Expressive Writing

iPods: A Key to Improving High-Stake States Scores

In order to become proficient writers your students must first understand the concept of genres!  Genre comes first, whether you’re teaching beginning writers, such as kindergarten students, or more experienced writers like 8^th grade students.  Genre can be taught as early as kindergarten and should be expanded upon throughout a student’s entire school career.  Keep in mind that all literature is categorized according to its genre.  For instance, your literacy curriculum more than likely gives your students examples of short stories, poems, letters, research reports and biographies to name only a few.

In addition, increasing student understanding of literacy genres will improve your expressive writing scores on state high-stake tests.  The sections of state proficiency writing tests are organized according to very specific genres.  Once students understand the specific genres being evaluated by your state’s standards, they will successfully compose a genre appropriate selection.  For example, the SAT evaluates students’ ability to proficiently write a persuasive selection while many states evaluate the personal narrative genre at elementary and middle school levels.  In addition, if your state writing test instructs students to develop a persuasive argument on a given prompt, and the students are unaware of the elements which compose a persuasive argument, they will be unsuccessful in meeting state requirements.  Consequently, students must be made aware of genre-specific writing format, style and organization through teaching strategies.

Teach the concept of genre first!  The word genre should be introduced as being a kind of writing.  Relate this vocabulary word to categorizing from other areas that you students can relate to.  For example, ask your students, “How many of you have an iPod? Have you ever looked at the menu of your iPod?  Show them an iPod menu using a document camera…they’ll love it.”  Ask them, “What does genre mean when it’s related to music and your iPod?”  They’ll respond with answers like, “It’s the kind of music like rap, country or rock.”  Tell them, EXACTLY, just as there are many different genres in music, there are also many different genres in writing.  Different writing genres sound different, use different words and have different purposes just like genres in music on your iPods.” 

Activity:

On a piece of construction paper draw two iPods.  Write the word genre in the window box of each iPod as it would naturally appear when it is turned on.  Now, next to the word genre on one iPod, record the word Narrative and next to the second genre (on the other paper) write the word Informational.  Tell your students, “Just as you have classified genres in music we are going to organize writing genres.”  Explain that one way of classifying reading and writing genres is by having them fall under the Narrative iPod or the Information.  Next, create circular pieces of paper resembling CD’s and write a different genre on each one.  A list of these could include:  action, adventure, advertisement, atlas, autobiography, biography, comparative essay, drama, editorial, essay, experiment, fable, feature article, folktale, historical fiction, historical expository piece, how-to book, journal, legend, magazine, memoir, mystery, myth, newspaper, nursery rhyme, personal correspondence, personal narrative, poetry, persuasive, picture book realistic fiction, report, research report science fiction, story, tall tale, technical writing, textbook.        

 Next pass out the genre CD’s to you students and tell them to post their genre under the correct iPod, either Narrative or Informational.  The answers are:

Narrative                    Informational

Action                          Advertisement

Adventure                   Almanac

Drama                         Atlas

Fable                           Autobiography

Folktale                       Biography

Historical Fiction         Comparative Essay

Legend                         Editorial

Memoir                       Essay

Mystery                       Experiment

Myth                            Feature Article

Nursery Rhyme           Historical Expository

Personal Narrative      How-To Book

Poetry                          Journal

Realistic Fiction           Technical Writing

Science Fiction            Magazine Article

Story                            Newspaper Article

Tall Tale                      Personal Correspondence

                                    Personal Essay

                                    Persuasive

                                    Picture Book

                                    Report

                                    Research Report

                                    Textbook

After your students have completed this exercise ask them:

1.  How did you decide which genre to place the writing CD?

2.  Where there similarities between the genres that helped you make your decision?  What were they?

Relate this activity back to the concept of music and iPod’s by stating, genres in music have an organization just as writing selections.  It is this special organization that creates a proficient writing genre.  When genres are not correctly organized and structured, just like music they will not sound right.  Students will be now have an understanding of writing genres and the notion that each genre has a unique organization that leads it to proficiency.

***Blueprint for Exceptional Writing teaches writing in genre units with hands-on, interesting activities that lead students into creating successful writing selections.