Entry 11

Upon reflecting on all of the genres we have discussed this semester, I have learned that each genre has its own set of subsets and specific features. For example, the narrative genre can include mysteries and science fiction texts, poetry can come in various forms such as haiku and diamante, and biographies can be autobiographies, biographies, and personal narratives. In addition, there are specific features that are unique to each genre. The narrative genre must have a plot, characters, and a conflict. In spite of this, genres may sometimes contain similar features. For example, a poem and a biography may both contain characters and a conflict, which are two features of the narrative genre. Also, a descriptive piece may contain elements of persuasion. Even a narrative piece may attempt to persuade the reader. In this way, all of the genres overlap and connect with each other.

At the start of this course, I thought I had a good understanding of the narrative, journal, biographical, and descriptive genres. Through completing my Genre Expert Presentation, I realized that I only had a surface-level understanding of the components of the narrative genre. The narrative genre as a whole is much more complex and has a much wider scope than I had previously realized. Prior to Dr. Jones’ presentation on journal writing, I had thought I knew a great deal about this genre. However, I had not learned all of the various types of journal writing and how to effectively utilize these types in my future classroom. Similarly, I thought I had an in-depth understanding of biographical writing prior to Liz’s presentation, as I have read many biographies and autobiographies in the past. However, once I read Tompkins’ (2008) chapter 7, I realized that the concept of personal narratives was relatively new to me.

Upon reading the chapters in Tompkins (2008), I recognized that, while I had been exposed to large amounts of poetry throughout my education, there were a few types that I was relatively unfamiliar with. Also, in spite of my past experience with poetry, I still began this course feeling as though I did not have a deep understanding of this genre. Through Melissa G.’s presentation, I learned a great deal more about poetry, as well as how to overcome the unease that I may feel about teaching this genre.

At the beginning of this course, I knew that I was not very familiar with persuasive writing. While I have read many persuasive pieces and have created persuasive commercials when I was in elementary and middle school, I have not had much experience actually writing a persuasive paper, such as a speech. While Dr. Jones’ presentation and Tompkins’ (2008) chapter 12 have provided me with a better understanding of this genre, I still feel rather intimidated at the concept of teaching it. This is especially worrisome to me, as my unit for my LTED 625 SCATP project has to do with persuasive writing. I feel as though, if I had more personal experience writing in this genre, as well as a bit more exposure to written persuasive pieces, I would gain the added confidence needed to feel comfortable teaching this genre to my future students.