DUE DATE: Tuesday September 8th

CONTEXT: Pretend you are Mr. Kitchener, Jim Burkes high school English teacher. After completing a twoyear degree from American River Community College, Jim Burke has asked you to write a letter recommending
him for admission to Pitzer College. To assist you in writing this letter, Jim Burke has given you a memoir that
he wrote detailing his experiences as a student. Ironically, you have just finished reading an article written by
Dr. Angel B. Perez, the Dean of Admission and Financial Aid at Pitzer. You decide to refer to the advice that
Dr. Perez offered in his article as evidence for your argument that Jim Burke would be a worth candidate for
admission.
OBJECTIVE: Using information from Jim Burkes memoir, write a letter to Dr. Angel B. Perez
recommending Jim Burke for admission to Pitzer College.

INTRODUCTION:
THE TASK: Include a salutation, identify the purpose of the letter, and explain how you know Jim Burke.
Include an acknowledgement of Perezs article.

BODY PARAGRAPH #1: Jim Burkes Academic Failures

THE TASK: Using evidence from Jim Burkes memoir, prove that Jim Burke was an academic failure in high
school. (Make sure you cite the page numbers [page #] identifying where you found each piece of evidence).

BODY PARAGRAPH #2: Jim Burkes Response to Failure

THE TASK: Prove that Jim Burke exemplifies Dr. Perezs description of a worthy college candidate who
responds well to failure.

BODY PARAGRAPH #3: Jim Burkes Response to Failure

THE TASK: Prove that Jim Burke exemplifies Dr. Perezs description of a worthy college candidate who
responds well to failure.

CONCLUSION: Reflection
THE TASK (Select one of the following possibilities)
1). Maintaining the point of view of Mr. Kichener, write a paragraph explaining what other students can learn
from Jim Burkes experiencesor what you can use as a teacher to assist other students.
OR
2). Switching to your own point of view, write a paragraph reflecting on what you have learned from Jim
Burkes experiences that you can apply to either in your academic or personal life.