Embracing the Art of Writing: An Overview of Writing Genres in the ELA Classroom

As we gear up for another exciting school year, it's essential to lay a solid foundation for our students in understanding the various writing genres they will encounter. In this blog post, we'll delve into the three primary genres we focus on in our secondary English Language Arts curriculum: interpretive/argument, informational/explanatory, and narrative writing.

Interpretive/Argument Writing
Interpretive/argument writing emphasizes logical support of claims with evidence and reasoning, encouraging critical thinking and a deep understanding of the subject matter.

• Introducing claim(s), acknowledging and distinguishing the claim(s) from alternate or opposing claims, and organizing the reasons and evidence logically.
• Supporting claim(s) with logical reasoning and precise and relevant evidence, using accurate, credible sources and demonstrating an understanding of the topic or text.
• Using words, phrases, and clauses to create cohesion and clarify the relationships among claim(s), counterclaims, reasons, and evidence.
• Establishing and maintaining a formal style appropriate to the purpose, audience, and context.
• Providing a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the argument presented.

Informational/Explanatory Writing
If argument writing is a genre whose fundamental purpose is to change a reader’s mind or behavior, informational writing’s fundamental purpose is to uncover and present what is interesting and meaningful about a topic. Teaching informational writing means teaching the whole process, including:

• identifying worthy sources, 
• assessing those sources and oneself for bias, 
• selecting relevant pieces of information, and
• analyzing those pieces of information and arranging them in a clear, engaging way. 

Narrative Writing
Narrative Writing encompasses a universe of specific writing genres, including short stories, recounts, memoir, autobiography, some poetry, drama, short fiction, novellas, and novels. At its core, narrative writing is storytelling, aiming to entertain, inform, or convey a message.

• Engages and orients the reader by establishing a context and point of view.
• Uses narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection.
• Uses a variety of transition words, phrases, and clauses to convey sequence, signal shifts ... and show the relationships among experiences and events.

Helping students understand and master these writing genres empowers them to become versatile writers and effective communicators. We encourage you to share your own strategies and experiences in teaching these genres in the comments below!