WRITING ACROSS STANDARD ENGLISH
Paper details:

Select one of the options below for a writing assignment of 250-500 words in which you apply what you have learned about varieties of written Standard English.

Option A: Create your own collection of written Standard English texts. Research and locate a technical text, an informational text, and a literary text. Explain how and why your choices fit each of the categories.

Option B: One of the ways in which Benjamin Franklin mastered English was to “translate” a text by first paraphrasing it, writing it again as a poem, and then moving it back to prose. By this method, he made sure that he understood everything a text was saying by saying it in his own words. Imitate Benjamin Franklin by selecting a news story on a current event. Translate it into a brief short story (add characters, suspense, etc.) or a poem. Then reflect on and write about how form influences the outcome of your text.

Option C: Locate a legal document (terms of use agreement, etc.). “Translate” it into ordinary English. Then reflect on and write about what you had to do to successfully accomplish the task.

For each of these options, remember to document your source(s) properly, using MLA format.

Your project will be graded based on the following:

your attention to the instructions given above

appropriateness and accuracy of “translations: or explanations

use of proper punctuation, spelling, grammar, and sentence construction (commonly called “conventions”)

proper paragraphing (either indent each paragraph five spaces OR double-space between paragraphs)