and Introducing How-To Writing
2025-09-05
Everyone is an expert at something. This project asks you to share your unique knowledge.
Your audience needs to learn a skill from you, but you can’t be there in person. Your written words must guide them to success.
Write for someone who has never done this task before. You must deeply consider their existing knowledge, attitudes, and needs.
To fulfill your audience’s specific need by acting as a confident, trustworthy expert through your writing.
Inventory Your Expertise.
What are you good at? What do you enjoy?
Select Your Subject.
Choose one task that is suitable for written instructions. Make sure your classmates can follow your instructions in class on Thursday. If it requires some kind of materials, make sure you bring enough for four other people.
Plan.
Perform the task yourself, taking detailed notes on each step.
Audience Analysis.
Consider their attitude (excited? nervous?) and prerequisite knowledge.
Consider Models.
Think beyond cliché structures. How will you best convey your expertise?
Execute.
Write your solution to this writing-related problem in class on paper on Tuesday, September 9.
| Criteria | Excellent (6–7) | Fair (4–5) | Needs Improvement (1–3) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clarity of Instructions | Instructions are clear, concise, and easy to follow. | Instructions are mostly clear and understandable. | Instructions are unclear or confusing. |
| Audience Understanding | Demonstrates a deep understanding of the audience’s needs, attitudes, and knowledge level. | Demonstrates some understanding of the audience’s needs, attitudes, and knowledge level. | Does not consider the audience’s needs, attitudes, or knowledge. |
| Organization and Structure | Information is well- organized with a logical flow. | Information is somewhat organized but lacks clear sequencing or structure. | Information is disorganized and lacks clear structure. |
| Language Use and Clarity | Uses precise language and terminology appropriate for the audience. Writing is clear and concise throughout. | Language is mostly clear and appropriate, but may include occasional lapses in clarity or precision. | Language is unclear, imprecise, or inappropriate for the audience. |
| Creativity and Engagement | Demonstrates creativity in presenting the task, engaging the audience effectively. | Shows some creativity in presentation, but may lack consistency or originality. | Presentation is dull or uninspired, failing to engage the audience effectively. |
Try to think of some procedure or activity that you’re expert in. Maybe you make the perfect cup of coffee. Maybe you can sew a dress or dress a deer. Can you defeat that impossible level on some video game or tell someone how to play “When the Saints Come Marching In” on the harmonica? Everyone has some kind of expertise they’re capable of sharing with the world. Someone also may have occasion to need that expertise.
Someone needs to learn how to do what you know how to do, but you can’t be there to tell them how to do it, so you have to write it out for them. By following your solution to this writing-related problem they should be able to successfully do what you already know how to do. For our purposes you can use only words and descriptions.
Someone who has never done what you’re telling them how to do. However, they probably cannot and should not be a blank slate. One of the first steps will be to more deeply consider who your audience will be. Consider their needs, attitudes, and knowledge regarding what you’re going to ask them to do.
The audience has a need—for a good cup of coffee, to play “When the Saints Go Marching In” on the harmonica, or something else—and they have turned to you as an expert in helping fulfill this need. Don’t be shy about it. Be the expert you are.
Spend some time inventorying your own expertise. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What do you take pride in?
Select your subject. What one thing do you think best lends itself to this particular writing-related problem? Why have you chosen that?
Plan. A good way of preparing to write the solution to this writing-related problem is to do the action itself while taking careful notes along the way.
Audience analysis. Who is your audience? We know their need (to do what you already know how to do), but what might be their attitudes toward the task? Excitement? Trepidation? Something else? Additionally, what about their knowledge? What will they need to know or be able to do prior to engaging with your solution to this writing-related problem in order to successfully execute the mission?
Consider writing models. Contemplate the video we watched with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Stay away from writing models that may be too closely related to “stereotypical” or “cliché” structures that you have used in the past (i.e. five paragraph models; introduction, body, conclusion; etc.). Remember you are the expert. How will you begin? How will you convey the information? What techniques and choices will you use in your instructions? How will you convey these ideas to your audience (see point 4 above).
Execute. Write your solution to this writing-related problem in class on paper on Tuesday, September 9.
BNDS DP1 TOK