Exercise 13

How are you doing on your activity analysis? I hope it’s coming along well. By now, I hope you’ve made some progress on collecting your data and starting to take some notes. For this assignment, provide an update on your progress so far by answering the following questions: 

• How much of your research plans have you completed? (Refer back to the earlier assignment “Activity System Tentative Choice and Research Plans.”) 
• What still remains to be done in terms of data gathering and analysis? (This progress report isn’t concerned with how much of a draft you have or haven’t written.) 
• What, if anything and for whatever reason, has changed in your plans since your first plan report? What has required, inspired, or influenced these changes? 

Try to be specific in your responses. If your report mentioned six people you planned to interview and you have completed three interviews and have arranged two of the others, provide those details. 

Rubric: 

A successful report will include the following features: 

• It states, with specifics, how much research has been accomplished. (5 points) 
• It declares, specifically, what remains to be done. (5 points) 
• It includes a note about any updates to the research plans themselves. (5 points) 

Total possible score: 15 points. 

Exercise 14

Assignment text description: 

Make a list of the genres you use or encounter in your various and numerous roles (student, friend, worker, writer, soccer player, social media participant, club member, blogger—whatever roles you play). Spend at least 10 or 15 minutes making this list. You might be surprised by how many genres you add to it! (Try to be as specific as you can. You can get really detailed. You might list, for example, “news articles” and “news article comments.”) 

After making your list, choose five that you use frequently. Highlight these genres in your list. Below your list, explain how these genres help “mediate activity” and “get stuff done.” Finally, describe how they can (or do) prevent “stuff from getting done” or create other problems when used incorrectly. 

Rubric: 

A successful report will include the following features: 

• It contains a list of several (probably dozens) of genres you interact with. (5 points) 
• Five of the genres are highlighted, bolded, or otherwise marked on your list. (5 points) 
• It describes how those five genres help “get stuff done.” (5 points) 
• It describes how those five genres, misused, might not “get stuff done” or create other problems. (5 points) 

Total possible score: 20 points.

Journal 16

Respond, with 200-600 words, to the following prompt: Discuss some of the groups you are a part of and the specialized language—from slang to formal terminology—that you use in those groups. It may help to consider the following, and similar, questions: 

• How did you become part of these groups? 
• What are some of the expressions, slang, jargon, terminology, etc., of your groups? 
• What do you remember about learning the specialized language? 
• How does your involvement in these groups and your use of their specialized language affect your identity? 

Include the total word count of your response with your entry. Include only your response, and not the prompt itself, in your word count. 

Journal 17

Respond, with 200-600 words, to the following prompt: Reflect on what you’re learning (or struggling to learn) so far in this unit. It may help to consider some of the following terms and concepts: 

• Activity theory and activity system 
• Genres 
• Specialized language 
• Mediate 

Include the total word count of your response with your entry. Include only your response, and not the prompt itself, in your word count.