Writing Outside Your Comfort Zone Helping Students Navigate Unfamiliar Genres Authors: Cathy Fleischer & Sarah Andrew-Vaughan Presenters: Shelley L. Esman & Rebecca Conway Rebecca

And, how do you find time to cover them all? What genres, in your opinion, are the most useful for students to study? And, how do you find time to cover them all? Rebecca

Identifying Genres ABC Brainstorming Quick Share Shelley

Genres and Sub-Genres: Impossible to teach them all! Rebecca Genres (and sub-genres) Quite a Quandry! Genres and Sub-Genres: Impossible to teach them all!

The Big Three of the Common Core Narrative Informational Persuasive/Argumentative/ Opinion Rebecca

Examples of Narrative Shelley Ask Shelley-- write on board?

Narrative Story Folktale Legend Poetry Drama Memoir Vignette Realistic Fiction Fantasy Science Fiction Historical Fiction Dystopia Mystery Comic Strips Children’s book Microfiction Satire Epic Shelley

Examples of Informative Shelley

Informational New Article Lab Report How to (Instructional Manual) Compare Contrast Cause and Effect Sequential Description Magazine article Blog Brochure Pamphlet Eulogy Analysis Research Journal Commercial Writing for assessment Recipe Problem /solution Shelley

Examples of Argumentative/Persuasive/ Opinion Genres

Opinion/ Persuasive/ Argumentative Movie review Art commentary Book Blurb Closing Argument Critique Business letter Cover letter Letter of recommendation Letter to the editor Letter to person in government Political cartoon/satire Shelley

Is there a downside to Genre Studies? When form takes precedence over the ideas, purpose, and style of the writer* When genre is viewed as simply formulaic structure** When the teaching of genre supports anything other than best practice. Rebecca *Muffin Tin Metaphor—do not teach genre in a strictly formulaic way. Language is not a batter that we’re pouring into molds. **A prepackaged list of characteristics that students strive to include in their writing. (Academic exercise vs. meaningful communication in a social context.)

Genre is not just a template into which a writer fits her thoughts Genre is not just a template into which a writer fits her thoughts. It may begin with a template but, because it is a rhetorical construct, it is further constructed by the context, the intended audience, and the positioning of the author. We cannot prepare students for all the genres they “need to know,” since those genres, very likely, have not been invented yet. It’s about the template, but not about the template alone.

Why the Unfamiliar Genre Project? We all have genres that are easier/more difficult for us to write in than others. While genres have particular constraints that make them unique, there are also ways of writing that cross genres. In the study of unfamiliar genres, students analyze their genre and makes sense of the similarities and differences that exist between genres. The metacognitive thinking involved in genre study helps inform future writing.

Immersion Inquiry Instruction Integration What is Genre Study? How can teachers best help student writers enter new genres? Immersion Inquiry Instruction Integration The 4 I’s of successful genre study—IMMERSON—multiple examples of the genre under consideration read AS WRITERS (to discover the CRAFT). Inc. audio, choral reading etc. INQUIRY—students (& teachers) are intentional about asking deliberate questions about the genre. What characteristics do these examples have in common? What kind of sentence structure seems predominant? Why is this one written in the first person? INSTRUCTION—Mini-lessons—short, focused lessons in process, craft, conventions, structure that connects directly to the student’s writing. (A lot of these lessons transfer across genres) INTEGRATION—thinking ACROSS genres.

The Goal of the UGP: Integration The important lesson is to learn both the strategies for learning about a new genre and the overall understandings of writing that emerge from close scrutiny of a few genres.

How Does Genre Study Fit into a semester of ELA? Three Effective Practices: Writing Workshop Writing-to-Learn Writing Genres Incorporating all three creates a deep & effective way of teaching writing Rebecca

Genre Writing Instruction Student-centered & teacher-directed. The goal is to move students from learning writing and genre study skills toward using those skills to successfully approach writing in new genres and for new audiences, situations, and purposes. Rebecca

Interesting New Genre Standardized Test Writing Presented as just one more kind of writing that has its own demands. When we present test writing in this way, we hope we are sending a message to our students that the way they write for standardized tests is not the way they might write for other occasions and purposes, but they can—with a little preparation—meet the demands of this genre. We can approach this genre study as we do any other—with the 4 “I’s.” Rebecca IMMERSE, INQUIRE, INSTRUCTION, INTEGRATE Note: This strikes a balance in a world where these tests are a reality.

The Unfamiliar Genre Project WHY? Give students a bagful of strategies Build independence Establish skills for future writing Rebecca--Review

Unfamiliar Genre Project How to do it? Research journal Project proposal Scavenger Hunt How to book Annotated Bibliography The writing Reflection Letter Letter from an interested adult Shelley

Variations of the Unfamiliar Genre Project Integrate it into what you presently do Do only chosen parts to shorten the process Shelley

Our experience Our activity –with the cards 3 minutes to read the mentors with partner 5 minutes to take notes and ---make worksheet scavenger hunt ish 5 minutes to create their card and share Copy the rubric Put them into 8 groups The investigate the mentor texts and then create their own card Use page 36, 37 pages for examples of things to look for

Back to ABC Brainstorming Formative assessment *Star the genre that could be taught as “unfamiliar” genre