Melissa Abraham

November 16, 2018

ENGL 202D.006

Company: Little Treasures Real Estate

Company Info: Since 1987, Little Treasures has been helping over 10,000 clients with finding
and selling new homes every year. Their agents are constantly on their toes trying to assist their
clients everyday, without a second to waste.

Textual Genre #1: Cover Letter

Rhetorical Situation:
● Writer: Jasmine Brown, applicant for the Senior Accountant position at the company
● Audience: Michelle Jordan, Human Resources manager
● Subject: Job Application for open position
● Purpose: To apply for an open position as a Senior Accountant within the company.
● Genre: Mailed Letter
● Exigence: Applicant is applying for the position that she found on the company’s
website.
Textual Genre:

Jasmine Brown
787 Washington Circle,
Los Angeles, CA 90004
(213) 683 - 7490 Commented [1]: Since this is a mailed letter, I had to
include a "to" and "from" address. Making up fake
jasmine.brown@gmail.com addresses are really hard for me. I just picked a
random city/state, and looked for the zip codes within
that area. For the phone number, I looked up and
November 1, 2018 chose the area code from one on the list.

Michelle Jordan
524 Blakely Drive,
Los Angeles, CA 90010

Dear Ms. Jordan,

I am writing to you today in regards to your posting on your company’s website. Please accept
my application for the position of Senior Accountant at Little Treasures Real Estate.
I am a highly organized and self-motivated person, who is passionate about my career as an
Accountant. I also hold a MBA degree from Penn State University. In my possession, I have
more than 4 years of experience of working in a diverse financial position with multiple
companies. My skills would include, but not limited to, maintaining financial records, and
managing budgets. I also have excellent communication, organizational, time management and
decision making skills that are well needed for a position as this one.
I am hoping that you will consider me as a possible candidate for this position. Thank you for
your time.
Sincerely,
Jasmine Brown
Metacognitive Moves:
● What are some good skills that are important to have for a job?
● Where was the job posting? On their website, job search website, etc.
Commented [2]: I wanted to show how Jasmine found
out about the open position. I felt that if it was from the
company's website, it shows that she has a little
interest in the company.
Commented [3]: According to the book "How To Write
It", Sarah Lamb stated how important it is to include
your skills that are valuable to the job position you are
applying for. I know that being able to maintain financial
records and managing budgets are important skills to
have as an accountant in any area of the field. Skills
like communication, organization, time management
and decision making skills are all ones that are
necessary for any job anywhere. From doing some job
searching in the past, I realized that having prior
experience in your field of choice is an important part of
the application. Companies tend to choose candidates
who have more experience and those who they won't
have to train as much as they would have to with a new
candidate.
Commented [4]: I feel like you should always thank
someone in the end of an email or letter. They took
their time to even look at your message, so thanking
them would show them how appreciative you are for
that.
 Textual Genre #2: New Hire Email Commented [5]: I figured this email wouldn't have to be
too long. It would just have to state that the applicant
had been chosen for the position and basically
Rhetorical Situation: congratulate them on that.
● Writer: Michelle Jordan, Human Resources Manager
● Audience: Jasmine Brown, potential new hiree
● Subject: Job Offer
● Purpose: To offer a job position within the company to the new hiree, in hopes of Brown
accepting the offer.
● Genre: Email
● Exigence: HR Manager is letting the applicant know about their offer for employment
within the company.

Textual Genre:

To: jasmine.brown@gmail.com
From: michelle.jordan@littletreasuresre.com
Subject: Congratulations on the New Job!

November 6, 2018

Dear Jasmine Brown,

On behalf of Little Treasures Real Estate, I am pleased to welcome you to our company! Your Commented [6]: In Thill and Bovee's chapter on positive
messages, they state that you shouldn't exaggerate
friendly and hardworking personality shows you would be the perfect candidate for the Senior and be very to the point and not to use vague
Accountant position. You also have far more experience than all other candidates. language. You don't want to beat around the bush
when sending a congratulatory message.
Commented [7]: I think stating what you liked/didn't like
I request that you come into the office at your earliest convenience, within the next 5 days, to about them helps the candidate whether it's a job offer
complete a background check and New Hire paperwork. or rejection letter. This shows why you appreciated
them, and why you want them as your employee.
Commented [8]: I had to include how the candidate had
I am hoping that you will accept this employment offer. We are excited to bring you on board. more experience than other candidates. It shows them
another reason as to why you chose them over the
other candidates.
Best Wishes,
Commented [9]: I know that it has to include the
different steps on what the new hiree should do once
Michelle Jordan the offer is accepted.

Little Treasures Real Estate

Human Resources Manager
(213) 789-9302
michelle.jordan@littletreasuresre.com Commented [10]: A signature shows how legit the
message is. It can also show which position you are in
and any other contact info, in case the recipient wanted
to get in contact with you in any other form.
Metacognitive Moves:
● Be friendly
● Show why you want them as your employee
● I had to look back on previous experiences with being hired by a new company.
 Textual Genre #3: Real Estate Agent to a Client Email Commented [11]: A big part of any Real Estate
company is the agents/brokers. Without them, there
Rhetorical Situation: would be no helping clients sell or buy homes. A big
● Writer: Eric Johnson, Real Estate Agent part of their job is to also reach out to prospective
homeowners to pull them in as clients. Therefore, I
● Audience: Michael Jones, Prospective Homeowner thought it would be appropriate to include an email
● Subject: Offer services as a Real Estate Agent from an agent to a future client asking if they needed
help finding a new home.
● Purpose: To offer help and services in finding a new home.
● Genre: Email
● Exigence: Real Estate Agent is offering his services in helping a new homeowner find the
perfect home. Commented [12]: I've had a lot of experience from this
past summer's house hunting for our family on how
agents try to talk to future clients. So I looked back on
Textual Genre: that experience to figure out what to include.

To: mjones89@yahoo.com
From: eric.johnson@littletreasuresre.com
Subject: Moving to Philadelphia?

Hi Michael, Commented [13]: I was actually unsure if I should stick

I would like to first introduce myself. My name is Eric Johnson and I have been working as an
agent at Little Treasures Real Estate for over 10 years with many clients with around 50-60
clients each year.
I saw that you had favorited a couple of our listings on Zillow. I would love to help you with
your search for a new home.
First, I would like to know some of the aspects you are looking for, which will help me find you
to just the first name of the future client, or if I should
use "Mr."
Commented [14]: The client has never met me before,
so introducing myself is the first thing to do.
Commented [15]: Also, indicating how many clients you
have worked with in the past could help prove your
expertise.
Commented [16]: Showing expertise of the field shows
how much you can actually help the client. Most clients
are more pushed to accept the help from someone who
has worked in the field longer than someone who's only
been in it for a few months.

the perfect home. What are some of the features you are looking for? What area would most
depict your interests?
Let me know if you are still interested in looking for a new home. Looking forward to hearing
back from you soon.
Commented [17]: Show the client how you found their
information. This way, it doesn't seem like you're just
another marketer with no credible sources.
Commented [18]: I wanted to seem like I was hopeful
and determined to help the client if they still needed the
help. This way if they responded back positively, they
could send me the features they needed in their new
homes.

Sincerely, Commented [19]: I wanted to show them that I was

hopeful that they would still need the help, and that I
was willing to do whatever it takes to succeed with it.
Eric Johnson
Little Treasures Real Estate
Real Estate Agent
(215) 845-8936 Commented [20]: Again, the signature makes the writer
Eric.johnson@littletreasuresre.com seem more of a professional. Also, I had to change the
area code to fit one for Philadelphia. Since the clients
are looking for houses in the Philadelphia area, an
agent located near them would be more appropriate.
Metacognitive Moves:
● Subject of Email must be eye catching
● Should I introduce myself first or get to the point.
● Show how I found their information
● I wanted to include my expertise on this job and include how many years and how many
clients I’ve worked with in the past.
● Think back on previous emails from agents I received this past summer.
● Ask what features they want to see in their home.
 Textual Genre #4: Client Response

Rhetorical Situation:
● Writer: Michael Jones, Client
● Audience: Eric Johnson, Real Estate Agent
● Subject: Response to Agent’s offer on helping with finding a new home.
● Purpose: To accept the offer and explain some expectations on their new home.
● Genre: Email
● Exigence: Client is responding back to Agent’s email to accept his offer of helping them
find a new home.

Textual Genre:

To: eric.johnson@littletreasuresre.com
From: mjones89@yahoo.com
Subject: RE: Moving to Philadelphia? Commented [21]: The subject of the email would just be
"RE: Moving to Philadelphia?" since it is a reply to the
previous email.
Dear Mr. Johnson,

Thank you for contacting us. My wife, Vanessa, and I would be pleased to accept your offer on
helping us find our future home.
We are looking for a house in the Northeast Philadelphia area. We currently live in Warminster
in Bucks County and wanted to move closer to our family and friends. My mother is unable to
walk too much due to medical reasons, so we are looking for a house with an in-law suite on the
first floor with little to no stairs for her to walk up and down. We don’t want to downgrade, but
also don’t want anything too pricey. Along with the in-law suite, we would like to have at least 3
additional bedrooms, and at least 1 additional full bath. We have family gatherings and church
socials hosted at our house multiple times throughout the year, so we would like for the home to
have enough space for that also. Also, it would be ideal if the backyard had maybe a small
section for gardening, since we like to grow our own vegetables in the summer.
We would like to move soon, but we know it will take time to find something affordable and
cozy for us.
Sincerely,
Michael Jones
Commented [22]: Show the appreciation for taking the
time to reach out to you.
Commented [23]: Be straight forward with what you are
trying to convey. Like mentioned before, Thill and
Bovee wrote that when writing a positive message,
don't use vague language when it comes to what you
want.
Commented [24]: I wanted it to be clear on what I
wanted in the house. I made sure to include the main
features I was looking for. In this case, I sort of just
used what my family and I were looking for. The mother
is older and has many medical issues causing her to
have trouble walking, so a house with all bedrooms on
the second floor would not be ideal. They would need
an in-law suite, and 3 bedrooms for the couple, and
their kids. I figured Michael and Vanessa could enjoy
gardening, so in the summer time they would need a
little garden to grow their own vegetables.
Commented [25]: Wanted to give a time frame sort of,
but stated that it won't be that easy and it'll take time to
find something.
Commented [26]: I didn't think Michael would need a
signature since he is responding from his personal
email.
Metacognitive Moves:
● Subject of email will stay the same because it’s a response to the previous email.
● What are some features that would be ideal to a specific client
● Client’s situation; use my own experience?
● Don’t list too many expectations; could be too specific and harder for agent to help
 Textual Genre #5: Employee Termination Email Commented [27]: I looked back at the book "How To
Write It" by Sandra Lamb to write this genre. I learned
Rhetorical Situation: that you cannot be rude in a termination notice. Even
● Writer: Michelle Jordan, Human Resources Manager though you are showing you don't want the employee
working at your company anymore, you still want to
● Audience: John Morgan, Property Manager show them that you appreciate their work ethic and
● Subject: To terminate position within the company. their time.
● Purpose: To fire the employee for not meeting sufficient needs of the company.
● Genre: Email
● Exigence: HR Manager is terminating the position of the Property Manager, for not
meeting all the needs of the position within the company.

Textual Genre:

To: john.morgan@littletreasuresre.com
From: michelle.jordan@littletreasuresre.com
Subject: Termination Letter

Mr. Morgan,

Unfortunately, your employment with Little Treasures is being terminated, effective as of November 20, Commented [28]: Letting the terminated employee
2018. know the date of termination is important. So stating
that date is important.

You have been given multiple warnings foreshadowing this conclusion. Our records show that you are Commented [29]: I used the word "foreshadowing" to
very late and haven’t been able to meet our deadlines in the past few months. You have not been able to show that this was the result you should've seen
occurring after all the warnings that were given if the
meet our requirements mentioned in your job description. Please cooperate with us on this decision. rules weren't followed.
Commented [30]: According to Sandra Lamb, the book
We are willing to give a good reference for any future job you may obtain or be looking for, going along states that when terminating someone you should
always state the reasons as to why the decision was
with our policy.
made. I explained how Mr. Morgan was given multiple
warnings in the past, but since he couldn't adhere to
You will receive your final paycheck on November 23, 2018 in the Human Resources Office. If you have the situation the company had to let him go.
any questions regarding your benefits and position, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Thank you. Commented [31]: I didn't want any issues within the
company, so asking him to cooperate was appropriate.

We wish you success in your future endeavors. Commented [32]: Lamb stated that you should make a
statement of goodwill and not to give a negative
reference, if it is included in the company's policy.
Sincerely, Even though Morgan's job did not work out within our
company doesn't mean it won't work out somewhere
else. Offering a good reference could be very helpful
Michelle Jordan especially if this is his first job for his resume.
Little Treasures Real Estate Commented [33]: Lamb also stated to include the name
Human Resources Manager of a person who could answer any future questions that
the terminated employee has. Since Michelle, the writer
(213) 789-9302 of the letter, is the human resources manager, I
michelle.jordan@littletreasuresre.com determined that she is the one that could answer any
questions.
Metacognitive Moves:
● Don’t be rude but be clear.
● State what exactly happened (the reasons why)
● What are some negatives that happened with employee within the company
 Textual Genre #6: Brochure (using Canva) Commented [34]: People look at brochures everyday,
whether it's online or a physical one in their hands. I
had a little trouble thinking of what to write for the
Rhetorical Situation: brochure, since it had to be eye-catching to the
audience.
● Writer: Marketing Department of the company
● Audience: Prospective homeowners
● Subject: A brochure to grasp the client’s attention
● Purpose: To grab the attention of future clients
● Genre: Brochure
● Exigence: The company is trying to bring in more clients with a eye catching brochure.

Metacognitive Moves:
● Catchy slogan: Perfect home. Perfect fit. Happy family.
● What is the company trying to convey?
● Mention a date when company began in the description.
● How many locations does the company have?
● What is something that can make the clients feel satisfied with their choices?

Textual Genre: (scroll down) Commented [35]: I think Canva made it really easy for
me to be able to create a brochure, since it had pre-
made templates that we could use.
Commented [36]: It was tough for me to think of what to
put under the headings that are under the Information
column. I figured that if the clients knew that we knew
as a company that finding and selling a home wouldn't
be easy, then they would be more convinced to choose
us. I wanted to show that our agents wanted to
dedicate all their time to helping them find a home they
absolutely 100% loved.

Commented [37]: I had to insert a little blurb about

when the company had started and how well known we
were as a company around the nation. It helps
convince the audience to choose our company to help
them.
Commented [38]: For the first page, I realized I had to
stay consistent with the address of the company. I
included it before with the Cover Letter.
Commented [39]: I thought that my slogan "Perfect
home. Perfect fit. Happy family." sounded good.
Families will tend to be more satisfied and happy in a
house they fell in love with rather than one they were
just buying to buy a house.
Z. De Piero Student: ________________
202D Business Writing, F’18

Rubric for 202D Final Project

Rubric for Rhetorical Situations

Did Not Meet Met Exceeded

Expectations Expectations Expectations

Company Profile

Have you you provided relevant background information to

help bring your organization to life? What’s the name of
this organization/company? What’s their field, industry, or
“line of work”? Where are they located? Who is their
clientele?

Exigence

What prompted the writer’s need to communicate? What’s

the urgency behind the need to enact this particular
genre? Why this, why now?

Writer

Who is the writer? What’s their name, what

organization/company are they affiliated with, and what’s
their role/position?

Audience (Primary and Peripheral)

Who is the intended/primary audience for this

genre? What’s their name, what organization/company are
they affiliated with, and what’s their position/role?

Additionally, what other peripheral/secondary audiences

might play a role in how we can understand this
genre? Might other people be interested in the message that’s
being communicated? Could the writer have additional people
in mind beyond the specific person(s) that they’ve contacted?

Purpose

What’s the writer’s goal? Is it realistic? Have they

identified a concrete, actionable outcome that they’re hoping to
achieve?
 Context / Background Info

What additional information is necessary to make the most

sense of this rhetorical situation? Do the writer and their
audience have a “history” of sorts? Is there an upcoming
deadline? Has a company’s policy or personnel recently gone
through changes? Is there a current “hot topic” that’s
circulating throughout the news cycle that makes this
communication more urgent?

Notes and Score (X/7.5)

Rubric for Textual Genres

Did Not Meet Met Exceeded

Expectations Expectations Expectations

Genre Identification

Did you (accurately) name/identify each unique genre

that you enacted?

Alignment with the Rhetorical Situation

Does the genre that you created/enacted accurately reflect

the rhetorical situation (for each genre) that you laid out?

Genre-Specific Conventions

To what extent did each textual genre include its most

important conventions? Remember: when we think of
“conventions,” we think of the unique characteristics,
features, patterns, or ingredients of a particular
genre. (e.g. a sspecific subject or an e-signature line for an
email)

Rhetorical Strategies

Has the writer used various rhetorical strategies to

persuade their reader/audience in the most effective way
possible? From jargon (technical terminology), to
particular details (e.g. the specific amount of $ due for a
claim; timelines for a call to action), to communication
with internal vs. external audiences, have you (the
student) brought each genre “to life” in realistic ways
with your language-based decisions?

Organization/Structure

Is the writer’s communication organized/structured in a

clear and logical manner? Does the organizational
strategy best suppor the writer’s goals of each particular
genre?

Mechanics + Punctuation

Have you demonstrated a control of mechanics and

punctuation? Are you using complete sentences (unless
intentionally avoiding them for stylistic reasons)?

Notes and Score (X/15)

Rubric for “Metacognitive Moves” Reflection

Did Not Meet Met Exceeded

Expectations Expectations Expectations

Focus on “Moves”

What writerly decisions did you make in this project? Did

you identify numerous, conseequential “moves” that you made
for this project? Did you articulate what you did and why
you did it? (Or didn’t do it?) do that

Examples of “Moves”

Is your analysis of your moves connected to your

language? Have you quoted yourself to provide concrete
examples?

Learning and Insights

The whole point of engaging in a metcaognitive reflection (like

this) is to better understand what you’re learning and to
communicate that with others. What insights are you gaining
about written communication? About language? About
rhetorical situations? About genre? Ahout organizational
structures?

Interview

Think back to your interview. How/when/where/why did

you draw from insights that came out of your
interview? Indicate how your interview informed this 202d
project.

Connection to Assigned Readings

Per the syllabus, did you make specific connections to our

assigned course readings? What ideas, concepts, or strategies
informed your project? I’d like to see you paraphrase and
“quote” at least 5 different times from at least 3 different
readings/chapters.!

Notes and Score (X/15)