Unit 4: Activity 3-Types/Purposes of Graphic organizers for Writing

(1) The Spider Graphic Organizer

Spider graphic organizers are useful to help students understand how main ideas can have several related ideas or issues. The details associated with these ideas are displayed on the organizer as well.

(2) Herring /Fish Bone Organizer

The Fish bone organizer is a great tool for students to organize ideas about the text structures: cause and effect and problem/solution that are common to expository writing. Students learn that one effect (outcome) can have several causes and  likewise, one problem can have several solutions.

(3) The Storyboard/Chain of Events Graphic Organizer

This graphic organizer enables students to ascertain a logical flow of ideas for narrative and descriptive types of writing. It can also be used to describe process in expository writing. The aim of this approach is to get students to realize the importance of structural coherence to the reader. The reader who is kept in mind should not get lost or confused during reading  or be left hanging due to gaps in the story or irrelevant details.

(4) Venn Diagram Graphic Organizer

Venn Diagrams are used to compare and contrast seemingly dissimilar ideas. They also single out overlapping ideas.This is a very popular graphic organizer among secondary school students in St.Lucia because it is normally introduced to students during Mathematics class in Grade 8 or 9 when covering the topic of Sets in Algebra.  Since most students would have already been familiar with it, then teacher may have students demonstrate knowledge of how to use it much more than him or her doing so during the modelling process for e.g on the blackboard. 

(5) Problem/Solutions Graphic Organizer

This is a great tool for expository writing as deciphering the feasibility of solutions to problems becomes a much easier task through visual representation. It also prevents one-track thinking. It is suitable for use in paired, small group or independent activities. Organizing tool for higher order activities such as debates and panel discussions which provide structured ideas for writing.

(6) Cycle Graphic Organizer

Useful for reinforcing that parts of  a story link to the rest (events or issues are cyclic). Thus each sentence in a paragraph must be cohesive with the rest to covey intended meaning.All paragraphs must be logically sequenced and structurally coherent so that the story achieves the level of appeal to audience that the writer intended.

(7)Cluster Graphic Organizer

I see clustering for brainstorming about a topic to be a whole class or large group activity because the aim is for students to understand how diverse perspectives on issues, events, categories and items can be grouped based on similarities that correspond to the main idea. This can generate a lot of discussion and justification of group choices and how they relate to main idea, as well as assessing whether interrelationships between constituents of each cluster as true or false. I see this as time consuming, tedious process which is not suitable for below average or some average learners because it requires critical thought process which may be lacking in these types of learners.

(8) The Compare/Contrast Graphic Organizer

I do not like this graphic organizer. I find the Venn Diagram to be more representative of a tool for comparing and contrasting.  Nevertheless, I could make a hybrid of the two whereby  I insert all those tabs in the left hemisphere, the intersection and the right hemisphere of the Venn Diagram to give students more space to write their ideas and to improve the neatness of their presentation.

(9)The KWL Graphic Organizer

The KWL chart is a very popular graphic organizer which uses questioning strategies to tap into students metacognition about planning for their first draft. Since it uses the questioning strategy it i suitable for multiple writing genres.The first two categories What do I already know about this subject  and What do I want to learn about this subject  are for use before reading or discussion about subject student wants to write about. The last category is for use after reading or discussion i.e. What did I learn about this subject. I would modify this chart though to include the "H" (for use after reading or discussion) which stands for How will you learn more about this subject.Some students may want to do additional research like consulting a dictionary, thesaurus, conducting online search etc to re/define their topics and to get more information to clarify level of understanding and meaning about the topic and its pertinent issues.

(10)The 5Ws and an H Graphic Organizer

The questioning strategy to organize logical, sequential and cohesive thoughts is the central premise of this graphic organizer. It asks the same sort of questions that news reporters ask to cover all the relevant details of a story they are covering or an interview conducted. This graphic organizer is useful for students to use in multiple writing genres.It works especially well for narrative (character development, plot development etc) and descriptive writing (logical sequencing of an event as it happens using sensory details, hovering over space and giving descriptive detail from various angles).  It can also be used for authentic assessment of students writing in the planning stages so that the teacher knows that the student is going on the right track.

KNOWING WHY AND HOW TO USE GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS IN THE CLASSROOM

• Graphic organizers are best known for planning writing (prewriting stage) but not for revising.However, Tierney and Pearson (1984) purport that students can revise better if they can see clearly what they are revising.
• Furthermore, students reading skills may inhibit their ability to revise in a text-based modality and thus with visual representation, the process of revising becomes more engaging and easier for the student.

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN THE CRAFT OF AN EXPERT VS A POOR WRITER

AN EXPERT WRITER  USES KNOWLEDGE TRANSFORMATION  STRATEGIES Is aware of the overall plan and goals for writing which they develop within the constraints (boundaries) of their writing .

A POOR WRITER USES KNOWLEDGE TELLING STRATEGIES Writing is reflective of the writer’s trend of thought  and suggests that the writer has little knowledge of the impact of mental processes that reader goes through as their product is being read.

DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN HOW EXPERT VS POOR READERS REVISE THEIR CRAFT

EXPERT WRITERS	POOR WRITERS
Organize, cluster and establish relationships between thoughts and ideas. Their schema contains prior knowledge to aid in this process.	Do not organize, cluster or establish relationships between thoughts and ideas. Their schema does not contain prior knowledge to aid in this process.
Diagnose problems in their writing and make an effort to fix them in the order of global (below the surface) to local (surface errors). However, if lots of problems surface are willing to rewrite the entire paper	Diagnose problems and do not attempt to fix them. They consequently rewrite from a more local perspective where they focus on fixing surface errors.
Flexible processing –Use standard and unconventional approaches to get a more balanced view  (insight) into their writing	Lack innovation in cognitive processing. They simply decode words and use default interpretations to get a balanced view of their writing.

Flower, Hayes,Carey, Schriver and Stratman (1986)

In examining the table above of the revising processes that expert and poor writers engage in, it is evident that expert writers have some knowledge of the use of graphic organizers. The poor writers on the other hand may have no knowledge or have some knowledge which they cannot apply effectively.This plays a big part in the quality of writing that has been produced by these two groups.

GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS AS A VIABLE CHOICE IN SCAFFOLDING REVISION

PERCEPTUAL PROPERTIES

Offloading a “dumptruck” of thoughts and ideas, re-representation and delimitation may help students to better see what they need to revise.

-Tree diagrams, fish bone and matrices have perceptual properties because they provide concise categories of ideas into main ideas, sub-ideas, with explicit interrelationships between them. All information that is required for processing is easily located on such diagrams.

-Outlines or matrices don’t address global but local revision (on the surface). When one fact is found, the other is likely to be located next to it.

-Venn Diagrams facilitate global revision by allowing the writer to compare and contrast ideas or details. -Overall, diagrams provide readers with spatial representations that are often difficult to derive from text only. This is because readers are able to reorganize info in novel ways (Clegarty, Carpenter and Just, 1991)


ADVANTAGES

-Opportunity is provided to reduce cognitive load  i.e. " freedom from  demands of constructing well formed and coherent text" which leads to students ability to concentrate on "comparing, diagnosing and operating" what they want to write concerning the rhetorical problem they wish to answer (Flower and Hayes, 1981)

-Clear representation of the writing plan can lead to better essays. This is because studies have shown positive correlation between the quality of the writing plan and essay scores. Plans that are organized , structured and have beginner and intermediate levels of responses have higher mean essay scores while  plans which are well elaborated including a brief summary of the topic have the highest mean essay scores (Lee, 2007)

FRAMEWORK FOR MULTIPLE REPRESENTATIONS OF GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

DESIGN             Number­-Should be sufficient to meet the level of complexity of the text. Form-Students need to understand the relatedness of ideas in the graphic organizers before they can be used for revision. Task inappropriate graphic organizers interfere with students ’mental conditioning that  graphic organizers can be used to improve difficulties experienced in writing. Information-Information should be distributed coherently, sequentially and should enable formulation of choices when students translate information from one type of representation to another . Sequence-mirrors logical cognitive processing in structuring writing according to genre. Translation­- It should not be difficult for students to read whatever they have from  their diagrams. This is important so that the teacher or peers can understand where their writing plan is headed. It is also important to be able to transfer that information onto another type of representation with ease.

FUNCTION Complementary-Graphic organizers complement each other when they differ in terms of the processes each supports or the information contained. Constraining- Explicit instruction, familiar representation is introduced prior to unfamiliar representations so that students can learn by analyzing. Constructing-Learners integrate information from various representations to construct new knowledge that would be difficult to achieve with only one representation.

COGNITIVE TASK/FEEDBACK -Some of the cognitive activities presented by using graphic organizers are extraneous in nature and are consequently not directed at schema acquisition, however feedback can make the situation much better. Benefits of feedback -exposes students to  a variety of writing styles (Harris and Graham, 1996) -provides practice in distinguishing between useful and useless feedback (Harris, 1992) -the latter helps to build up students declarative and procedural knowledge and metacognitive awareness so  that they will be equipped to evaluate their own writing in the future (Lee, 2007) -feedback from peers or teacher provides students with a mental model of readers resulting in increased awareness of  incongruities between how their ideas are expressed and how the reader perceives those ideas (Schriver, 1992; Berg, 1999)

FOR EFFECTIVE USE OF GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS AS A REVISION TOOL

• Students would have put in a lot of effort to rewrite drafts based on peer or teacher feedback at revision sessions. Therefore there should be  an effort to have revision sessions not only for the first draft but subsequent drafts as well.At these sessions students would be more willing to reread their essays as comfort level between them and their peers increases over time.
• The type and complexity of the tasks students need to perform will determine the distribution of information in graphic organizers. Argumentative writing builds one argument on the basis of another and so complementary and constraining functions are very important . The use of the text structure cause and effect in an expository piece would lend itself to the constructing function.
• Students should be allowed to generate the graphic organizers themselves . Teacher constructed graphic organizers ="sage on the stage" and affect the depth of students' cognitive processing. For e.g. The teacher may have assumed different prior knowledge from the students and  oversimplified the comprehension process by focusing on basic declarative knowledge of facts.
• Students need to be trained in using graphic organizers following the gradual release of responsibility model (teacher models, students work in small groups, teacher monitors and gives advice, scaffolding removed when level of competence or benchmark reached, independent practice follows). If this fails to happen students will have clouded judgement about their usefulness and may be susceptible to making costly errors in their use.
• Training familiarizes students with form and function of the organizers. That previous knowledge of what to look for next when using organizers and where to look for it makes a considerable difference in performance of children who can and cannot use  a particular type of graphic organizer.
• Training and familiarity with graphic organizers is built over a period of time. Ellis (2004) as cited in Lee (2007) suggests that "...students need about 15-20 different meaningful exposures to  a specific graphic organizer before they really begin to understand and internalize it."
• In terms of feedback, it should begin early on in the writing process. Students are generally much more willing to accept comments early in the draft than later when they have already put so much effort into it and having to do immense modification or rewriting frustrates and upsets them. (Ferris, 1995)Furthermore, formative feedback promotes improvement to students' writing by encouraging students to develop their writing skills in multiple genres.

Unit 4: Activity 2-Brainstorming Strategies and 10 Tips for Better Brainstorming

BRAINSTORMING STRATEGIES

SUMMARY

-Brainstorming enables us to harness our metacognitive abilities and to transform the energy generated by that process into written words.

-Brainstorming helps get writing of text in motion regardless of too few ideas or too many ideas

-Brainstorming helps to review a first draft that is a long way from completion.

-Brainstorming can be used by writers of varying proficiencies from novice to expert.

TYPES OF BRAINSTORMING

(1)Free Writing

-Free writing is a free up of internal critique-uninhibited expressions.In free writing there is need to set benchmarks or targets for yourself.

-Tools to facilitate free writing are :

For timing: kitchen timer, alarm clock 

For space: X no. of notebook pages 

Materials: notebook paper, computer paper, sketch pad paper

(2)Listing/Bulleting

Aim to generate a list of words or phrases under a particular topic.Several lists can be generated.

For e.g First list for thesis, Second list for opposite claims. This fosters comparison between ideas.

Advantages of creating lists/bulleting:

(1)Ensures that thesis is solid or grounded

(2) Gather alternative perspectives on the topic

(3) 3 Perspectives-1-Describe it (describe subject in detail) 2-Trace it (trace history or significance of subject) , 3-Map it (What subject is influenced by or related to?)

Advantages

(1) Holistic perspective of ideas; varying angles are more pronounced

(2) Analyze ideas  for interesting relationships

(3) Analyze ideas for mismatches

(4)Cubing allows approaching the topic from 6 different directions

1-Describe it

2-Compare it

3-Associate it

4-Analyze it

5-Apply it

6-Argue for and against it

Cubing lends itself to questioning which is also a brainstorming strategy.

Advantages of cubing:

(1) Create a broader awareness of the topic's complexities

(2) Sharpen focus of what will be done with the topic

(5) Similes technique

------------------is/was/were like----------------------
Just fill in the blanks to refine ideas with vivid, supporting details.

(6) Clustering/Mapping/webbing-The essence of this strategy is to establish groups among a range of ideas. Its like creating order out of chaos.

(7)Thinking Outside the box- Learning is not compartmentalized and therefore previous knowledge from the content areas can help to provide topics to write about in English; may lessen the amount of research that has to be done on the topic and so forth.

(8)Consider purpose and audience-Audience: What do they already know? What do they need to know?

Purpose: Why do you wish to communicate with the audience?-Inform....., Convince......, Describe....

REVIEW OF NEW IDEAS

-When free writing if you can't think of what to say that can be stated too.

 
-Free writing is writing in a state of "nothingness". There will be gems of discoveries-highlight , cut and paste them on an ideas sheet. Filler and unusable thoughts serve the purpose of ascertaining what contradictory or overused ideas are and provide motivation to stop procrastinating and get to serious work. 

-Useful questions to ask when using the cubing strategy, " Do responses suggest anything new about the topic?" or "Can one side of your argument help draft your thesis statement?"

-I was familiar with clustering but not the specific details of implementation. I know now that a large space is needed for e.g. sketch pad paper or blackboard. On this space all associated items are circled. Draw lines of various colours between the clusters that form various types of relationships. Some items are out of a cluster and need to be colour coded. Thereafter, stand away from cluster and try to start forming conclusions about how to approach topic. (What is done with clusters depends on writing needs)


IMPACT ON MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING OF WRITING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Reading and writing, require thought and  are interdependent activities. Cognitive processing required to develop understanding and decipher meaning of text occurs both in reading and writing.Hence, in the whole to part graphic organizer. After reading to discover connections between the whole and its constituent parts. We write to relate the not so obvious connections between the parts that were not revealed after having read.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION  OF BRAINSTORMING STRATEGIES

The journalistic questions strategy is useful to establish critical thought processes in writing as well as to establish writing in an authentic classroom environment. With regards to the 5WS and How the teacher will first model interviewing activity and then have students work in pairs to get insight into the effectiveness of their first draft. An alternative is to use a panel discussion technique or sage on a stage game where teacher can collaborate with the rest of students in class in brainstorming. This voluntary participation of teacher as a student  will build learner confidence and trust in suggestions that peers give about making their first draft better.

Tape recorders are obsolete and so voice recorders in the cell phone could be a great tool to carry out interview with an imaginary friend. The voice recorder speaks to the student who can respond orally or in writing to the questions. for e.g. What aspects of your essay must you work on further?; How do you intend to find out more about the topic?

Although research helps to define topic and to gather supporting details or evidence for the main ideas, there is need to teach students via minilesson how to conduct research on the Internet. The guidelines will cover scholarly content, copyright issues, citations etc. This is to make the research process as hassle-free and accurate as possible for students.

Tips for Better Brainstorming

SUMMARY

-A positive teacher attitude toward brain storming activities will filter down to the students and motivate them to be voluntary participants in brain storming sessions. Praise students who thought of a very divergent perspective. Make this a habit and soon children will figure out that brainstorming means generating as many diverse ideas as possible
.

-Topics should be chosen that lend themselves  to many ideas. If that is not the case change it. Also don’t ask children to brainstorm ideas you already know answers too. The children will be able to pick up on your lack of enthusiasm about their ideas.

-When students get stuck on a topic and generate stagnant ideas just move on to a sub- topic that relates to the main topic and come back to some other time.

REVIEW OF NEW IDEAS

-Small every day decisions in the classroom can give students practice in brainstorming before a whole class activity on brainstorming on a difficult topic.

-During read-alouds, hearing the suggested ideas from other students reinforces the importance of ideas and reminds them of that have already been stated.

-Benchmarks or targets can be set to give students the drive to brainstorm

-Teachers should align children's personal experiences  with brainstorming so that directions are sufficient and that learning is more student centered and relevant to every day life.

IMPACT ON MY BELIEFS ABOUT TEACHING OF WRITING AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Reducing students’ affective filter results in an uninhibited flow of ideas for writing  that can be expressed by brainstorming in pairs for e.g. think pair share, small groups  and whole class groups. However, there are times that thought processes  stagnate because of lack of interest in topic. This is the opportunity for the teacher to devise strategies  to get students to write about  topics that all students can identify with . For e.g. The students will be asked to show and not tell what is  rain. This is accomplished by relating  rain to any of the five senses and using text structures such as cause and effect. for e.g “Rain is the unexpected, thunderous explosion from smoggy, bluish-grey, potbellied clouds, swollen with liquid crystals that is guaranteed to cause a lady, fresh-out from the hair salon, to run as fast as a persecuted squirrel to the nearest  burrow.


RECOMMENDATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 10 TIPS FOR BETTER BRAINSTORMING

In a section of students' learning logs they could indicate the metacognitive activities that go into producing journal entries e.g. double entry journals, learning log. This would be authentic practice of brainstorming and if done conscientiously, would become part of student's writing process sooner than later.

Unit 4: Activity 1-Prewriting Strategies

STRATEGIES






Summary

Prewriting is: 

-the scaffolding of a good essay/ writing skills
-the solution to writer's block (being unfocused, anxious, frustrated, blank)
-everything that we do before the first draft (guides writer into outline of possible ideas, topics or comments)
-dynamic and everevolving (changes make it better)
-a means of finding inspiration for writing and to find the calm within to facilitate starting the first draft
(Sources of inspiration for writing include: dreams, the media, personal experience, visual art research)
-important to teachers because it demonstrates how students came upon the main idea and conclusion of their essays.

Developing the topic:

Strategies to help students develop the topic include
(1) Reader Response (Oral or written response to literature that has been read about a certain issue
(2) Listing-Create a list of topics that one feels comfortable writing about-Double space between topics so ideas about topic can be inserted at a later date.
(3) Free Writing-A type of brainstorming where the flow of ideas and thoughts is uninhibited for a specified time frame. In the classroom we can have students free write for 7-10 minutes.It is a means of generating positive criticism that allows students to gauge their progress with the first draft.
Rule of thumb: Never cross out, look back. NO EDITING WHATSOEVER!!! Do not get preoccupied with writing conventions but focus on creating a central focus for the paper.
(4) Questioning-The teacher can ask students question such as:
Are these ideas to broad?
Could your main topic be more specific?
(5)Blindwriting-This is  a type of freewriting. It is best done on the computer and requires that the screen be turned of while computer is still on and then writer types away at his or her fast draft, uninhibited, non-stop for a specified time frame.
(6)Graphic Organizers-They are valuable instructional tools that get students to  visually represent their thoughts and ideas.


ADVANTAGES OF USING GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS 

-Flexible (user has many choices to fulfill the purposes of the writing)

-Show order and completeness of students thought process. Thus, strengths and weaknesses in writing  become apparent

-Dig below the surface of ideas, show inter- relatedness of ideas; allows writer to view ideas from multiple perspectives

N.B.DIFFERENT GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS ARE USED FOR DIFFERENT WRITING STYLES

EXAMPLES OF GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS

(1) Chain of events-Depicts in detail actions in a sequential mode. for e.g. What is the character going to do first?

(2) Spider Map-Used to illustrate the central premise.Can b used for topic, concept or theme supported by the main idea that has evidence r clams to support it.

(3) Continuum Graphic Organizer-Displays historical events on a timeline. Students place events in a sequential order from first to last (useful for research papers)

Review of new ideas


-Blindwriting is a means of getting rid of writer's block because it turns of the language monitor in the left side of the brain. It is this monitor which makes us think that our ideas are not good for e.g "What is this crap that I have written?"

-We list and brainstorm to generate ideas and then create graphic organizers to organize our ideas.

-It is the graphic organizers that help to prioritize main ideas because lists cannot allow the writer to perceive interrelationships between ideas for the first draft.

-Questioning helps students to focus on specific ideas while writing ( 5Ws-who, what, where, when, why) and how and can resolve problems encountered in creating a first draft.

Impact on my beliefs about teaching of writing and implications for practice

-If students are not taught to organize their thoughts before they write they will ramble and keep going around in circles in their writing. We want students to present writing products that are precise and focused on satisfying the needs of the reader for specific genres.
-Graphic organizers foster the reading-writing connection because they can be used before, during and after reading and structure ideas in such a way that the relationships between them can be revealed explicitly rather than implicitly as in text-based mode.
-Graphic organizers cater to the learning needs of visual learners in particular because they may have problems in formulating a topic. They can then see and write out what is deeply embedded in their deepest thoughts. Gives all students a visual image of their thoughts which can be obscured by relating them in text format only.
-I always enjoy asking students probing questions because it helps them with cognitive offload. I want to know what my students are thinking so that students can help each other as well as myself through provision of positive feedback/criticism.The diverse perspective also helps students learn to respect diverse ideas and this is an important principle in fostering a learning community of writers.

Recommendations for implementation of prewriting strategies

• There should always be a stimulus for writing before students can prewrite.

• The teacher can make use of information gathered from interest inventory to give students lists of topics they can brainstorm about.

• Prewriting strategies need to be modeled before students can be expected to use them.The gradual release of responsibility model will be used for this . Modelling first, then group work and monitoring from class teacher, followed by independent practice when students have thoroughly understood the concepts and are ready to try it out on their own.

Unit 3: Activity 2- Strategies used by the writer to communicate with his or her audience, the writer's purpose and evaluation of a descriptive essay "Lou's Place"

STRATEGIES USED BY THE WRITER TO COMMUNICATE WITH HIS OR HER AUDIENCE

• Sensory data (sensory details description)-for e.g. "The paint on the wall has cracks and there is a perennial smell of hamburgers permeating the air."

• Adjectives-for e.g "......the place (noun) looks a little squalid (adjective)..." and "....a haze (adjective) of aromas (noun).

• Descriptive sequence (spatial-order description)-for e.g. "When entering the door at Lou's....seems to consist of a maze of rooms. The first room, through the door, is the main part of the restaurant.There is another, rarely used dining room,off to the right."

• Figurative Language for e.g.(personification)-for e.g."The old juke box  reigning in the corner is brought to life "

• Comparison and Contrast-for e.g."...I experienced another trip through time' s door; it was as if nothing had changed, nothing except, the amount of gray in her hair." and "... Some of the old men had passed on; they have since been replaced by ..."young 'uns" ..."

• Informal language (colloquialisms)  and level of language formality is casual-"She ....often...with the strongest East Tennessee accent "It don't matter how pore a body is..."' and the "doins of them young'uns..."

THE WRITER"S PURPOSE AND HOW THIS IS ACHIEVED IN THE ESSAY

The writer's purpose is to highlight the historical and social importance of "Lou's " to its generations of patrons since 1954. This is evident in the phrases "...proud of her 'A' rating and prominently displays it."; "...added during the oil well boom of the seventies"; "the old juke box...starts blasting tunes that cover at least twenty years of change in musical tastes and " ..."the restaurant begins it's shift as the town's social center."."The writer takes the reader on a journey through time and space as he or she enters this nostalgic cafe.This is evident in the phrase "It seemed as if we had opened the door to decades."The description of the writer's personal experiences of dining at Lou's: a walk through "the maze of rooms" at Lou's, to have a meal there at various seating arrangements,to play music on "the old juke box",  to over hear conversations of the "busybodies or gossips"and to experience the hospitality of "Lou" appeals primarily to the sense of sight and less frequently sound and smell. The use of descriptive adjectives create paintings or photographs in my mind  of people young and old who walk in , sit, play music, gossip, dine and then leave at premeditated hours of the day or night. For example, "Even though the news branch never stops,...it is replaced by young people, heralding the evening" Furthermore, I could put a face to many of the townsfolk from the 'old men', the 'young 'uns', "the women's information league' and so forth. The cafe atmosphere is casual and the use of colloquialism and contractions reflects that. Such an  example is  "It don't matter how pore a body is."

6 TRAITS WRITING RUBRIC TO EVALUATE THE DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY "LOU'S PLACE"

	4- Excellent	3-Very Good	2-Satisfactory	1-Needs Improvement
Ideas	-paints a picture for the reader -well focused on the topic -clear ideas are well supported with interesting and vivid detail	-creates some clear images for the reader -focused on the topic -ideas are well supported with details	-sometimes strays from the topic -ideas are not well developed -more details are needed	-poorly focused on the topic -ideas are unclear -few details are given
Organization	-well focused on the topic -logical organization -excellent transition -easy to follow	-generally focused on the topic -some lapses in organization -some transitions -usually easy to follow	-somewhat  focused on the topic -poor organization -few transitions -difficult to follow	-not focused on the topic -no clear organization -no transitions -difficult or impossible to follow
Word Choice	-precise, vivid and interesting word choices -variety of word choices	-fairly precise, interesting and somewhat varied word choices -wording could be more specific	-vague, mundane word choices -wording is sometimes repetitive -more descriptive words are needed	-very limited word choices -wording is bland and not descriptive
Sentence Fluency	-uses complete sentences -varying sentence structure and lengths	-uses complete sentences -generally simple sentence structures	-occasional sentence fragment or run-on sentence -sentence structure is used repeatedly	-sentences are difficult to understand
Conventions	-proper grammar usage -correct spelling -correct punctuation -correct capitalization	-few errors of grammar and usage -most correct spelling, punctuation and capitalization	-errors in grammar, usage and spelling sometimes makes understanding difficult -some errors in punctuation and capitalization	-frequent errors in grammar, usage, spelling, capitalization and punctuation make understanding difficult or impossible
Voice	-voice is fitting for the topic and engaging -well suited for audience and purpose	-voice is fairly clear and seems to fit the topic -suited for audience and purpose	-voice rarely comes through -not always suited for audience and purpose	-voice is weak and inappropriate -no sense of audience and purpose

Unit 3: Activity 1-Modes of Discourse (Rhetorical Modes)

MODES OF

A discourse is a a mode of communication that determines what is said and how it is said. The type of discourse that is used will determine how a conversation between the writer and the reader will proceed. The four basic modes of discourse (also known as rhetorical modes) are narration, description, exposition and argument.

Renowned educator, James Kinneavy's two videos posted below provide insight into how modes of discourse can used for expression in the real world and the rationale for the use of each of the four basic modes of discourse in writing. Kinneavy also explains that more than one mode of discourse can be present in a literary piece.

As Kinneavy stated, the  knowledge of the differences between the different modes of discourse can assist the writer in making sound decisions about composing an effective piece of writing that suits the intended purpose and  caters to the needs of the audience among other considerations. The following table distinguishes the characteristics of narration, description, exposition and argument as pertains to purpose, audience, content, style, voice and organization.

	NARRATION	DESCRIPTION	EXPOSITION	ARGUMENT
PURPOSE	*Tells a story or narrates an event or series of events.	*Re-creates, invents or visually presents a person, place, event or action so that the reader can create a mental picture of that being described (take  a photograph in time and space).	*Explains and analyzes information for the reader by presenting an idea, relevant evidence and appropriate discussion.	*Proves the validity of an idea or point of view by expressing sound reasoning, discussion and arguments that thoroughly convince the reader.
AUDIENCE	*Presents an event or series of events to the reader that is so powerful that the reader can  imagine physically being there at the scene when the action unfolds	* Provides the readers with insight into how the writer perceives the world through using all or some of the five senses: sight, taste, touch, smell and sound *Invites the reader to engage with the sensual experiences provided by the writer.	*It involves clarification of ideas, analyzing of situations, defining of pertinent terms, giving instructions and following process to better the reader's understanding of the subject/topic.	*Moves the reader to form or change an opinion or point of view. *Persuasive writing is a type of argument that urges the reader to take some form of action i.e. to take a stance
CONTENT	*Concerned with relating who, what ,where and when rather than explaining why something has happened. For e.g. Who was shot? Where was he shot? When was he shot? What type of firearm did the shooter use?	*Concerned with what happened throughout the course of time and space by using sensory appeals to the reader. For e.g. On Christmas Eve last year, his coal-blackened hands smeared my newly white-washed picket fence as he attempted to break a fall.	*Concerned with explaining all of the five Ws: -who -what -where -when -why For e.g. Who uses this brand of lipstick? What are the shades available? When will more shades for women of colour be available for sale? Where can I purchase this brand of lipstick? Why do the manufacturers sell the lipstick to only high end retailers?	*Concerned with explaining why. * Moves the reader to change or modify their opinion or point of view. *It is also involves moving the reader to  make informed decisions or to take a stance that will lead to some sort of action. For e.g. Organic foods reduce the human body's risk for obesity, high blood pressure and inflammatory diseases (Grow Well Farmers Association, 2012)
STYLE	*Tone-Examples include:gloomy, happy, reflective. The reader may experience a roller-coaster ride as various elements of the story are revealed during reading or listening. However, tone of the narrative leaves a lasting feeling in the reader when the story has concluded. *Type of prose:artistic *Devices employed include: action or dynamic verbs; dialogue; point of view of narrator, first person narrator and this person narrator. Story conventions:setting, characters, plot, climax and resolution.	*Tone-Examples  include: sarcastic,  humorous, grim. The reader may get these impressions of the piece because of the writer's focus on being purposefully unique and authentic "showing rather than telling"-achieved by paying close attention to sensory details that paint vivid pictures. *Type of prose: artistic *Devices employed include: adjectives, literary devices such as metaphors and similes  words, expressions and phrases that appeal to the 5 senses and descriptive sequence: follow  a logical path as in point A to B on a map or an impressionistic style which is like a camera taking random snapshots   which may be done to reinforce themes that span a literary piece.	*Tone-Examples include: emotional, all-knowing,restrained.The reader may get these impressions of the piece because the writer focuses on informing and explaining the subject in a way that he or she deems fit for the reader to understand. *Type of prose: technical/scientific *Devices employed include: analysis;classification; definition;illustration; cause and effect; comparison and contrast and analogy	*Tone-Examples include restrained, hostile, pompous,sincere.The reader may get these impressions of the writer's rigid adherence to logic and factual evidence. *Type of prose: technical/scientific (argument) and artistic  (persuasive) *Argumentative  devices employed include: evidence; facts; authoritative opinion; personal experience and refutation of the counterargument. *Persuasive devices employed include:  repetition, rhetorical questions and emotional appeals.
VOICE	*Voice-The writer  generally writes in the first person “I" and the third person “he, she, or it”.  *The writer's voice will reflect personal or fictitious experiences as revealed in the story. *Examples may include: high energy, active,  innocent, funny and superfluous	*Voice-Reflects the writer's stage in a romance, embrace or attachment to words, phrases and expressions that evoke sensory details and that can create vivid mental pictures in the reader's mind. *Examples may include: confessional, poetic, and idiomatic.	*Voice-It is engaging and reflective of the writer's underlying  commitment to bettering the level of understanding of the reader about a particular topic. *Examples may include: discursive, rambling sententious, verbose and vague.	*Voice-The writer writes in the impersonal third person “he, she, it” and has  a strong and definite position.  *Unyielding enthusiasm spans the argument from the introduction to the conclusion in an attempt to  thoroughly convince the reader of the position or to take a stance.  *The voice should never be casual. * Examples may include:  grandiloquent, serious and concerned
ORGANIZATION	*Time is the organizational principle of narration. It is temporal in nature meaning that the flow of thoughts and ideas follow a sequential pattern.	*Description uses a spatial organization structure. The writer spatially hovers over   things, events and people and freezes them in time in order to give  a seemingly uninhibited description of them from various angles. This can enable the creation of  a "flamboyant painting" or "vivid snapshot" in the reader's mind.	*Exposition uses a multiplicity of structural arrangements. This is based primarily on logic: definition, clarification, illustration, cause and effect, comparison and contrast,anecdotes and sometimes analogy.The choice of the most appropriate organisational techniques will improve the effectiveness of the piece of writing in explaining the content to the reader.	*Argument should be structured in a way that makes sense to the reader. *According to Simmons-McDonald (1997), argument has a set of claims( at least two) one of which is the major claim or conclusion, while the other claim(s) are the grounds which support the conclusion. Both short and long arguments reflect these basic structural arguments *The Toulmin method of logic is a common and  precise method of organization of argument (The Owl at Purdue, 2012) The following are its constituent parts: Claim- The overall thesis the writer will argue for. Data- Evidence gathered to support the claim. Warrant- (the bridge): Explanation of why or how the data supports the claim, the underlying assumption that connects your data to your claim. Backing (foundation)-Additional logic or reasoning that may be necessary to support the warrant. Counterclaim-A claim that negates or disagrees with the thesis/claim. Rebuttal- Evidence that negates or disagrees with the counterclaim.