Core Writing Assignment

Write a formal business letter to me describing the math skills that you had acquired prior to taking this course and how they are helping you to succeed in your current course now. Describe math skills in your background that were lacking. Describe the skills which you have obtained that you will use in other classes, in your workplace, and in your life, in general.

Your letter should be a minimum of 500 words.

Your letter should be prepared using Microsoft Word or in Rich Text Format and the spelling and grammar checks should be used. You should also carefully proofread your letter to find errors that the software will not correct. You should use either Times New Roman or Arial font size 11-12 and your response should be single spaced. If you do not have a home computer or a program that will produce the correct format, computers with Microsoft Word are available in the Cyber Lab (A-173) or the Learning Lab (A-204B). If you are unable to come to the campus, most public libraries have computers with a word processing program that will produce the required format.

Your letter should be prepared in paragraph form. The paper should have an introduction that includes a topic sentence and paragraphs that elaborate different points in support of the topic. Your paper should also have a concluding paragraph that summarizes the topic. Please be sure that you address all parts of the prompt.

If you use ideas or words from your textbook, be sure to provide the appropriate citation to avoid plagiarism. MLA format should be used to cite references within the text and on the Works Cited page. It is not necessary to use references other than the textbook for this assignment. If you are not sure what constitutes plagiarism, there is link on the ACC library homepage and also one in MyBlackboard under Web Links that explains what plagiarism is and how to avoid it. The plagiarism site also provides some basic information about MLA format. There is another web link in MyBlackboard to an MLA site with basics of MLA formatting. More information on a business letter format can be found at http://owl.english.purdue.edu/

Any obvious cheating or plagiarism meant to mislead me will result in a failing grade for the assignment, an academic dishonesty sanction and the possibility of failing the course. Keep in mind that “good faith” paraphrasing with documentation, even if you aren’t very good at it, will not cause you to fail. It is sometimes difficult to put information into your own words. If you use words directly from the textbook, use quotation marks.

YOU MUST SUBMIT YOUR WORK (email to ckilgore@alvincollege.edu) BY THE DEADLINE OR IT WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. THE DEADLINE FOR THIS SEMESTER IS NOVEMBER 30TH

CORE WRITING ASSIGNMENT GRADING RUBRIC

Criteria Performance Indicators

Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Exceptional

Mechanics 0 points (More than 6 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors) 5 points (Less than 3 grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors.) 10 points (No grammatical, spelling or punctuation errors)

Organization 15 points (The answer rambles and the ideas are disorganized) 20 points (Ideas are clearly stated, but there is no clear organizational structure) 30 points (The paper is well- organized and flows smoothly)

Content of answer 35 points (The answer was incomplete. Parts of the question were unanswered and no resources were cited) 45 points (The answer was substantially complete and some sources were cited) 60 points (The answer was complete. All elements of the question were answered and all sources were cited.

Out of 100 points