Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 1

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 2

Toolkit for Chapter 6 Proposal:

Writing about Problems and Solutions
Chapter Assignment: Create a Proposal
In this assignment, you will write a proposal that discusses a problem you want to learn more
about and that recommends a solution to it. The problem you choose must be a current
problem, even though it may have been a problem for many years. The problem must also
affect many people, and it must have an actual solution or solutions that you can learn about
through research. In other words, the problem cannot be unique to you, and the solution you
recommend cannot be one you only imagine; both the problem and the solution must be
grounded in reality.
Your proposal needs to cite at least five reliable sources, which can be scholarly but do not have
to be. They must be credible, trustworthy, and unbiased. This may include articles from
reputable newspapers, magazines, and academic and professional journals; reputable websites;
government sources; and visual sources. Depending on your topic, you may want to conduct a
survey, an interview, or an experiment.
To generate ideas for the proposal, you might read a high-quality newspaper, website, or social
media account for a week to get a feel for potential problems in the news.
Toolkit 6.1: Brainstorming the Rhetorical Situation
The rhetorical situation is the circumstance in which a writer communicates with an audience of
readers about a subject. You will need to consider the rhetorical situation in order to write an
effective proposal. You may use the following chart to brainstorm about the rhetorical situation
surrounding your proposal.

Rhetorical Situation
Brainstorming Questions Your Responses
Element
Topic What do you want to __________________________________
Are you free to know more about?
choose your own What requirements do __________________________________
problem and solution you have?
to write about, or is Do you need to do __________________________________
your topic specified? research?
__________________________________

Purpose Is the purpose to examine

What is the purpose a problem and explain
__________________________________
of the proposal? possible solutions?
Or is it to recommend a __________________________________
specific solution?

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 3

__________________________________
__________________________________
Audience Who is your primary __________________________________
Who will read your audience—your
__________________________________
writing? instructor? Your
classmates? Other __________________________________
students or
__________________________________
administrators on your
campus? People in your __________________________________
community?
__________________________________
How will you shape your
writing to connect most __________________________________
effectively with this
__________________________________
audience?
Do you need to consider __________________________________
secondary audiences,
__________________________________
such as people outside of
class? If so, who are __________________________________
those readers?
Presentation Should you prepare a __________________________________
In what format written proposal or use
__________________________________
should you prepare another medium?
your proposal? Should you include __________________________________
visuals and other media
__________________________________
along with text, such as
figures, charts, graphs, __________________________________
photographs, audio, or
__________________________________
video?
What other presentation __________________________________
requirements do you
__________________________________
need to be aware of?
__________________________________

Context What problems in your __________________________________

How do the time city, county, state, area,
__________________________________
period and location nation, or the world need
affect decisions you a solution? __________________________________
make about your What current events or
__________________________________
proposal? new information might
relate to the problem?
Is your college or
university relevant to the
problem?

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 4

Culture and How will you show __________________________________

Community awareness of your
__________________________________
What social or community’s social and
cultural assumptions cultural expectations in __________________________________
do you or your your writing?
__________________________________
audience have?

Toolkit 6.2: Choosing a Problem and Narrowing its Focus

Your proposal should address a real-life problem and present one or more workable solutions
for it. You may generate ideas by answering the brainstorming questions in the chart below.

Exploring
Example Answers Your Responses
Questions
What A problem I’m
problem am I interested in
_____________________________________________
interested in learning more
learning about is rapid _____________________________________________
about? climate change.
_____________________________________________
How do I I know this is a
know this is a problem because
problem? statistics show _____________________________________________
Earth is warming at
an unprecedented _____________________________________________
rate and scientists
say this is the result _____________________________________________
of human activity.
What are a The planet’s
few examples average surface
of the temperature has _____________________________________________
problem? increased 2.12
degrees Fahrenheit _____________________________________________
since the 1800s.
There are _____________________________________________
increasingly severe
weather events
such as hurricanes.
What causes Warming occurs
the problem? when carbon
dioxide collects in _____________________________________________
the atmosphere
and absorbs _____________________________________________
sunlight and solar

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 5

radiation. _____________________________________________
Human activity has
significantly _____________________________________________
increased the
amount of carbon _____________________________________________
dioxide and other
heat-trapping
gases being
released.
Who is All people are
affected by affected by climate
the problem? change, but those _____________________________________________
living on islands
and in coastal _____________________________________________
areas, large cities,
and polar regions _____________________________________________
are most at risk.
What are Climate change
some affects
negative environmental and _____________________________________________
effects of the societal health,
problem? increasing the risks _____________________________________________
of wildfires and
natural disasters, _____________________________________________
and reducing
access to safe _____________________________________________
drinking water,
food supplies, and
healthy living
conditions.
Why should Rapid climate
the problem change causes
be solved? potentially _____________________________________________
catastrophic
environmental, _____________________________________________
social, and health
issues. _____________________________________________

What are the Consequences

potential include increasingly
consequences extreme weather _____________________________________________
of the events, shortages
problem if of safe water, and _____________________________________________
nothing is a decrease in the

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 6

done? production of _____________________________________________

foods, especially in
economically
challenged regions.
What are Solutions to
some realistic slowing rapid
solutions to climate change _____________________________________________
the problem? include increasing
renewable energy _____________________________________________
use, weatherizing
homes and _____________________________________________
businesses,
reducing water
waste, and driving
fuel-efficient
vehicles.

If the topic you choose is especially broad, like climate change, it will be difficult to cover in a
single proposal. Identify more narrowed topics and then develop focusing questions like those
in the following sample to help you further narrow your focus and discover possible solutions.

Problem Focusing Questions Answers

Example: Rapid climate Example: What waste is Example: Consumer waste
change due to decomposition decomposing in landfills? and food waste are two of
of waste in landfills is How does this lead to a the biggest contributors to
increasing the Earth’s temperature increase? landfills. This leads to
temperature. What can be done to reduce temperature increases
waste? through methane being
released into the
atmosphere. One solution is
to reduce food waste.
Identify a focused problemDevelop questions asking Answer these questions
related to the topic. about specific aspects of the using prior knowledge and
problem and potential research.
solutions.
Problem 1: ______________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________
Problem 2: ______________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 7

________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Problem 3: ______________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________
________________________ ________________________ ________________________

Toolkit 6.3: Gathering Information

No matter the problem you decide to address in your proposal, you will need to support it with
evidence. Remember, you need to cite at least five sources, evaluating them for validity and
reliability. You may use different types of evidence to support the thesis in your proposal, as in
the chart below.

Evidence
Example Source
Type
Definition According to NASA, the NASA. (2021). What is the greenhouse effect?
greenhouse effect is “the Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.
way in which heat is https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/19/what-is-the-
trapped close to the surface greenhouse-effect/
of the Earth by ‘greenhouse
gases.’”
My
Evidence

Example The human burning of fossil NASA. (2021). In what ways might Earth’s
fuels has impacted the atmosphere, terrain, and oceans react to
environment by causing a changes in carbon dioxide levels over time?
marked rise in carbon Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.
dioxide levels. https://climate.nasa.gov/faq/55/how-might-
earths-atmosphere-land-and-ocean-systems-
respond-to-changes-in-carbon-dioxide-over-
time/
My
Evidence

Expert Shift Energy Holdings CTO Tylim, A. (2016, October 31). If we want to
Opinion Adrian Tylim, an expert in combat climate change, we must re-engineer our
renewable energy and landfills. Waste Dive.
professor of sustainability, https://www.wastedive.com/news/if-we-want-
explains that the United to-combat-climate-change-we-must-re-engineer-
States’ efforts in our-landfills/429347/
conservation are currently
insufficient in meeting the

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 8

Paris Agreement.
My
Evidence

Fact The global warming effect Tylim, A. (2016, October 31). If we want to
of methane exceeds that of combat climate change, we must re-engineer our
carbon dioxide by 25 times. landfills. Waste Dive.
https://www.wastedive.com/news/if-we-want-
to-combat-climate-change-we-must-re-engineer-
our-landfills/429347/
My
Evidence

Interview During an interview, Oceana. (2021). Interview: Michael Bloomberg

Michael Bloomberg on climate change optimism.
explains how individuals’, https://oceana.org/blog/interview-michael-
cities’, and businesses’ bloomberg-climate-change-optimism
proactive solutions to
climate change are bringing
hope.
My
Evidence

Quotation “It is the policy of my United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Administration to organize (2021). Climate change.
and deploy the full capacity https://www.epa.gov/climate-change
of its agencies to combat
the climate crisis. . . .”
—President Joe Biden
My
Evidence

Statistic The warming trend the NASA. (2021). Climate change: How do we
globe is currently know? Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the
experiencing has a 95 Planet. https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/
percent probability of being
caused by human activity.
My
Evidence

Survey The Yale Climate Opinions Marlon, J., Howe, P., Mildenberger, M.,
Maps based on surveys Leiserowitz, A., & and Wang, X. (2020,
completed through spring September 2). Yale climate opinion maps 2020.

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 9

2020 reveal that 63 percent Yale Program on Climate Change.

of people worry about https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/visualiza
global warming. tions-data/ycom-us/

My
Evidence

Visuals and NASA. (2021). The causes of climate change.

Other Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the Planet.
Media https://climate.nasa.gov/causes/

The above graph compares global surface

temperature changes (red line) and the
Sun's energy that Earth receives (yellow
line) in watts (units of energy) per square
meter since 1880. The lighter/thinner
lines show the yearly levels while the
heavier/thicker lines show the 11-year
average trends. Eleven-year averages are
used to reduce the year-to-year natural
noise in the data, making the underlying
trends more obvious.
The amount of solar energy that Earth
receives has followed the Sun’s natural
11-year cycle of small ups and downs with
no net increase since the 1950s. Over the
same period, global temperature has
risen markedly. It is therefore extremely
unlikely that the Sun has caused the
observed global temperature warming
trend over the past half-century. Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech

My
Evidence

Toolkit 6.4: Drafting a Thesis

As you identify your problem, solution, and evidence, you may begin to formulate a thesis.
Answer the following questions, then use the thesis frame to help draft a thesis statement.
What problem have you identified? ________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 10

What solution are you proposing to solve this problem? ________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Why is the solution viable? _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

What evidence supports your solution? _____________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Your thesis draft: [Problem] _____________________________ can be addressed by [solution]

__________________________ and [optional second solution] __________________________

because [reasons] _____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________.

Toolkit 6.5: Organizing Your Ideas

A proposal has a recognizable structure, beginning with an introduction, followed by a
discussion of the problem, potential solutions, potential objections, and a conclusion with a
recommendation. Use the following graphic organizer to place the ideas of your proposal in a
logical order. You can refer to Chapter 6 for examples of each section of the proposal.

Proposal Section Content Your Notes

Introduction Draw readers in with an
(usually one overview. Provide necessary
paragraph but can background here or in the
be two) description of the problem,
defining terms as needed. State
the thesis.
Description of the Explain the problem,
Problem (one or establishing it as a problem in
more paragraphs) need of a solution.
Develop the paragraph(s) with
evidence.

Possible Solution Describe possible solutions,

or Solutions (one one at a time.
or more Develop the paragraph(s) with
paragraphs) evidence.

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 11

Objections (one or
Explain objections readers are
more paragraphs)likely to raise to the solutions
given in the previous
paragraph(s). Develop the
paragraph(s) with evidence.
Conclusion and Conclude with a summary of
Recommendations the points and recommend a
(one or more solution or a course of action.
paragraphs)
Sources Include a References or Works
Cited page in the format
required by your assignment.

Toolkit 6.6: Drafting Your Proposal

You may use the following frames to draft each part of your proposal.
Introduction
Your introduction should draw readers in, present the topic of the proposal, and end with the
thesis statement. Use the paragraph frame to draft an introduction.
[Overview of topic/context] _______________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Thesis ________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Problem
The body of your proposal presents the problem, your proposed solution, and potential
objections. You may choose to use a point-evidence-analysis pattern in this section.
What is the problem?
Point _________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Evidence ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 12

Analysis _____________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Why is this a problem?

Point _________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
Evidence ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________
Analysis _______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Solution(s)
After you present the problem, you must use specific information from your sources to present
one or more viable solutions.
Introduce a Solution
_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Provide Evidence to Develop the Solution

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

If there is more than one solution, you will need to repeat this section.
Objections
Based on your problem and suggested solutions, you should provide and refute potential
objections. Use the paragraph frame to draft a potential objection and a rebuttal.
Some people may think (objection) _________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 13

However, (solution) _____________________________________________________________

is viable because _______________________________________________________________,

supported by (evidence) _________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.

Conclusion and Recommendation

In the conclusion of your proposal, you should interpret your evidence and make a
recommendation. Focus on the solution that will best solve the problem and summarize or
suggest specific actions that can be taken.
Summary of Main Points of Proposal
_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Summary of Evidence Supporting Recommendation

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Call for Specific Actions

_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Sources
Cite the five sources you consulted and utilized according to the format required by your
assignment.
Source 1 ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 14

Source 2 ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Source 3 ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Source 4 ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Source 5 ______________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Abstract or Executive Summary

Summarize your proposal with an abstract or executive summary. Use the paragraph frame to
draft your abstract.
Purpose of proposal _____________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Brief context ___________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Statement of problem ___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Restatement of thesis ___________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Toolkit 6.7: Revising

Revise your proposal by responding to reviewers’ feedback and completing the sentence
starters below.
Questions about the Proposal
 My thesis can be strengthened by ____________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 15

 I chose the problem because ________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________.
 I can strengthen the point-evidence-analysis pattern in the following places __________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
 Within the solutions I propose, I can support them better by ______________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
 The objections I raise strengthen my proposal by ________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________;
however, I can also include _______________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.
 My conclusion relates the thesis by ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________,
but I can improve it by ___________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________.

Toolkit 6.8: Editing for Subject-Verb Agreement

In formal writing, subjects and verb used in sentences should agree. Look for places in your
draft where subjects and verbs within a sentence don’t agree. Revise sentences for agreement.
Compound Subject
Example: Clouds and precipitation is the result of the Earth’s warming atmosphere.
Revision: Clouds and precipitation are the result of the Earth’s warming atmosphere.
Choose sentences from your narrative to revise: ______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Words between the Subject and Verb

Example: Soil cultivation practices such as the utilization of fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion,
and biomass burning is a producer of nitrous oxide.
Revision: Soil cultivation practices such as the utilization of fertilizers, fossil fuel combustion,
and biomass burning are a producer of nitrous oxide.

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.

Toolkit for OpenStax Writing Guide with Handbook 16

Choose sentences from your narrative to revise: ______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Verb Before the Subject

Example: In the atmosphere is greenhouse gasses.
Revision: In the atmosphere are greenhouse gasses.
Choose sentences from your narrative to revise: ______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Indefinite Pronouns

Example: Everyone affect the world’s climate.

Revision: Everyone affects the world’s climate.
Choose sentences from your narrative to revise: ______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Collective Nouns

Example: The committee agree that something must be done.

Revision: The committee agrees that something must be done.
Choose sentences from your narrative to revise: ______________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

This OpenStax ancillary resource is © Rice University under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
It may be reproduced or modified but must be attributed to OpenStax, Rice University and any
changes must be noted. Any images credited to other sources are similarly available for
reproduction, but must be attributed to their sources.

For more free, peer-reviewed, openly licensed resources visit OpenStax.org.