Miscellaneous

Introductory Assignment
Introduction to a Classmate 

I would like to get a sense of who each of you are, plus a look at your writing
style and skill level.

Task

1) Interview your assigned classmate, using the listed topics/ideas (on reverse) as guidelines
(your paper does NOT need to address EACH of the listed ideas, choose the ones that
interest you!). Feel free to ask questions or gather information that is not included in the
list provided. Take jot notes on your interviewee’s responses. This interview should take 20-
30 minutes.

2) Using the information/notes gathered in the interview, write a 250 word paper about your
classmate (approx. 1 page typed, double-spaced). It should be written carefully as I will
be using it to assess your level of writing skill.

FORMAT:
 Your paper should be 1-3 paragraphs.
 Your first sentence should be an introductory sentence introducing the topic of
your paper (YOUR PARTNER!).
 Organize your notes, thoughts, and ideas effectively so that your paper flows well.
 Group together common ideas to form paragraphs.
 Your last sentence should be a concluding sentence to wrap up your paper.
 This is an INFORMAL paper; you MAY use “I”, humour, sarcasm, colloquial
language, etc. – have fun with it!

You should prepare a rough draft; you will need to hand in a good copy of your paper which
should be double-spaced and preferably typed.

On the due date, you will need to hand in:

 Jot notes
 Good copy

DUE DATE: ______________________

 Miscellaneous

Write about any of the following which are relevant to your classmate. Ignore
anything which may seem too personal. Add anything else that your interviewee
would like me to know about him/her.

** Please make sure your paper addresses the topics in bold.

Possible Topics/Ideas/Questions
 Hobbies, interests, likes and dislikes
 Favourite books, magazines, movies, television shows, sports, music (etc.) and
why
 Favourite and least favourite subject in school
 Approximate mark in your last English class
 Words or phrases people would use to describe you and/or that you would
use to describe yourself
 Strengths and weaknesses
 Family (including pets)
 Background information (where you grew up, etc.)
 Cultural information
 Goals  short-term and long-term
 Future dreams
 How you learn best (through reading/seeing, listening, doing, in groups,
individually, etc)
 How you concentrate best (with silence, music, any noise, etc.)
 Based on what you know about yourself, some changes you are going to make
to do well (or better) this semester
 What you hope to get out of this course
 Activities you LIKE to do in English class
 Activities you HATE doing in English class
 Anything else?