This week’s activities were based around the reading ‘The importance of writing in our society’, (Ljungdahl, L & March, P 2010, The Importance of Writing in Our Society, 4th end, Oxford, Australia).
This week we began our discussion began by identifying the different text type structures and why they are important in the teaching of language and literacy. From the reading it was agreed that there are five main text types, these include recount, procedure, report, explanation and exposition. As a group we discussed the features of each text type drawing on information displayed in pages 264-266 of the reading. The purpose of this reading was to highlight the importance for teachers to motivate students to write as often as they can by using a variety of different text types and genres (Ljungdahl, and March 2010). The discussion then focused on the activities outlined on page 269 of the reading. As a group we decided that the language and time conjunctives used in this piece of writing showed this piece was a combination of a recount and a narrative. Each member of the group identified the main errors in this piece which included spelling & punctuation mistakes and the incorrect use of commas. After identifying the different text types and how they are structured we shared our examples that were collected from newspapers and magazines. While sharing the different articles we identified that majority of the articles were from newspapers and represented narratives and reports.
The in class activity for this week required us to read a passage from the book ‘Rowan of Kin’ by Emily Rodda and identify the features and patterns in the text. Jamie identified the text was a narrative written in third person. The text included adjectives to draw in the reader and add detail and emotion to the text. Sharayah highlighted the descriptive words used to create mood and the use of dialogue to start a conversation.
In reference to the comments on different text types and their structures, I think it is important to elaborate that different texts are produced for different purposes, and that this then determines the structure and grammatical features displayed in the text. For example, the language used in a procedure will generally be in present tense and be subject-specific involving technical vocabulary. Its purpose is to inform the reader of how to go about completing a specific task. While in an exposition the language may consist of evaluative adjectives that are intended to influence the reader, and the use of connectives which helps to organise the argument into a logical sequence. Its purpose is to persuade the reader to a particular point of view or opinion. When examining the different text-types it is clear that the features and structure of each type provide the most effective way of performing the task they are intended to achieve.
ReplyDeleteThis week I have read two picture books and one novel.
ReplyDeleteThe first book was called ‘Clifford the big red dog’ by Norman Bridwell. I chose this book because I remember reading and enjoying it when I was in Primary school ten years ago! This book revolves around a Dog called Clifford whom grows into an enormous dog that is no longer able to fit in his house! Despite being a large Dog Clifford has a big heart and the book depicts this through various actions. I would recommend this book for reception to year threes.
The second book was called ‘Grandfathers Journey’ by Allen Say. This book was a really nice picture book that depicts a Grandpa telling a story of his journey from Japan to the USA and the trouble he encountered along the way. The story withholds themes such as relationships and immigration. I would recommend this book for year’s four to seven. This book would also be a great book for Society and Environment units.
The novel I read was ‘Because of Winn Dixie’ by Kate Di Camillo. This novel is about a girl with no friends whom finds a stray dog that eventually she calls Winn Dixie. The novel then goes into the relationship the girl has with other characters and how her new found friend has helped change her life. The novels themes involve friendship, relationships and love. ‘Because of Winn Dixie’ is a warm hearted novel that could be enjoyed from years six to year nine. This novel was also made into a movie which could be incorporated into a unit a work.
Adding onto this workshop discussion, the importance of teachers allowing students to be exposed to a range of literature is crucial in their development and understanding of different text types, understanding how literature works, identifying common trends or patterns, learning different vocabulary, developing skills as the reader (efficiency, understanding of text,etc.) and many other benefits. Giving students the opportunity and extending their knowledge by giving them texts they are not familiar with or could be seen as 'too advanced' for their ability is important because it does extend their knowledge of literature and is important for teachers to push students to reaching higher levels.
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