To: Jennifer Kach Date: 28 January 2014 Subject: Basic Rhetorical Analysis Science Fair Fun From the

e desk of Cyril Figgis The purpose of this memo is to analyze the booklet published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency titled Science Fair Fun and assess its effectiveness as a conduit of technical information. This booklet is intended to help teachers introduce discussions of environmental issues in the classroom and to encourage students to get involved in science fair projects. I will first list my criticisms of the document, followed by my recommendations. Summary In general, I found this document to be inefficient in its use of language to convey information to its readers. I believe this is largely due to the fact that it is attempting to address two very distinct audiences at the same time. Not only this, I also believe many of the design elements could potentially cause confusion or distress for both of these groups of readers. Language As mentioned above, because this document attempts to serve two separate audiences at once, the language varies from page to page. When addressing teachers, the tone is more serious and dry. For example, This booklet is intended to provide students in grades 6 to 8 with ideas and resources for environmental science fair projects. Compare this to a sentence addressing students: Stumped on how to start or what to do? This booklet can be your guide. Good luck! The difference is clear. The problem is that this only becomes clear once the reader has already begun reading. Aside from the second page, there are no clear visual indicators for which sections are meant specifically for teachers, or for students, or both. Thus, a reader could become easily lost, looking for information in an area where he or she does not belong. One aspect of the document that was executed well was its ability to convey the goals of the organization it represents. In the section titled What is the EPA?, the language is very clear and concise, first providing a short mission statement, then listing the three major objectives of the organization. The only downfall to this is that it is completely overshadowed alongside pivotal information on how to use the booklet. This leads us into the discussion on the overall composition and design of the booklet. Design The front cover itself serves as a microcosm of my biggest complaint with this booklet. The title Science Fair Fun is written in big curvy letters. Thus, anyone who picks up this booklet will be led to believe that it is meant solely for children. Toward the bottom, however, there is a subtitle, written in a different yet still juvenile scrawl: Designing Environmental Science Projects. Organizing science projects is typically a task for teachers. As you can see, already, the booklet is causing confusion.

To: Jennifer Kach

Page Number: 3

Date: 28 January 2014

Continuing on with my criticisms of the front cover, I found the images used here to be rather odd. A shirt, tie, and shovel, placed in the top left corner, if viewed out of context, without the title of the booklet next to them, would most likely not lead anyone toward thinking about science fairs or the environment. Furthermore, I am not sure what a soap box with what appears to be a ruler standing next to it has to do with the environment. In fact, many of the images in the document appear out of place. A clipboard with a checklist on the third page does not correlate to any surrounding text nor does it reinforce any particular idea presented anywhere in the booklet. An eraser jutting out midway down the left-hand side of the fifth page only serves as a distraction to the eye. A plastic chip bag next to a paragraph titled Creating the Perfect Compost, not only is this inappropriate, but it actually enforces the wrong notions in the minds of young readers. I realize that the main purpose of these images was to captivate younger audiences, but they should also correlate with the surrounding text. Otherwise, the message is lost. The final complaint I have regarding this cover, which actually extends throughout the document, is consistency. On the title page, the font style changes four different times. This is a common theme throughout the booklet: style, size, color, even text alignment all change in between and sometimes within each paragraph. This can cause tremendous frustration for the reader as they try to navigate their way through the document. The worst example of this can be found on the second page, where two notes are posted, each containing text of various size, font, and color. These notes are also posted at a slight skew, forcing the reader to crane their neck in order to read them properly. Finally, with further regards to consistency, I noticed that the back cover appears to be rotated ninety degrees clockwise compared to the rest of the booklet. Each of these seemingly minor design flaws contribute to an overall sense of chaos in the mind of the reader, which could ultimately cause them to lose focus and set the booklet aside out of vexation. Recommendations In order to improve the efficiency of this document I would first ensure that the reader can easily identify when they are being addressed. This means separating the information intended for teachers from the guidelines directed at students. In addition to this, I would label each word in the document which can be found in the Glossary with an asterisk so that the reader can immediately look up the meaning of a word he or she does not understand. Next, I would limit the number of different fonts used throughout the document. Alterations such as bolding, underlining, and opacity may still occasionally be used but only for special cases such as headers so that it does not lose its implication. Lastly, I would remove many of the images from the booklet which do not share any relation with the surrounding text. Instead, I would include graphs or charts which re-format a portion of the text in order to reinforce its importance. For instance, the example given under the Soap Box Opera regarding bulk purchases could easily be explained or re-explained through a series of images. While on the topic of graphs and charts, I would suggest adding small checklists for students to fill out themselves. Not only would this add a new dimension of interaction that would heighten the overall appeal of this booklet to young readers, these checklists could also be used as a means for students to discover which type of science fair project best would suit their learning style.

To: Jennifer Kach

Page Number: 3

Date: 28 January 2014

Allow me to explain: a checklist asking various questions like Do you like getting your hands dirty? and Do you like talking to people? could very quickly determine whether a student would potentially be more interested in the gardening experiment or trash survey. The students of course would then be able to see the results immediately and jump straight to the sections on those experiments, never wasting any time on an experiment they would not enjoy from the start. Given the attention span of most audience members in this age range, I think this could be a drastic improvement to the effectiveness of this booklet. With these changes made, this booklet will successfully communicate with both audiences, teachers and students, enabling a better learning environment and disseminating quintessential knowledge of environmental issues.