Your employer has asked you to work on a day that you have already requested off for personal reasons. You are unable to change your plans and must therefore explain why you are unable to work (a family wedding or similar event is a possible choice for this). Your friend has asked you to assist him or her with moving on the same day. Again, you are unable to help because of the same prior engagement.
- Write an email to your employer explaining why you are unable to work on the day specified.
- Write an email to your friend explaining why you are unavailable to help with his or her move.
- In a short, 1-page reflection, explain the differences between how you have communicated in the two emails. Familiarity with the other person, formality, type of language used, and other factors you may wish to include.
- Keep in mind the audiences to whom you are writing. Ideas of grammar, formality, and word choice may be very different depending on your audience, but in both cases, clarity and succinctness are important.
Grading Rubric
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F |
C |
B |
A |
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1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
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No Pass |
Competence |
Proficiency |
Mastery |
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Email to employer not completed or very unclear or difficult/impossible to understand. Reasons for inability to work are unclear or are included but not explained. Tone is inappropriate and/or unprofessional. |
Email to employer offers a reason for the inability to come to work, but reason is incompletely explained. Email offers little or no detail or explanation. Real attempt at professionalism with some gaps or inconsistencies. |
Email to employer offers a clear reason for the inability to come to work. Logical and clear details are included. Tone is appropriate with minor inconsistencies. |
Email to employer offers clear reason for the inability to come to work. Multiple logical and clear details are included. Email is professional and formal with no inconsistencies in language choice or tone. |
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Email to friend not completed or very unclear or difficult/impossible to understand. Reasons for inability to work are unclear or are included but not explained. Tone is not appropriate for an email to a friend or close acquaintance. |
Email to friend offers a reason for the inability to help, but reason is incompletely explained. Email offers little or no detail or explanation. Tone is generally appropriate with some gaps or inconsistencies. |
Email to friend offers a clear reason for the inability to help. Explanation is clear. Tone is appropriate with minor inconsistencies. |
Email to friend offers clear reason for the inability to help. Multiple logical and clear details are included. Email is personal with no inconsistencies in language choice or tone. |
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Reflection is not completed or does not clearly explain the differences between the communication styles of the two emails or offers one noticeable difference. Differences described are unimportant or are not really distinguishable in the emails. |
Reflection offers two distinctions in the style, message, or language of the two emails. |
Reflection offers three distinctions in style, message, language or other aspects of communication in the two emails. |
Reflection offers more than three distinct and clear differences in style, message, language, and other aspects of communication in the two emails. |
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Many grammatical and mechanical errors throughout work-related email and reflection. Work email and reflection are very informal and unprofessional. No clear distinction in language or tone between the two emails. |
Some errors of grammar evident in work email and reflection. Work email and reflection are informal in tone. Some effort to distinguish between the two emails in terms of language used. |
One or two grammatical and mechanical errors in both emails and reflection. Tone is appropriate for both emails and reflection. Language difference between the two emails is evident. |
No grammatical or mechanical errors evident. Tone is appropriate for both emails but is noticeably different. Clear distinction in language used in the two emails |
Jermaine Byrant
Nicole Johnson
OVER
RATING
YEARS
