When searching through my classmates' blogs for this week's entry, I came across a lot of very insightful writing. Jamie S.'s blog entry #9 particularly interested me, and I thought she discussed some great ways to use the expository genre in the classroom. She talked about how her current classroom combined the science and writing units together. The students had to research the topic of weather (focusing specifically on one topic that interested them that had to do with weather) and collect data to put into a graphic organizer. Jamie said: "I found that students who struggled with writing really enjoyed this expository writing because it was really scaffolded to their needs. So often students whine that they have nothing to write about or that they have writer's block. This unit on weather allowed students to do their own exploration through reading, formulate ideas, record, and then transfer the facts they'd learned into writing." I thought the use of the graphic organizer was an excellent way to focus their attention and help to scaffold instruction. I encounter this issue nearly every day with my students -- they insist that they have nothing to write about and nothing to say. If you provide them with a graphic organizer to fill up with data that they collect, then they already have ideas written down before they even begin writing. All they have to do is transfer those facts into writing. It's a very structured way for them to learn about a particular topic, as well as to engage in the expository genre.
Jamie also brought up some interesting ways to expose students to different genres. She discussed the differences between the expository and biographical genres -- the two are very similar, but they still have some varying characteristics which may confuse students. The fact is, students are not exposed to a wide variety of genres and explicitly taught what each one is. Jamie says: "One way to teach this is to use multiple sources that allow students to compare and contrast different versions of expository texts with one another, and the same with the biography genre. If students are able to explore the differences between one genre, they will be able to better understand the multi-dimensionality of it and come to grasp the defining characteristics that differentiate it from other genres." These are great ideas, and I really loved how she used the term "multi-dimensionality" to describe the genre. The best way for students to learn the different characteristics of each is to look at different versions of the same genre and see which characteristics are always present, and which are not. Once students have a good grasp on the characteristics of each individual genre, then they can start comparing/contrasting to how each one relates to others. I truly think that exposing them to a wide variety of genres and texts will benefit students greatly -- even just seeing it and being able to physically look at it would be helpful, and would add to their understanding.
Showing posts with label expository writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label expository writing. Show all posts
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Entry #9
In this week's blog entry, I wanted to think about and discuss the two genres that have been presented on in class so far -- the persuasive and expository genres. I believe that these are two valuable genres that can be effectively used in classrooms to expose students to more than just "fiction" and "non-fiction". By introducing a wide variety of genres to students and teaching them the nuances and characteristics of each respective genre, it helps improve their ability to interact with and analyze a text. Ultimately, this will set them up to become better readers and writers.
Giving students an education in persuasive writing is often overlooked; it is rarely explicitly taught in the classroom. Students may be able to write proficiently in the persuasive genre, but I think teachers need to be more proactive about explicitly teaching what should be included in a persuasive writing piece, and its typical characteristics. Persuasive writing can be used across content areas, but can be especially useful in an ELA classroom when discussing the topic of language and how to effectively use both oral and written language to tailor to one specific audience. Tompkins (2012) states that "when students have a clear purpose and a plausible reason for writing, they can adapt their writing to meet the needs of their readers" (pp. 252). This is an important skill for students to learn because persuasive language and writing is used in everyday real-life situations, even outside of the classroom. Tompkins (2012) does a good job of summarizing what students learn with the persuasive genre: "they learn to think critically, differentiate between persuasion and propaganda, analyze arguments, and use oral and written language effectively in their appeals" (pp. 252). These are all valuable and necessary skills for students to have and can be used with almost any text, theme, or idea in the classroom. My students just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell and are currently discussing the idea of government/politics and whether censorship is a good thing or if it is a violation of our privacy. After reading and hearing about the persuasive genre, I think it would be useful for them to stage a debate and critically analyze current event articles dealing with these issues. They would have to persuade other students that their view on the matter is correct and use findings/evidence from articles to support the points that they were making. This is just one example of the many different ways that I could implement the persuasive writing genre into my classroom.
The expository genre is also extremely valuable but often gets a bad reputation among students for being boring. By exposing students to fun and exciting information that's conveyed through the expository genre, it can open their eyes to the many positive aspects of expository writing. Tompkins (2012) describes expository writing as "used to explain something, provide instruction, or present information" (pp. 202). I don't think students realize how much they're actually exposed to the expository genre; for example, magazine or newspaper articles are considered expository. Incorporating magazines or newspapers into the classroom to learn about this genre would be a good way to motivate students and get them interested in writing.
Giving students an education in persuasive writing is often overlooked; it is rarely explicitly taught in the classroom. Students may be able to write proficiently in the persuasive genre, but I think teachers need to be more proactive about explicitly teaching what should be included in a persuasive writing piece, and its typical characteristics. Persuasive writing can be used across content areas, but can be especially useful in an ELA classroom when discussing the topic of language and how to effectively use both oral and written language to tailor to one specific audience. Tompkins (2012) states that "when students have a clear purpose and a plausible reason for writing, they can adapt their writing to meet the needs of their readers" (pp. 252). This is an important skill for students to learn because persuasive language and writing is used in everyday real-life situations, even outside of the classroom. Tompkins (2012) does a good job of summarizing what students learn with the persuasive genre: "they learn to think critically, differentiate between persuasion and propaganda, analyze arguments, and use oral and written language effectively in their appeals" (pp. 252). These are all valuable and necessary skills for students to have and can be used with almost any text, theme, or idea in the classroom. My students just finished reading 1984 by George Orwell and are currently discussing the idea of government/politics and whether censorship is a good thing or if it is a violation of our privacy. After reading and hearing about the persuasive genre, I think it would be useful for them to stage a debate and critically analyze current event articles dealing with these issues. They would have to persuade other students that their view on the matter is correct and use findings/evidence from articles to support the points that they were making. This is just one example of the many different ways that I could implement the persuasive writing genre into my classroom.
The expository genre is also extremely valuable but often gets a bad reputation among students for being boring. By exposing students to fun and exciting information that's conveyed through the expository genre, it can open their eyes to the many positive aspects of expository writing. Tompkins (2012) describes expository writing as "used to explain something, provide instruction, or present information" (pp. 202). I don't think students realize how much they're actually exposed to the expository genre; for example, magazine or newspaper articles are considered expository. Incorporating magazines or newspapers into the classroom to learn about this genre would be a good way to motivate students and get them interested in writing.
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