James Britton talks about 3 different types of writing in this article: transactional writing, expressive writing, and poetic writing. Transactional writing is the most common style of writing and includes anything that is meant to teach or instruct the audience about something. Informational books, directions, essays, and newsletters are all examples of transactional writing. Expressive writing is anything that comes written in the “I” form – where you put your thoughts down on paper. Journal writing, portfolios, personal letters, and diaries are all different types of expressive writing. Poetic writing is not limited to including only poetry, but also includes any kind of writing that is meant to entertain the audience it is intended for. Examples of poetic writing include plays, memoirs, poetry, and personal narratives.
It is important that students get practice writing in each of these areas, not just one. In Kindergarten, most of our writing actually falls into the expressive writing category. The majority of my free writing in class is having the students tell stories from their life: their interests, about themselves or families, things they want to do, places they want to go, etc. After reading this article, I realize that I have limited my students’ writing a great deal. True, they are just beginning to get print down on the page in Kindergarten, but I should think of ways to incorporate more transactional and poetic writing into our classroom, even if it is through shared or guided writing.
One of my favorite things about expanding my understanding, esp of theory, is that I begin to see how I'm limiting my students. This is one of the best parts of being a teacher: I'm an eternal student!
ReplyDeleteI was excited to read that you wanted to include more poetic writing. I can just see you singing a new version of "Row row row your boat" with you students.
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