Following the advice given in this chapter, construct two writing tasks appropriate to a group of students with whom you are familiar. Carry out the tasks yourself.If possible,get the students to do them as well. Do any of the students produce writing different in any significant way from what you hoped to elicit? If so,can you see why? Would you wish to change the tasks in any way?
This activity is best carried out with colleagues. Score the following three short compositions on how to increase tourism,using each of the scales presented in the chapter. Which do you find easiest to use, and why? How closely do you and your colleagues agree on the scores you assign? Can you explain any large differences? Do the different scales place the compositions in the same order? If not, can you see why not? Which of the scales would you recommend in what circumstances?
This activity is also best carried out with colleagues. Construct a holistic writing scale and an analytic writing scale appropriate for use with the group of students you have already identified. If possible, score the students' effort on the two tasks, using both methods. Look at differences between scores and between methods, as in the previous activity. What changes would you make in the scales? Which of the two scales would be most useful for your purposes?