Entry #11

I have learned SO much about the reading and writing genres that we have studied! I really believe that each genre is unique and I think each of our presentations really emphasized that. Each genre serves a specific purpose and children need to know this so they can choose a genre that best matches their own purpose for writing. I think we all experienced this when we had to decide which form we wanted to compose each of our pieces in for our Genre Pieces Project. Although we all wanted to decide on this first we really had to take a step back and think, "Will that genre be the best match for my purpose and audience?" We had to remind ourselves that form follows function and that is how we must teach our students to approach writing each and every time.

I'd like to outline why I think each genre is unique.

*Journal writing has a flow to it unlike any other genre. When reading journal writing we must focus on the ideas not the mechanics. Journaling shows progress overtime and is a great way to get children writing everyday. It can be used in any content area for a variety of reasons because there are many different types.

*Biographical writing focuses on one person's life or details a particular event. It especially works well with history, but is not limited to this content area alone. Students can benefit from this type of reading and writing because it exposes them to research and allows them to make connections between another person's life and their own. In personal narratives the person of study is the writer, which offers him or her an opportunity to write about a certain experience. By studying ourselves and other people students make connections that are essential to forming generalizations.

*Expository writing is the way we connect and communicate with others. Students need to know the different structures of this genre so they can comprehend any complex nonfiction text that they come across. This is especially important for reading in this genre. As students move through their schooling they will be expected to read, comprehend and write an increasing amount of expository material. It is imperative that students be able to interpret expository text so they can become life long learners through reading and so they can communicate with the world through writing.

*Narrative writing is the classic genre and everybody's favorite. There is something comforting about listening to a story rather than an expository text, which is much more formal and straightforward. Narratives open our eyes to enduring characters, unique settings and situations. This is where we let our imaginations run free. This is true whether it's through reading or writing narratives. A well-developed character can make a story what it is because the character is so connected with the plot. Although many people love reading narratives, when it comes to writing them it is a very complex process. Narratives are so intricate because the writer must include all of the story elements. This requires a lot of planning so it is important that students are able to identify and write using story structure.

*Descriptive writing is kind of the exception to the genres. It's more of a trait than a genre, but that does not lessen its role in writing. If anything it makes it more important because it is part of all of the other genres. Descriptive writing is what makes you not what to put a book down. It means the author has captured an experience so vividly that you feel as though you are there. This is the driving force that motivates us to keep reading and even to keep writing. Composing quality descriptive writing means selecting specific words and phrases that describe what cannot be seen. With that being said, it does not mean that every word must be descriptive because that would be overusing descriptive language. Instead, we must teach students to select strong and vivid words to articulate their vision instead of overusing descriptive language.

*Poetry writing is the genre of fear for most people. I consider poetry to be an art form that uses descriptive language to create a vision in readers minds. Poetry can be funny or serious and there are numerous types. What many students don't realize is that poetry is not confining, but very open ended. People seem to think that all poetry has to rhyme or has to fit a certain structure. Some types of poetry do require this, but other types are very freeing. Students need to be taught that poetry is not intimidating because the writer makes it what it is. I think that poetry is short, but sweet and can be extremely powerful in producing an aesthetic reaction.

*Persuasive writing is the genre of convincing. Persuasion may be evident in all the genres because no matter what the writer is always trying to establish his/her point. The writer wants the audience to believe what he or she wrote. It is essential that students understand how to write persuasively so that they can convey the points that they want to make in their writing. In addition, students absolutely need to know how to identify and read persuasive writing because it surrounds us and impacts the way we think, even when we don't realize it. Students must become critical thinkers of the messages that advertisements and the media put out there in order to weed out the truth from the fabricated.

In my last entry I explained how I thought I knew quite a bit about descriptive writing at the beginning, but now I feel that it is such a foundational skill that leads to detailed writing that comes to life. I had never really thought of descriptive writing as a genre, but I had to work through that understanding because it was kind of outlined in the course as a genre. Or at least it appeared to be a genre. I am happy to say that I cannot wait to teach descriptive writing in my own classroom and inspire kids to get excited about words!

At the beginning of the course I thought I knew a lot about biographical writing. However, I did not know that personal narratives were considered part of biographical writing. Now it makes perfect sense to me, but I do not think I would have included personal narratives in biographical writing without learning about the genre in detail. This is helpful because if I do end up teaching a primary grade I will be able to teach this genre through personal narratives and "Me" projects with the little ones.

Also, my thoughts on expository writing have evolved because I now see the importance of including expository text in the primary grades. In the past the focus as always been on narratives with young kids, but now research says we must expose children to expository texts as early as possible. This will help them to learn how nonfiction is structured, just like how they learn story structure at a young age. This will benefit children in the future when they will be expected to make meaning out of expository texts all the time.

I think I had a pretty solid understanding of narratives because that is what was stressed when I was growing up. However, I have not written a narrative in so long that my attempt to do so now in writer's workshop has reminded me how difficult it actually is to compose a narrative. I am determined to push through it because I do not believe in asking my future students to write narratives if I cannot. I want to be an expert in all of the genres so I can assist my students in any way possible.

I think that I am still a little intimidated by poetry. I wrote two poems for one of my genre pieces and I am really liking how they are turning out. As I have been writing them it almost feels like a therapeutic experience. I am an artsy person in general and writing my poems as reminded me of creating a piece of artwork. This is a very useful realization in my opinion because I can encourage students who may struggle with writing, but excel in art to try writing poetry. I think this could be really helpful for some students if they are not restricted by certain guidelines for creating poetry.

As for journal writing and persuasive writing, I felt that I understood them pretty well before this class, but now I truly see their importance. Journaling is so important so students can grow as writers and just feel the flow of writing without worrying about anything else. I will definitely use journaling in my classroom. I would like to use dialogue journals in particular. Persuasive writing is also important because children have to understand how to choose a point and to consistently prove it or focus on it in all pieces that they write. In addition, persuasive writing really emphasizes that critical literacy piece that is oh so necessary for all students to be aware of in today's mass media filled world.