Abstract

general audience (e.g., school, community, adults, peers, students, unspecified). Writing Forms The ability to shape and organize ideas requires choosing a form that is appropriate to the audience and purpose. Students need experiences with a range of forms. Some examples include: personal experience narratives autobiographies biographies fictional narratives (e.g., short stories and novellas) diary entries journal entries learning logs poetry (e.g., ballads, acrostics, counted-syllable formats, free verse, song lyrics, other formats) parodies essays research reports reviews news stories editorials and opinions advertisements correspondence (e.g., friendly letters; invitations; letters of thanks, complaint, application, sympathy, inquiry, protest, congratulation, apology) scripts (e.g., skits, plays, radio plays, TV commercials) oral histories eulogies and last will and testaments speeches memoranda and messages instructions and advice rules and regulations minutes and forms pamphlets résumés and cover letters. Through an appropriate balance of experiences with the previous purposes, audiences, and forms, students can become competent in a range of writing tasks.