different text types for students and teachers

A guide to understanding different types of writing and text types.

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Reading and writing are very complex skill sets that make heavy demands on our students.

Beyond the challenges of grammar, punctuation, and spelling, students need to understand the conventions and structures of the many different text types or genres.

Each time we put pen to newspaper, nosotros set off with the intention of completing a specific task. That is, we begin with a purpose we wish to accomplish with our writing.

There are lots of different reasons that can spur the states to begin writing. For each of these reasons, in that location are general conventions or criteria that students must understand and comprise into their work if they're to achieve their purpose finer.

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In this article, we'll take a look at some of the principal text types. Nosotros'll examine the purpose of each of these specific text types, before looking at some of the main features and criteria of each of these.

Finally, we'll suggest an activity or two that you can employ in the classroom today to help students consolidate their agreement of each text type.

What are the main text types?

In that location are many dissimilar text types a person may encounter in the class of a single day. They might read a newspaper article in the morning, then write a letter (or email) to a friend, follow a recipe to make dinner, complete an awarding course, option upwardly a leaflet, earlier finally savouring a skilful novel at bedtime. While all of these forms of text have the written word in common, each has its own unique features and conventions.

At that place are many different means to categorize the broad range of reading and writing materials we can encounter in a single twenty-four hour period. But, generally speaking, information technology's helpful to retrieve of them in terms of two overarching and wide categories: factual and literary.

FACTUAL TEXTS

Attempt TO INFORM, INSTRUCT, OR PERSUADE THROUGH THE Utilize OF FACTS AND INFORMATION.

LITERARY TEXTS

SEEK TO ENTERTAIN, ENLIGHTEN, OR Elicit EMOTION THROUGH A Artistic Use OF LANGUAGE AND Construction.

Within each of these two wide categories are several sub-categories which we volition explore in the residue of this article. Accept note, depending on the curriculum you are working to, text types may exist referred to using slightly differing terms.

It's worth noting too, that while the two general categories are a very useful fashion to call back about the different text types, non all text types will sit exclusively in one military camp or the other. For example, the increasingly common genre known every bit literary nonfiction, or creative nonfiction, has a foot in both camps.

That said, for the vast majority of text types that our students will look at, these categories are functional and useful.

Now, let's accept a closer look at some of these text types. Nosotros'll start with the factual.

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Factual Text Types

Discussion Texts

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Purpose: The purpose of a give-and-take text is to explore more than ane point of view on a given subject in order to accomplish an informed opinion, or to make a decision on an issue.

Structure: Generally speaking, discussion texts will begin by providing some background information on the issue, before introducing the key area or areas of contention. At this point, the text will so begin to explore the diverse arguments for and against with an exam of the supporting evidence. The conclusion will sum upwards both sides of the argument, before giving a recommendation based on the writer's evaluation of those arguments.

Main Features:

  • Title is often in the form of a question
  • Written in the present tense
  • Generic statements are followed by specific examples
  • Arguments sometimes supported past diagrams, illustrations etc

Suggested Activeness: An constructive manner to lead into writing a discussion text is to hold a word or debate in the classroom on a contentious consequence or a topic that piques the interest of your class. For case, Should video games be considered a sport? or Due to technology, homeschooling should supplant traditional schooling.

Explanatory Texts

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Purpose: Explanatory texts move beyond providing straightforward descriptions to looking at things like causes and reasons. They motility across a retelling of what happened, such as in a simple study, to address the why and how of what happened.

Structure: Explanatory texts usually open with a general argument that introduces the topic to be explored, for example, "During the winter some birds migrate to warmer parts of the globe." The diverse steps of the process are so explained in a logical society.

Main Features:

  • Title reveals what is existence explained
  • May contain diagrams, flowcharts, illustrations etc
  • Written in elementary nowadays tense
  • Time connectives used such as first, subsequently, and so, adjacent, finally etc.
  • Talks to the reader directly e.g. "You'll exist surprised to learn…"

Suggested Action: Chore students to go to the library and gather up a range of explanatory texts on a variety of topics. In groups, students go through these texts analyzing the diverse features they have in common. From their findings, students draw up a detailed list of criteria they can then apply in the writing of their own explanatory texts subsequently on.

Instructional / Procedural Texts

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Purpose: Instructions and procedural texts communicate rules or processes to follow. They are commonly establish accompanying games, household appliances, or in recipes etc. While in some means instructional/procedural texts are similar to explanatory texts, the principal difference is that while instructional/procedural texts tell you what to practise, while explanatory texts draw something.

Structure: This type of text begins with a divers objective or goal, which will frequently form the title. Ordinarily, a list of resources, equipment etc volition then exist included, followed by a pace-by-pace clarification of the process to exist followed to achieve the desired effect. Often, the written process will exist supported by diagrams and/or illustrations. Occasionally, the diagrams or illustrations may supervene upon the written text entirely.

Main Features:

  • Title indicates the process described e.yard. How to…
  • Includes resources / equipment listing
  • Process described step-past-footstep using bullet points, numbers etc
  • Fourth dimension connectives used to organize writing (first, adjacent, and so, finally etc)
  • Imperatives used
  • Diagrams / Illustrations used to back up or replace text

Suggested Activity: Partner students up for this writing task. Ask the students to think of something they know how to do well. Information technology could be anything from how to tie shoelaces to how to perform a cartwheel. It doesn't matter what it is, every bit long as the student has a very articulate understanding of how to do it. Students then write an explanatory text that explains how to practice it. Partners swap their work with each other. They and so attempt to perform the task exclusively following the explanation within the text. If they tin can't perform the task as it's meant to be done, then the author needs to redraft their work until it can be done.

Persuasion Texts / OPINION WRITING

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Purpose: The purpose of persuasive type texts is to convince the reader of the merits of adopting a particular viewpoint or taking a specific course of action.

Structure: Kickoff with an opening statement, or thesis argument, persuasive texts start by summing upwardly the viewpoint to exist presented. The body paragraphs and then organize, present, and elaborate on this viewpoint. A endmost argument and then restates and reinforces the original thesis of the text.

Main Features:

  • Written in the unproblematic present tense
  • Moves from a general point to specific points
  • Uses logical connectives (therefore, because of this, this proves that)
  • Employs rhetorical devices
  • Uses facts and evidence to support arguments
  • Addresses reader directly
  • Employs various methods of psychological persuasion

Suggested Activity: Distribute copies of a persuasive text to students in groups. This could be in the form of an advertisement or newspaper editorial, for example. Challenge students in their groups to identify diverse persuasive strategies employed inside the text, whether in terms of structure, presentation, visuals, or language used. Students tin compare and contrast their findings betwixt groups.

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Non-chronological reports

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Purpose: The purpose of non-chronological reports given information and detail about something that happened, just without being tied to providing a linear account in terms of fourth dimension.

Structure: Though non-chronological reports don't adjust to the usual chronological structure of reports, there is mostly an underlying logical structure at piece of work, albeit not a temporal one. Information is often grouped by category and the report tends to move from a general opening statement on the topic to detailed and specific information as the report progresses.

Main Features:

  • Often written in the present tense, third person
  • Sometimes written in the past tense e.g. on an historical event
  • Frequently, the passive voice is employed
  • Commonly focused on general subjects
  • May contain several subheadings
  • Dispassionate in tone
  • May include tables, diagrams, or images

Suggested Activity: An informational leaflet is one form of a non-chronological report. Challenge students to produce an information leaflet on something they are familiar with, such every bit a local attraction or historical site. When students accept completed their leaflet, encourage them to review each other'southward work and offering feedback.

Recounts

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Purpose: Recounts focus on retelling events and are by and large intended to inform and/or entertain.

Structure: Recounts often open up with a scene being set up, or other devices that institute context. They continue past providing an business relationship of the events that took place, commonly in chronological order. At times, the chronological structure can be reordered by using techniques such as flashbacks, etc, merely generally, this is the domain of fictional recounts.

Main Features:

  • Well-nigh often written in the by tense as text type relates events that already happened
  • Time connectives used extensively to organise chronology east.g. kickoff, then, next, after that, etc
  • Details are used extensively to flesh out the barebones of the events

Suggested Activity: In the library, challenge students to gather together equally many unlike types of recounts as they can find. In their groups, students wait through the various recounts and compile a list of criteria for this text type. Every bit a whole class, the groups share their results. Encourage students to pay particular attention to the range of topics that tin be presented as recounts and how this can affect the language style. For case, a recount of a science experiment will use more technical and formal language than the informal and personal style that might exist employed to recount a travel adventure.

Literary Text Types

Poetry

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Purpose: As with all literary genres of writing, poetry tin exist written to serve a wide variety of purposes. For example, poetry tin be written to entertain, to inform, to amuse, to share knowledge, pass on civilisation, to advance culture, etc. Poetry comes in many forms and sometimes these forms come with their own specific purposes. For example, limericks are crafted to amuse readers, while elegies are usually written to praise or mourn a person.

Structure: The different types of poetry make utilize of a diversity of different structures. There are way also many to list here. That said, the structure of poetry usually revolves around the use of rhyme schemes, rhythmical patterns, grammatical patterns, and line and stanza length.

Main Features:

  • The musicality of language is utilised through the utilise of rhyme, rhythm, and various literary devices
  • Language that appeals to the senses is used
  • Imagery is used to pigment pictures in the readers' minds
  • The sounds and meanings of language are played with through the employ of literary devices

Suggested Activity: Find an album of verse that groups poems together co-ordinate to themes. Task your students to wait at the different poems that explore a common theme. Accept the students await at the features these poems have in common and the features that differ. Can the students place the different types of poems?

Narrative

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Purpose: Essentially, the purpose of narrative texts is to tell a story. That said, there tin can be many reasons for storytelling in the first place, for case, myths can be told to explain natural phenomena and legends tin can exist used to pass on cultural behavior. Storytelling itself is a means to entertain and inform readers and allows for the writer to limited themselves creatively and imaginatively. At that place are many types of narrative text, including myths, fables, traditional tales, novels, short stories, etc, to proper name only a few.

Structure: At that place are many types of narrative text, but broadly speaking they all begin by establishing the setting and introducing characters. A problem or complication is and then introduced which serves as the driving force behind the ensuing events. After the ascent action reaches a dramatic high point or climax, a resolution is achieved and the story ends.

Main Features:

  • Near often written in the past or nowadays tense
  • Most oft uses the 3rd or first person perspective
  • Characters are often recognisably human in their motivations and actions
  • Linguistic communication is used creatively to pigment a picture in the reader's mind
  • Storytelling may be supplemented by the employ of images

Suggested Activity: This task can exist completed using novels, short stories, or fifty-fifty with reference to movies the students are familiar with. On a slice of paper take the students describe an x and a y axis. Students label the x axis time and the y centrality activeness. Students then plot and characterization the narrative's introduction, complication, rising activity, climax, and resolution. The more intense the activity at each point of the story, the college on the y axis the point will be plotted. The points are so joined with a line. This will provide the students with a sense of the 'shape' of the story. Internalizing an understanding of this full general pattern of storytelling volition assist students greatly in their own writing.

Drama

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White theatrical masks of a comedy and tragedy

Purpose: As with narrative texts, the purpose of drama is largely to entertain through storytelling. Drama tin as well be used to provide social commentary, communicate civilization, amuse, and inform too. While there are similarities between narrative storytelling and dramatic storytelling, drama endeavors to tell a story through enacting information technology on the stage, usually requiring the utilize of dialogue as a primary means of moving the story on.

Structure: As drama is largely concerned with storytelling, information technology often follows the aforementioned types of plot structures as other narrative forms, forth with various conventions particular to this form itself. For example, where a novel might have chapters and parts, a drama has scenes and acts. Drama has written conventions too that make it distinct from prose forms of storytelling, such as its extensive use of dialogue and occasional phase directions, for instance.

Main Features:

  • Story related largely through the utilise of dialogue with folio showing name of character and the words they speak
  • Organisational data included such as set descriptions and phase directions
  • Story structures common in narrative texts also used here

Suggested Activity: Students can explore the unlike conventions, the similarities, and differences between prose and drama, by taking a story written in a prose genre, such every bit fable, short story, etc, and converting information technology into a script for a drama.

In Conclusion

Agreement the various aspects of the dissimilar writing genres will help students to navigate their way through writing that serves a broad range of purposes.

It will also aid students in their ain text compositions. Agreement the various underlying text structures will provide students with an effective means of organizing their own piece of work, helping to ensure their own writing is fit for purpose.

Exposing your students to as many different genres as possible, and providing opportunities to explore how these text types operate, will become a long way to helping them develop into adaptive and organized readers and writers in the future.

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Content for this folio has been written by Shane Mac Donnchaidh.  A quondam main of an international school and university English lecturer with xv years of teaching and administration feel. Shane's latest Book the Complete Guide to Nonfiction Writing can be found here.  Editing and back up for this article accept been provided by the literacyideas squad.