Text Structures & Genres
What the experts say about text structures & genres:
The practice of reading a variety of books to children has been shown to support their acquisition of genre knowledge. As genre knowledge grows, so does children's ability to apply that knowledge to their own writing.~ David Coker
By sharing and filling their classrooms with good nonfiction picture books, teachers can help children learn about the world and get them started on a lifetime of reading and learning.~ Sharon Ruth Gill
Learning about the structure of stories provides readers with a schema they can use when reading or listening to a new story or writing a story on their own.~ Akimi Gibson
Read more about text structures & genres!
OVERVIEW of text structures & genres
Exploring the genres and structures of both fiction and non-fiction texts develops students’ understanding of the importance of specific features of texts. Teaching students how texts are structured and organized and what features appear in different genres is essential to effectively understanding and communicating ideas in both reading and writing.
TEACHING text structures & genres
Students should be encouraged to write for authentic purposes and taught structures and genres to support those purposes. By reading many books students become familiar with the elements of a particular structure. Teachers should also point out the features of the texts so that students can recognize them when reading. Students are most engaged with reading and writing activities that have a purpose.
ASSESSING text structures & genres
Teachers can assess students’ knowledge of text structure and genres by asking questions about a book they are reading: What type of text is this? What are the elements of this text? Another way to assess students’ knowledge is by examining their writing. Assessment criteria should be shared with students, be developmentally appropriate, and be tailored to fit the purpose of each assignment.
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All Text Structures & Genres Recipes
Procedure Match Up: Building the Foundation for Procedural Writing
Exploring Seasons: Using Interactive Discussion to Support Descriptive Writing
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Safety Tips: Creating Authentic Opportunities for Informative Writing
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Puppet Stories: Supporting Understanding of Characters and Setting
Summary Map: Scaffolding Summary Writing
Four Square Writing Method: A Graphic Organizer to Support Paragraph Writing
Interactive Story Retelling: Encouraging Retelling with Picture Supports
Visual Thinking Strategies: Exploring Artwork to Enhance Critical Thinking and Expression
Party Invitations: Motivating Students to Write Informatively
Real-Life Examples, Fact, and Fiction: Building Knowledge at the Beginning of a Content Area Unit
Women We Admire: Building Interviewing and Report Writing Skills
Cinquains with a Twist: Building Vocabulary Through Cinquain Poetry
Diary of a Spider: Writing from Another Point of View
Reader's Notebook: Motivating Students to Read, Write, and Reflect
The True Story: Interviewing Book Characters to Build Comprehension
Classroom Post Office: Letter Writing for Motivation and Communication
Recipe for Me: Motivating Procedural Writing
All About Me Autobiography: Writing from Personal Experience
Class Photo Library: Motivating Descriptive Writing
Writing How-To Books: Developing Procedural Writing Skills
Searching for Information: Features of Non-Fiction Texts
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Candy Ads: Developing Media Literacy and Persuasive Writing Skills
Four Square Retelling: A Graphic Organizer for Retelling Narratives
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The Poetry Nook: Gathering Ideas for Writing (Virtual Tour)
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