Being the last of the genres of writing learnt, expository writing instruct, inform, define or to explain a concept or idea. It provides facts, statistics. It involves process analysis (steps to performing a particular task) and content analysis (information provided on a topic). 

Expository writing includes transitional words or phrases, sequencing of paragraphs, a topic sentence (main idea) and main points (supporting details).

Ideas to be developed are critical in this type of writing. 

When engaging students in expository writing, get students to generate lots of ideas specific to the topic. Using varied interactive activities can help to generate ideas. One example is to use pictures to begin expository writing. Put them in order. Discuss with students to help get them to write. Also, reading samples of writing to students can generate ideas.

This genre of writing takes many techniques:

-Causes and Effect

-Problem and Solution

-Comparison/Contrast

-Illustrations/Examples

-Description

-Definition

-Sequence

 A topic can take many different techniques. For example:

Topic: Transportation

It can either be writing using examples or transportation used or a description of the various types of transportation in our country.

Be sure to have students exposed to the different types of techniques.

To get students to write, at first, give them topics to which they are exposed or to which they can relate. Example: Why do I come to school everyday? (Reasons for coming to school) or The importance of helping at home can be a topic. 

Teachers ought to develop sentences with students before they begin to write on the topic. 

Teachers ought to most importantly, engage in modelling of this genre of writing.

Mini lessons are also a great way of focus on needed areas of weakness of students to develop good writing skills.

In lower grades, one paragraph may be sufficient for students to write on a topic. Topic sentence and supporting details must be included.

In the upper grades. students should write at least 2 paragraphs. 

Sample format for expository writing:

1. Main Idea (expressed as a topic sentence)

   a. supporting details 1

   b. supporting details 2

   c. concluding sentence

Remember, expository writing takes a lot of practice and effort. Teacher who actively engage their students in expository writing will gradually develop strategic and independent writers. It is always important to first focus on topics that students can relate to. In that way, they will be able to write and produce ideas on a topic as they become better writers in the writing classroom.

Quote: "Start writing no matter what. The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on." -Louis L'Amour.

The Basis of Argumentative Writing

In this LIT102 classs session, my lecturer Ms. Polius started with a mini lesson on how to go about teaching argumentative writing. For me, this was fantastic! I got to see first hand from a knowledgeable teacher good ideas for teaching argumentative writing and gained some insightful information on what it is all about. 

Essentially, she taught that when moving onto another genre of writing, always refer to those learnt so far, outlining comparisons and differences. My lecturer also stated that I ought to emphasize why writers engage in argumentative writing, provide samples of this type and explain the features and characteristics. When beginning the lesson, she stated the objectives to me as an imaginary class.

In the prewriting stage, I learnt that good writers:

Choose a topic

Identify purpose, audience

Brainstorm ideas

Organize ideas

Write a first draft

When having to choose a topic in the classroom, teachers can give students the option of a scenario which will in turn help them to choose wisely. the topic can be in the form of a question or a statement. 

Brainstorming (Possible topics):


-Should children be banned form drinking soft drinks?
-Soft drinks should be banned.

Ask students to choose their side: agree or disagree. Moreover, some students may be in the valley of decision. That is okay. It can be ruled as undecided. Allow students to be engaged in discussion, before any actual writing can be done. Hvae them divide themselves into 3 categories: Agree, Disagree, Undecided in the classroom to take their stance on the topic.

The audience in this case: school children, soft drink lovers, the public.

The purpose: to persuade the public, school children of the need to stop drinking soft drinks.

Students who agree:

Soft drinks are not healthy for children.
It causes them to be hyperactive.
The plastic bottles do not help to promote a cleaner environment.

Students who disagree:

Soft drinks are cheaper to purchase.
 It can cause job losses.
It may lead to poverty/crime.


In this stage, I was shown a layout of a graphic organizer which will facilitate organization of ideas (for upper grade students):

Introduction: a hook.
                    : state position. (agree or disagree)

Paragraph 1: 1st reason.
                      give supporting details

Paragraph 2: 2nd reason.
                   give supporting details

Conclusion: re-emphasize position/may ask audience to take a particular action/ summarize main points).


For the lower grade students: 

Paragraph 1:
state position
give reasons.

In the lower grades, it was advised that one paragraph will be sufficient for writers.


As an imaginary primary student (Grade 5), I was asked by my lecturer to write a first draft on: Soft Drinks Should Be Banned. Here is what I came up with(remember at primary level, drafts do contain errors!):


In St. Lucia, many children drink soft drinks whcih make them ver sick. they shuold not be allowed to drink soft drinks. Sift drinks should be banned for 3 reasons, people will get health problems, they get diabetes and suffer from heart problems. They can get really ill. It would be a sad moment for their families. They can be a part of activities like healthy people. 

Secondly, soft drink lovers are the ones who litter often. After they finished drinking their soft drink, they throw the plastic bottles anywhere. These people keep the environment really dirty. Soft drink bottles are even found on our sandy beaches. Don't they know that they  can harm sea animals? these animals like turtles can choke on the botles and die. People should learn to keep the envirnoment clean.



Argumentative writing is not about fighting or offending or criticizing others. It is about presenting an idea or topic and choosing a stance. Students must be able to defend their topic by providing supporting details/evidence. 

Remember, whether you like it or not, every individual's idea should be RESPECTED.

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, 

How I wonder what you are! 

Up above the world so high, 

Like a diamond in the sky. 

Twinkle, twinkle, little star, 

How I wonder what you are! 

    Remember those good old days of poems and rhymes? Surely. I do! Twinkle, twinkle, little star was one of my favourite rhymes! 

Poetry

  Poetry is a unique form of writing. It allows one to express ideas and feelings in a distinctive style and rhythm. Poetry is unfortunately one of the most neglected art forms in the classroom. All is not lost! Students need to be exposed to poetry as a genre of writing from the early grades.

   In my LIT102 class, I learnt that students may have poetic ability. It is therefore necessary to teach poetry from the lower grades so that students can develop a love for it. Poetry can be used to teach different concepts. Poetry can be used to express ideas. Anything which comes to mind can be expressed in the form of poetry. 

Three vital elements must be considered by a poet:

1. Context- motivation for the poem and the personal experience that causes someone to write.

2. Time- a particular existence: example slavery, elections, a disaster and so on. 

     Theme- the message which the poet wants the audience/reader to learn.

3. Persona- the person, object or animal in the poem. Essentially, it reflects who or what the poem is about. It can be a pet that speaks or it can be the use of "I" by the poet himself.

There are many different types of poems. Some include:

-Haiku

-Cinquain

-Acrostic

-Limerick

-Rhymed

-Lyric

  Here is one of the poems which I created as part of my LIT102 class sessions:

Dear Children (Acrostic)

C-hildren are dear to us all,

H-ow humble they can be!

I-nteracting with all whom they meet,

L-iving life so wonderfully!

D-oing things in their special way,

R-unning, laughing, talking all day.

E-ach one is a shining candle,

 N-ot even life's problems can put out their flame.

Miss May (Limerick)

I met an old lady one day,

Who said that her name was May.

She stared right at me,

Then smiled happily,

But her teeth looked like sheep in the hay.

  Teachers should allow students to create a collection of poems for classroom display, for class/ school magazine and so forth.  However, poems do not only have to be written. It can be performed. Teachers must use creativity in the classroom in order to drive that love for poetry in students. Poems can be sung, dramatized, recited. 

  

  As I reflected on my younger days, I remember my book of poems. My poems were mostly spiritual in nature. I remembered when I used to just sit with the book and pen in my hand and simply write anything which comes to mind and heart. Some rhymed. Some did not. We also need to teach students that poems do not always rhyme. Over time, I now have a collection of poems which I can now use to inspire and to educate students of writing in my future class. 

  In order to create poetry, many types of literary devices can be used:

-Onomatopeia

-Simile

-Metaphor

-Alliteration

-Personification

  In essence, make poetry come alive in the classroom. Give it much attention as with descriptive writing, narrative writing and the other genres of writing. Be sure to use poetry when teaching various concepts or topics in the class. Gradually, good students become good poets who definitely will become good writers. I am sure to develop great poets in my future classroom who will express themselves confidently with the use of poetry, as I am a great poet myself.

My Philosophy of Writing

"My philosophy can only be explained by me"- Gisele Antoine.

This is my personal quote which I have formed based on my lesson in LIT102 on the the knowledge of philosophy. So basically, what is a philosophy?

A philosophy is a set of reflective statements of your personal views and beliefs. 

Basically, a philosophy speaks volume to what a person believes in.Only this person is able to define and explain what he or she believes. My philosophy may not necessarily be another person's philosophy. Therefore, what is my philosophy of writing?

I have been guided by a set of questions from my LIT102 writing class, in order to explain my philosophy.

Some of these questions are:

What do I mean by writing?

How do I perceive writing instruction?

What role do I see myself playing as a teacher in the teaching-learning process?

What instructional approaches, strategies, activities and experiences must I utilize to enhance writing in the classroom?

What goals will I set for myself as a teacher of writing?

For the most part of my life, writing has always been a passion for me. From time to time, I would write about any topic or experience by which I am inspired. To me, writing is composing words on paper with a pen or a pencil. In my opinion, what words cannot do through the mouth, writing can do with the pen. No one can tell me how to think or feel. They may not think or feel like me, but with the pen I know that I am in total control.

My perception of writing instruction is quite simple. To me, it involves careful planning. In the planning stage, learning outcomes and objectives must be realistic, measurable and can cater to students, writing needs. Teachers ought to use the Language Arts Curriculum as a guide, so they are knowledgeable about what to teach and which activities are appropriate for specific writing lessons. Furthermore, teachers can gain a better insight of writing instruction by attending workshops, having professional development activities, attending lectures by Curriculum specialists and other relevant officials in the Ministry of Education. When I actively engage in proper planning as a teacher, this is determined by the adequate activities to be used, the realistic learning objectives to be met, the resources to be used, the development of my lesson and so on. Therefore, the planning process plays an integral part in writing instruction.

Most importantly, I have a great role to play in the writing classroom. To enhance the teaching-learning experience, various strategies and approaches must be utilized. It must be taken into account that each student’s learning style be it kinesthetic, visual or auditory must be in incorporated into the strategies and approaches in providing writing instruction. Such strategies and approaches include scaffolding, teacher demonstrations, literature based approach, process based approach, drama and the student centered learning approach. Albert Bandura (1971) posits that “most human behaviour is learnt observationally through modelling: from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed…” To support this view, I totally agree that teacher modelling helps students gain a complete understanding of how to express their ideas and how to structure their writing.

Based on my philosophy of writing, I intend to use the aforementioned initiatives in my future classroom to help students evolve into strategic and independent writers. On a professional level, I also intend to seek advice from mentor teachers, attend writing workshops, become academically certified in different areas of writing, just to name a few. With these said, perseverance, hard work and patience, along with specific knowledge and skills in writing are a stepping stone to helping students become better writers for the classroom and for their future goals.

Once again, my philosophy is what I believe in, what's yours?