Entry #11---Reflecting on the writing genres

\I can't believe we are almost done and that we have completed learning about all the writing genres---amazing how fast this semester has gone by


I have learned in depth about the biography, expository, narrative, descriptive,  poetry and persuasive  and with learning all of these genres---I have found important way to incorporate them into my classroom of the future. 


I would say I knew all these genres before class, but I did not know any of them in depth.  As a teacher I would not have been able to teach any of these genres (except maybe biography?).


Some of the most important aspects I have learned is that students needs to learn each genre individually and the importance of each genre.  Students need practice in each genre before they can "mix" genres.  Students can learn these writing genres at any age, and teachers can teach it at any grade---students want to know and understand these writing traits.  But that does not mean that teachers cannot create multi-genre pieces projects (like the one in class)....students just have to have an understanding before moving on to this step.  


Specifically in the expository writing genre---which I think is one of the most important for social studies classrooms, I learned the importance of structure.  I liked in Emily's packet how she set this up.  Students have to have an understanding of description, sequence, cause and effect, problem and solution, & comparison signal words within their writing.  I think sometimes students miss this and their expository writings lacks.  I think giving my students more knowledge about this structure will improve their writing in the long run.  


I am still out if the descriptive writing genre is actually a genre or something that we should incorporate into all writing genre---I am still out, but that doesn't mean its not important. I think students, especially in the secondary levels, forget that their work has to have that "jazz" and they write facts only.  They forget the importance of detail and describing what happened.  Heather in her presentation also talked a lot of about photos and this idea of a school photo library.  I love this idea because I love using photos to teach history.  "Pictures inspire elaboration of ideas...students...determine importance and add detail to their writing" (Quote taken from Heather's presentation, Gabriel and Gabriel, 2010, p.680).  I agree with this and find it very important in my future classroom.  


Narrative writing I wasn't sure if this helps me as a social studies teacher, but the ideas of characterization are relevant.  Think about it---the people of history are characters in the story of history---take the same strategies you use in ELA and apply them to social studies.  History can become so complex for students---it allows for the same thing as in ELA---use characters and their personalities to determine the plot/history.  


 Persuasive was a style of writing that I some what understood and would be in a close second with biography.  I love how Meghan showed the differences of propaganda and persuasive writing and this would be a lesson I'd share with my social studies students. I think I would use a similar lesson like Meghan did in my classroom.  I had so much fun creating the poster about freeing the wolf...I think I could do this with conflicted characters in history like maybe John Adams or Andrew Jackson...how fun would that be to teach students the importance of persuasion.  

I am still trying to figure out poetry and its applications to social studies.  I am sure I could use it in a free write, but I am not sure if I would ever use it in whole class instruction.  I am not sure if my students would get it...I know I would find it weird if my history professor made us write poetry, I might have been turned off...I guess you could say I am still intimidated!


I am not going to discuss biography for the sole purpose because I feel I learned the most about this genre.  I did a presentation on it and I find it the most important writing genre in social studies because history is a story about people.  Without an understanding in this---I would be the world's worst social studies teacher!!!




Overall I am happy to say I have a deeper understanding of each of these genres.  And I will use them in my one day classroom!