An Example of Tiered Assignments Taken from Critical Modes

Students are offered a choice of these assignments after the differences in difficulty are explained

Assignment #1

So Far: We have discussed illustration as a way to orient the reader to the general idea of a complex topic. We know that an illustration bridges the difference between the writer and reader with a shared, simple concept that both already understand. Nils Bohr illustrated the structure of the atom with a reference to the structure of the solar system. To create an illustration, a writer must do the following:

     1.     Have expertise in the topic. Recognize that the audience is not familiar with the topic.

     2.     Identity an image, process, or event that

     a.     represents the key feature of the topic that

     b.     is familiar to the audience and clearly understood and

     c.     can be set aside as the topic itself is developed

Next: Begin by re-reading Chapter 1. Note that it refers to maps to explain how to write. Write a short paper in which you examine the chapter’s map metaphor. Ask if the chapter uses the map as an illustration.  Explain/explore how it tries to connect specific issues (name them) to the needs of the reader (you). Be sure to conclude your short paper with a judgment about the strengths and weaknesses of the chapter’s strategy.

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Assignment #2

Illustration assumes that a writer has assessed the audience’s expertise and experience. The assignment below emphasizes your understanding of the audience as you produce a simple illustration.

So Far: We have examined illustration and found that it is a fairly simple strategy. The writer recognizes:

     1.     I know about two subjects, Subject #1 and Subject #2

     2.     My reader knows how Subject #1 operates, but does not understand Subject #2

     3.     I can use Subject #1 (what the reader already understands) to explain Subject #2 (what the reader does not understand)

The mode embodies an acute awareness of the audience’s needs. It offers an introductory map of the topic that enables the audience to comprehend the details of a more complex map.

Next: One common difference between generations is how they think about technology. For example, to your parents (or possibly your grandparents) social networks like blogs, Facebook, Twitter, or even community-created knowledge sites like Wikipedia just do not make sense. Older people might wonder why you would bother texting when you can just pick up the phone, or why you would look for information on a site where "anybody can write anything." Using a model or system that you understand well, write a short paper that explains to someone from another generation WHY people use one such media.

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Assignment #3

Another skill necessary to building a successful illustration is the ability to stand back from your own knowledge and see it through the eyes of the reader. This is more difficult than providing an illustration for someone else’s knowledge. This assignment asks you to do two things: 1) identify something that you know about; 2) make it understandable to a specific audience. To do these, you must assess your own expertise, assess the expertise and experience of the audience, and then create an illustration that provides a familiar framework for the audience to understand the topic you know about.

So Far: We have examined illustration and found that it is a fairly simple strategy. The writer recognizes:

     1.     I know about two subjects, Subject #1 and Subject #2

     2.     My reader knows how Subject #1 operates, but does not understand Subject #2

     3.     I can use Subject #1 (what the reader already understands) to explain Subject #2 (what the reader does not understand)

The mode embodies an acute awareness of the audience’s needs. It offers an introductory map of the topic that enables the audience to comprehend the details of a more complex map.

Next: For this assignment, your job (just like Bohr's) is to think of two systems you clearly understand. In a short essay, explain your subject for your audience through the use of an illustration.