1.<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0Informational\/Explanatory Writing (Expository) Did you know that writers can blend together these three text types to create original and effective writing? The CCSS\u2019s \u201cDefinitions of the Standards\u2019 Three Text Types\u201d states the following: \u201cSkilled writers many times use a blend of these three text types to accomplish their purposes.\u201d<\/p>\n Why must students understand this? There are two reasons: 1) Students read! and 2) Students write! Since blended text is commonplace in what students read, it cannot be ignored. Clearly, what we teach students about writing should match what they see when they read. Looked at another way, real writers blend text, and our goal is to develop real writers.<\/p>\n Please note that the CCSS uses the term blended text<\/em>, but the concept also goes by the term mixed form<\/em>, and both are quite similar in theory to multi-genre<\/em> or mixed-genre<\/em>. I will be using the term blended text<\/em>. Additionally, although I am primarily interested in blended text as relates to teaching writing, I address this topic with students when reading with them across the curriculum. Across the curriculum, we analyze texts and discover how writer really write. It\u2019s not difficult to find examples of blended text.<\/p>\n When the CCSS talks about blended text, they are talking about blending modes of discourse or blending genres. They are not talking about the fact that a narrative can be informational, as with a newspaper article, as opposed to how a narrative can be a fictional narrative story intended to entertain, as with a novel. That issue has more to do with the many classification systems found in the world of writing. Making this matter even more confusing is the fact that many writing classification systems overlap with other classification systems, and most classification systems are composed of other classification systems.<\/p>\n In writing, the classification systems are endless and imperfect. It\u2019s exhausting to sort through and evaluate the multitude of writing classification systems that theorists have developed over the millennia. It\u2019s even more exhausting to figure out how they all connect and what \u201cimportant truth\u201d is found inside each of these classification systems. These conceptual, abstract systems are a far cry from the objective, verifiable classification systems found in science and math.<\/p>\n Although academics and theorists have touched on blended text for hundreds of years, this 4×4 Model for Understanding Blended Text \u2122 is the first model that addresses the topic concretely in a way that makes sense to students.<\/p>\n Students need to understand blended text as both readers and writers. To understand blended text, students must understand two models:<\/p>\n 1. The Four Main Genres:<\/span> 1) Expository, 2) Narrative, 3) Descriptive, and 4) Argument<\/p>\n 2. The Four Levels of Text:<\/span> 1) Whole Composition, 2) Paragraph, 3) Chunk, and 4) Sentence<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Of course, we could make this model more complicated by adding more genres and more levels of text. But let\u2019s not. Let\u2019s keep things simple.<\/p>\n In his 1866 book, English Composition and Rhetoric<\/em>, Alexander Bain introduced the Four Modes of Discourse model, which has remained the foundation of writing instruction ever since. The CCSS Three Text Types are the same Four Modes of Discourse, but with descriptive writing playing a smaller role.<\/p>\n Please Note:<\/em><\/strong> I call Bain\u2019s Four Modes of Discourse the Four Main Genres. It just makes more sense to people.<\/p>\n Understanding blended text requires that we understand each of the Four Main Genres, along with how they contribute to creating a whole composition. To be clear, most whole compositions are primarily<\/em> one main genre. However, the longer the piece of writing is, the more likely that the writer will blend in other main genres.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s take a closer look at our Four Main Genres:<\/span><\/p>\n 1.\u00a0 Expository:<\/span> We inform and explain to help others understand things in the same way that we do. We teach them. (Teach)<\/p>\n 2.\u00a0 Narrative:<\/span> We tell what happened. (Tell)<\/p>\n 3.\u00a0 Descriptive:<\/span> We use words to create mental images of sights, sounds, smells, tastes, textures, and feelings in the minds of our readers. We use words to make places, things, activities, and people seem real and vivid in the minds of our readers. (Describe)<\/p>\n 4.\u00a0 Argument:<\/span> We make claims, give reasons, and provide evidence to prove our claims. (Prove)<\/p><\/div><\/div>\n In its simplest form, writing comes down to just four verbs or goals: 1) Teach, 2) Tell What Happened, 3) Describe, and 4) Prove. Every sentence we write achieves one of these four goals. Truthfully, many sentences will contribute to achieving several of these goals or possibly all of these goals. But let\u2019s keep things simple. In short, one Main Genre should jump out as being the primary Main Genre.<\/p>\n Have you taught your students how to create an outline? If you have, then you have probably used the term LEVELS. We speak of outlines as having levels, and we teach students that outlines have levels: e.g., a one-level outline, a two-level outline, a three-level outline, etc.<\/p>\n Outlines represent the levels of text or ideas in a piece of writing. For this reason, every piece of writing has a hidden outline inside of it, and that outline is composed of levels. When teachers teach students about levels, they are teaching students about outlines. That\u2019s win-win!<\/p>\n Once again, let\u2019s keep things simple. Although we could add in more levels of text, we will use just four. In teaching students to write, these are The Four Important Levels of Text<\/span>:<\/p>\n Level 1: Whole Composition<\/strong> If you wish to learn more about hierarchical levels in writing, you may want to read The Four Levels of Text<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n Once again, I introduce my students to blended text because it exists in real writing. And we learn about it while we are reading real writing. It\u2019s not difficult to find. At the sentence level, blended text exists in almost every single piece of writing. We just need to take a moment to show our students this blended text. In the end, this saves us time, as we don\u2019t have to teach so many inauthentic writing lessons.<\/p>\n Here are a few examples that illustrate what teachers should look for in their texts:<\/p>\n 1.<\/span> The class is reading an expository<\/strong><\/span> chapter on the Plains Indians, and we come across a nice description<\/strong><\/span> of what they wore.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2.<\/span> The class is reading a narrative<\/strong><\/span> story, and two characters disagree. Each character presents a compelling argument<\/strong><\/span> full of claims, reasons, support, and evidence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 3.<\/span> The class is reading a descriptive<\/strong><\/span> essay about Niagara Falls. We see that the writer provides background information (expository text<\/strong><\/span>) about the falls at the beginning of the text. Later, the writer narrates (narrative<\/strong><\/span>) the journey of an old log traveling downstream and going over the falls. The writer ends with a two-sentence argument<\/strong><\/span> in favor of cherishing nature.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Hopefully, Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay’s<\/a><\/strong><\/span> 4×4 Model \u2122 (Four Genres x Four Levels) will remind you to take a closer look at the text you are reading and see the truth. Let\u2019s teach our students the truth about writing while we are reading.<\/p>\n Students must read and write to become effective writers. This is no secret. You may want to read my entire Nine-Sentence Blueprint for Teaching Writing<\/a><\/strong>. Here are the first two sentences I added to my blueprint:<\/p>\n Nobody but a reader ever became a writer. <\/p>\n You can only learn to be a better writer by actually writing. Without a doubt, a reading-writing connection exists. Teachers and theorists have created many words over the years to help us connect reading and writing: e.g., The Reading-Writing Connection, Read Like a Writer, Close Reading, and Writing from Sources. Recently, a new saying has entered the reading-writing lexicon. David Coleman, president of the College Board and one of the lead architects of the CCSS has put it this way: \u201cRead like a detective. Write like an investigative reporter.\u201d<\/p>\n Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay’s<\/a><\/strong><\/span> 4×4 Model \u2122 (Four Genres x Four Levels) provides a fantastic foundation for seeing what is going on in a piece of writing. The 4×4 Model is simple, universal, and comprehensive in scope. If one is willing to Read Closely and analyze a piece of writing down at the sentence level, it becomes clear that most writing is blended text.<\/p>\n There is nothing new in the CCSS Three Text Types or what the CCSS says about blended text. As the following quotes demonstrate, the CCSS simply reflects what people have been saying for centuries:<\/p>\n \u00bb<\/strong>\u00a0 Brooks (1905): Such a description is in effect an enlarged definition, and is exposition…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00bb<\/strong>\u00a0 Brooks (1905): Such general narration is really exposition.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00bb<\/strong>\u00a0 Scott and Denny (1909): Both description and narrative may be used for expository purposes.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00bb<\/strong>\u00a0 Scott and Denny (1909): Between exposition and argument it is often hard to distinguish…<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u00bb<\/strong>\u00a0 Tanner (1917): Narration and description, frequently argument, contribute a considerable share to the essay.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n My goal here is not to make things complicated for students, but instead, to open up teachers\u2019 eyes so that they see what is right in front of them. Once again, most whole compositions are PRIMARILY one main genre. In other words, if we step back and look at a whole composition, we should be able to classify the whole thing as being PRIMARILY expository, narrative, descriptive, or argument.<\/p>\n But after we do that, we may want to take a closer look and see what that whole composition is composed of. How does the writer make points? Explain things? Prove things? Entertain the reader? Create interest? Make confusing concepts clear?<\/p>\n Understanding the 4×4 Model (Four Genres x Four Levels) will help readers examine and understand what is going on in a piece of writing. This lets readers analyze exemplars and mentor texts, and in the process, learn from them.<\/p>\n Genre is one of the most interesting and important topics in writing. The truth about genre is that writers do whatever they need to do to create effective writing. As writing teachers, we have two approaches for teaching writing: 1) concrete strategies, and 2) natural strategies. I use both\u2014because I want to teach my students the truth about writing in a way that makes sense to my students.<\/p>\n
\n2.<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0Narrative Writing
\n3.<\/strong>\u00a0 \u00a0Argument<\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"pencil](\"https:\/\/patternbasedwriting.com\/teaching_writing\/wp-content\/uploads\/pencil-and-paper.jpg\")
Blended Text vs. Overlapping Classification Systems<\/h3>\nDo you teach beginning writers or struggling writers? Be sure to check out Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay on the homepage!<\/span><\/a>\nThe 4×4 Model for Understanding Blended Text \u2122 by Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay<\/a><\/span><\/h3>\nThe Four Main Genres<\/h3>\nThe Four Levels of Text<\/h3>\n
\n Level 2: Paragraph<\/strong>
\n Level 3: Chunk<\/strong>
\n Level 4: Sentence<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nBlended Text: See It and Believe It<\/h3>\nRead Like a Writer and Write Like a Reader and a Writer<\/h3>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 Richard Peck \u2013 2001 Newberry Award Winner<\/em><\/p>\n
\n\u00a0\u00a0 \u2013 Doris Lessing \u2013 2007 Nobel Prize in Literature Winner<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nOpening Our Eyes to Genre and Blended Text<\/h3>\nDo you need to get results teaching writing? If so, please check out Pattern Based Writing: Quick & Easy Essay!<\/span><\/a>\nBlended Text and Complicated Genres: Years 1905 to the CCSS<\/h3>\n