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| Worker bundles crushed cans for recycling. |
First, as a class or in a small group, analyze the trash generated by your school, and come up with an ecologically sound plan for recycling it.
Then, use this plan to create a proposal for recycling in your school. Your proposal package should include a one-page cover letter to your principal or school board and the proposal itself - several pages that outline a plan for starting a recycling program or for improving the existing program in your school. Your proposal should explain your plan and identify the ways the plan could benefit your school.
STEP 1: Initial Search
Before reviewing what your school throws away, find out what the rest of the world recycles through visits to the following Web sites:Take careful notes on recyclable materials and how those materials are handled elsewhere.
STEP 2: Expanded Search
Find out what sorts of waste your school produces, and determine ways to recycle everything possible. Be sure to ask about both the cost to recycle and the money that you might get for recycling certain products.
STEP 3: Plan Your Proposal
With your class or small group, discuss the recycling possibilities and determine the components of the plan your proposal will describe. For a solid proposal, organize your materials as follows:
- Present the purpose or idea behind the proposal.
- Explain the details of your plan, including how much it will cost, what money it will bring in, and what to do with that money.
- Identify the potential drawbacks to your plan.
- Explain why your plan should be implemented in spite of the drawbacks.
- State a plan of action—what you want the reader(s) (your principal or school board members) to do.
- Write a conclusion. Summarize the plan, and recap briefly the reasons to implement it.
STEP 4: Draft Your Proposal and Cover Letter
Work in groups to write a first draft of your proposal. One group can draft a cover letter using the business letter format. Other groups can work on different parts of the proposal. For example, one group can work on explaining the details of your plan, and another can write the section on potential drawbacks.
Fix sentence and clause fragments (see Grammar for Writing, Level Blue, pages 109 and 145), rewrite run-on sentences, and vary sentence structure to avoid choppiness. Be sure all the parts of the proposal, though written by different groups, have the same tone. Support the main ideas with details that will convince readers to accept the proposal. Avoid wordiness. Remember: Concise writing is strong writing.
STEP 6: Revising
Have your group exchange first drafts with those of the other writing groups and have them review your work. Make sure that the writing style and word choices are appropriate for your audience - in this case, your principal or school board. The tone of your proposal should be serious, reasonable, and well-informed. State facts objectively, and avoid sarcasm and cynicism in your proposal. Your readers will take you more seriously if they do not feel attacked or insulted. Incorporate any suggestions you think will improve your work.
Recycle your ideas! It is said that all good writing is actually rewriting. Start by writing down five interesting recycling facts you discovered in your Internet search. Rewrite each factual sentence three times, using a different type of clause in each revision (adjectival, noun, and adverbial clauses).
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STEP 6: Proofread Your Proposal
After revising, have each member of your group read each page to proofread for spelling, capitalization, and punctuation errors. Nothing takes away the impact of good writing faster than careless mistakes!
STEP 7: Publish Your Proposal
Print your proposal and cover letter on clean paper. Each member of your group should sign the letter. Then deliver it or mail it to your principal or school board.
Copyright ©2007 by William H. Sadlier, Inc. All rights reserved.