The document outlines an assignment to write an observation essay that highlights the significance of a person or place within a community, using vivid descriptions, dialogue, and sensory details. It emphasizes the importance of firsthand observations or memories, as well as the need for careful organization and context to convey relevance to those outside the community. Additionally, it includes guidelines for formatting, length, and addresses considerations around public writing and reporting obligations.

1. Write an
observation essay
that explains the unique significance of a particular person or
place within a larger community. Describe the person or place
through vivid description, narration, dialogue and sensory
details. Help others outside of your community understand why
the person or place is important to the community.
Assignment
Observation
, as the CEL describes it, requires writers to "study their
subjects and learn something by seeing them in a particular
way" (93). Observation essays do more than just report facts:
they also "find the hidden meaning, the significant issues, and
the important aspects of a particular subject" (93).
Your purpose in this Observation Essay is to
convey the significance of a particular person or place in your
community through details that show how the subject "fits"
within the community's priorities and values
. Your descriptions and details should make it easy for someone
unfamiliar with your community to understand why the person
or place you chose is relevant and significant to the community.
*Note: although this essay is intended to be based in recent,
firsthand observations, you may write from recent memories
instead if you are restricted in travel and mobility during the
COVID pandemic. If you are writing from memories, try to
recreate scenes and descriptions as though you are seeing them
again for the first time.
In order to achieve this purpose, you need to:

2. Observe and Take field notes. Begin with observing the person
or place and writing down notes about what you see, hear, and
sense. Plan to observe this person or place 2-3 times. In your
notes, record specific actions that you notice, dialogue you
overhear, interactions you have with other people, and any
important details about the scene that might help you SHOW its
significance through vivid detail and narration.
Describe the person or place through actions, details, and
dialogue that offer
insight
into why this person or place has unique
significance
as an important part of the community.
Explain context and background that shows how the person or
place matters within the larger community. Context might
include history, factual information, anecdotes, geographical
information, or other details that help an audience understand
the person or place as part of something bigger than
themselves/itself.
Follow a carefully planned organizational structure that gives
priority to specific details, themes, and values. Your final draft
should be organized to show the significance of the person or
place and should not simply list details in the order you
observed them.
Offer a strong introduction that hooks readers with vivid details
or action and focuses attention on the significance of the
subject. Provide a strong conclusion that
As you look back over your observations and notes, remember
that your essay should do more than simply relate details

3. without any larger significance. Your observation of the person
or place should also draw out the unique, interesting, and
special qualities of the person or place that help audiences
understand why they/it has value as part of a larger community.
Caution: Please keep in mind that writing in this class is public,
and anything you write about may be shared with other students
and instructors. Please only write about details that you are
comfortable making public within our classroom
community. You should know that your teacher is required by
the State of Texas
(Links to an external site.)
to report any suspected incidents of discrimination, harassment,
Title IX sexual harassment, and sexual misconduct to the UNT
Title IX coordinators. If you have any questions about anything
personal that you might want to disclose, email your teacher
first or consult with one of the resources listed on this page:
Information on Sexual Violence and Mandatory Reporting.
Format and Length
Format
: Typed, double-spaced, submitted as a word-processing
document.
12 point, text-weight font, 1-inch margins.
Length
: 1000 - 1250 words (approx. 4-5 pages)
Value
: This project will be graded out of 100 possible points, and will
be part of the Unit 2 Project group, worth 20% of the grade for
the course.

4. Overview
: For this writing project, you will use firsthand observations
and discoveries to write about a person or place that has special
significance in your community. Using details from your
observations (or from recent memories), you will describe the
person or place and convey their/its value to the community.
Objectives and Questions
These questions help to guide discussion and set up the
objectives for this unit.
Observe a person or place connected to an issue affecting a
larger community
Record the particular details of an observation
Reveal / convey the significance of a person, place, or event
through specific details in writing