Description
Choose a topic from your major, a hobby, a job you’ve had, or some other area of interest or training. The task should consist of at least three major steps.
Make sure that your topic isn’t too complex (“Landing a Plane in an Emergency” or “How to Build, Plant, Irrigate, and Maintain a Raised Garden Bed”) or too simple (“Doing the Laundry” or “Washing Your Car”).
Some general topic ideas appear in the “Topic Ideas for Procedures” page in the Unit #3 folder. Topics that are not allowed are also listed there.
You will complete an Audience Profile to help you identify your ideal reader. The page in the Unit #3 folder titled “How to Complete Your Audience Profile” will guide you through this. You will submit your Audience Profile early (on Wednesday September 27) so that I can provide feedback before you complete the instructions. This feedback will be focused on helping you to produce the best Instruction Sheet possible, so be sure to read it. The Audience Profile will be graded out of 10 points (which will count toward your Unit #3 grade).
The Instruction Sheet must include visuals. They can be original images (such as photographs that you take yourself), images that you take from another source (properly cited, of course), or an “art brief” which combines a rough diagram with a written description of what the visual should depict.
Don’t get too nervous about the requirement for visuals. You won’t be graded based on the quality of the visuals as much as you will upon how effectively you use them (their location, how they are labelled, how they are referred to).
We’ll discuss visuals in more detail in the Chapter 6 online notes and in the Specific Overview page.
Unformatted Attachment Preview
These instructions are not perfect. I’m not pointing
out the errors/problems, but they are there. Keep
that in mind if you are tempted to copy them.
Clear title that states exactly what the
instructions will teach the reader.
How to Cut a Chicken’s Flight Wings
If you keep chickens in an uncovered pen or area, eventually they may realize that they can fly out
of that enclosure. When that happens, you can cut their flight wings to keep them contained and
safe from predators.
If your chickens allow you to pick them up and hold them and aren’t overly aggressive, you can
perform this task during the day or in the evening after they have roosted. The procedure causes
no harm or pain to the chicken; it is similar to clipping nails.
Below are written instructions and photographs on how to safely and effectively cut your chickens’
flight wings.
Prior Knowledge and Experience Required:
• You should be comfortable handling your chickens and be confident that they will allow
you to pick them up and hold them.
• You cannot be squeamish or timid about this process. If you are, have your partner do the
trimming and you can hold the chicken.
Required Materials:
• A large pair of clean, sharp scissors.
• A partner: this person will either hold the chicken or do the trimming. Be sure to discuss
who is comfortable doing what before you start! The instructions use “you” to refer to both
Introduction explains who might want to learn this and
of these people.
why. States what prior knowledge/experience is needed.
• Optional: A towel to help catch your chicken. Lists required supplies/materials.
NOTE: All photographs are by the author. Lets readers know the author took the photos (so there is no
need for in-text or end-of-text MLA or APA citations).
Directions:
Each step clearly states what action will be
completed in this step.
1. Pick up the chicken:
To pick up the chicken, put your hands
firmly over their wings to avoid “flapping”.
Author gives the Catching your birds can be the hardest part of
reader a tip in case
they have trouble the process. If you regularly handle them it
with this step.
will be easier. You can try tossing a towel
over them to make it easier to grab them.
(See Figure 1: Picking up the chicken).
Call outs are used for each image.
Figure 1: Picking up the chicken
Photos are conveniently placed directly next to the text that refers
to them.
2.
Hold the chicken firmly:
Hold the chicken’s feet in one hand and wrap
your other hand and arm around their wings.
Hold them firmly, but don’t squeeze them.
(See Figure 2: Holding the chicken).
Figure 2: Holding the chicken
Each step begins with the verb that explains what the reader will do in this
step. This is known as “Grammatical parallelism”.
The author could start each step with “How to….” or use an -ing form of the
verb (“Accessing the wing”). What’s important is to be consistent throughout.
3. Access the wing:
To access the wing, slide your fingers between
the chicken’s body and its wing.
Call outs are
Gently grasp the wing between your fingers
provided where
they will help the and thumb and slowly pull the wing out
reader (and not (See Figure 3: Accessing the wing)
always just at the
end of the step).
Do not release your hold on the chicken.
Be aware: The chicken may flap and try to
get away when you extend the wing; this
procedure is not painful, just unusual for
them.
Figure 3: Accessing the wing
The design uses a lot of active white space to make the steps
easier to read/follow. Using bullets can also achieve this effect.
Highlighting is used to provide visual cues to the reader: each gure number is in
boldface. The headings of each step are underlined. The “Caution” sections (see
below) are in boldface and all caps.
fi
How you use highlighting is up to you, but use it in a way that helps the reader and
is consistent throughout the entire document.
4. Identify three layers of feathers:
With the wing fully extended you can
distinguish three layers of feathers.
As shown in Figure 4 (Three layers of
feathers), the first layer is above the top arrow,
the second layer is between the arrows, and
the third layer is below the bottom arrow.
•
•
You will cut at the bottom of the
second layer, where the second arrow
is.
These feathers are not attached to the
chicken’s body, so there will be no
blood or pain.
Figure 4: Three layers of feathers
The author has added to their photos to help
make their instructions even clearer to the reader.
5. Cut the lower layer of feathers:
Hold the wing at the joint (see the arrow in
Figure 5 Cutting flight feathers) and cut just
below the second layer with a pair of clean,
sharp scissors.
Cut the entire wing from front to back,
following the red line shown in Figure 5.
CAUTION: After the wing is cut, the cut
wing is sharp and if the chicken flaps the
wings, it could scratch or cut you. Hold the
wings to its body to avoid this, as shown in
Figure 2: Holding the chicken.
Figure 5: Cutting flight feathers
6. Cut the wing on the other side:
Rotate the chicken in your arms and repeat
steps 3 – 5
See Figure 6: Rotate the chicken to access the
other wing.
Note: Some people cut the wing only on one
side of their chickens; this may be enough to
throw them off balance if they try to fly with
one wing. It is your decision whether to cut
one or both wings.
Figure 6: Rotate the chicken to access the
other wing
CAUTION: Hold the wings to their body so
they don’t flap them and scratch or cut you.
Continue to hold them until you release the
chicken on the ground.
7. When you are done, the cut wing will look
like Figure 7: Cut wing.
Figure 7: Cut wing
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