparing In and Out of
State Education of
Lubbock and Other Areas
Allen Curtsinger
Task & Details
-
Research how Lubbock’s sex education
programs is different from other states
and areas with the same demographics
-
Research the STD/STI rates, what
diseases are high in Lubbock. Discuss
how the issue plagues the life of the
child, teen and adults
Research using primary resources the
pregnancy rates of Lubbock teens
Develop Formatting for Proposal
Report
Research what preventative methods
are out there, using charts and graphs,
depict what the effect could be on
Lubbock teens if they were to use these
methods
STI/STD Rates, The
Effects on Teen Life and
Parents
-
Amanda O’Neall
Pregnancy Rates in
Lubbock
-
Miara Cave
Preventative Methods,
Miscellaneous Facts
Planning – Assignment Deadlines and Individual Responsibilities
There are two deadlines that we will use to complete our proposal project. The first one is the
major deadline which is when the assignment is due as stated in the syllabus. The other
deadlines are the less tentative ones. These deadlines are set times to have our homework
completed by the next class date. This process will hopefully keep the project moving on track.
Each assignment is intended for every member of the group. It gives an overall agenda for what
needs to be accomplished while meeting in class as a group. It also gives what each individual
must do on their own time. Everyone will be responsible for editing the paper and making
decisions on the major parts of the assignment. However, anyone who has specific expertise on
something, like editing, can take over. Overall, each person is in charge of editing and writing
their own part. We plan to use peer editing in class to help make the editing process easier.
In the end of the project as we approach major deadlines, editing will be key. The Writing
Center will be one option that we can use to get outside help on our project. In conclusion,
everyone is responsible for their part and in the end we will come together and make the
polished copy. We plan to get the assignment written a week in advanced; however, editing
may take until the last day before the final turn-in.
The table below lists the in-class meeting dates and tells what the group must have
accomplished and work on:
Thrs
Nov 4
Due: Project Plan Memo and Proposal Report Outline
- In class, research topic
- Discuss Formatting for Power Point Presentation and Paper
- Over the weekend, finish researching your individual topic
- Begin developing a opening sentence and writing your section
- Discuss outside class meeting time for over the weekend if needed
Tues
Nov 9
-
- In class, peer edit each individual section
- Edit Formatting for Power Point Presentation and Paper
Ultimate Goal: Begin putting together each individual section to make a cohesive paper and
Power Point Presentation
Thrs
Nov 11
Have individual section written and Power Point Slides (bring to class)
Begin putting together the paper and slides with the individual sections
- Edit paper and slides for format and cohesiveness
Ultimate Goal: Have Rough Draft Finished and Power Point nearly complete
- Discuss outside class meeting time for over the weekend if needed
- Homework: Continue to edit Power Point Slides
-
Tues
Nov 16
Due: Progress Memos and Proposal Report Rough Draft
- In class, the main focus is the Proposal Presentation
- Work on Proposal timing and explanation of slides
- Edit the Final Format for the Presentation and Rehearse
- Discuss outside class meeting time if needed
- Homework: Rehearse Individual Part
Thrs
Nov 18
Tues
Nov 23
Due: Proposal Presentation
Submit Proposal Report to the Writing Center
Homework: Begin Individual Proposal Progress Email
Homework: Continue working on Individual Proposal Progress Email
Thrs
Nov 25
Have Individual Proposal Progress Email nearly completed
Due: Individual Proposal Progress Email
Tues
Nov 30
Thrs
Dec 2
- In class, begin writing cover memo (try and complete in class)
- Discuss the feedback from the Writing Center and editing plans
Homework: Individually edit Rough Draft using feedback from Writing Center & Begin
writing Individual Project Summary Memos
Due: Proposal Report Nearly Final Rough Draft
- Edit entire Proposal Report including Presentation
- Homework: Have Individual Summary Memo Completed
Tues
Dec 7
Due: Proposal Report
Due: Proposal Report Project Summary Memos
Conclusion
As a group we all get along well and everyone is willing to pull their own weight to make this a
successful group project. We have all discussed what our strengths are. We know a few people
and resources that will allow us to obtain specific numbers and statistics about the Lubbock
County’s teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates. We feel that this issue will
have a lot of information that we can gather to give a successful presentation to the Coronado
High School Principal. We feel that our ideas are specific and are the keys to lowering the teen
pregnancy and sexually transmitted disease rates in Lubbock.
Feedback
We would like feedback on a few things. First, is our specific and ultimate audience clear? We
are not going straight to the school board, because we do not feel that we have enough
credibility to persuade them to change the way sex education is taught. We feel that by going
to a principal of a major high school in Lubbock, we have more of a chance of convincing him of
our ideas. Second, after looking at our schedule do you have any feedback/suggestions you
would like to offer? We plan on meeting outside of class, but we would like to get as much
finished on our own then collaborate ideas when we have in class work time. Please let us
know what your feedback/suggestions are.
Outline:
Cover Letter to Lynn Akin
Summary of what the memo elaborates on
Table of Contents
Overview- give a few statistics about teen pregnancy and STDs in Lubbock County to gain the
reader’s attention
Problem Background- elaborate on the tops we will research on: teen pregnancy and STD
numbers, how other school districts teach sex education, the effects on the teen and their
families, and preventive measures that can take place.
Solution Idea-what we feel needs to be done to fix the problem
Solution Advantages- what changes would occur after our ideas have been implemented
How We Researched Solution Ideas- this is where we would elaborate on the sources we used
while conducting research on our working topic
Conclusion