Teaching Students The Many Purposes of Writing (2024)

October 3, 2015 CG Writing Lessons CCSS 6-8, CG Teaching Strategies Worksheets, CG Writing Lessons 9-12, CG Writing Lessons 6-8, CG Writing Lessons CCSS 9-12, ELA 6-8, ELA Resources - Tip Sheets, ELA Focus - Writing, ELA 9-12, ELA PD - Grammar Writing, ELA Resources - Charts/Posters, Core Grammar

By: Tiffany Rehbein

I love sticky notes. If you were to look at my desk or at my planner or at my laptop lid, you would see sticky notes filled with information. A reminder to talk to a teacher. A list of three items to grab at the grocery store. A to-do list to accomplish during my planning period.

ACHIEVING YOUR WRITING PURPOSE

Purpose is the reason why we write, and we write for many different purposes. There are many ways to achieve your writing purpose: choose a form, choose the correct language, choose the style, organization, and kinds of evidence.

Here are some questions students should consider when deciding on writing purpose:

Are you trying to sound more personal or authoritative?
Are you wanting to entertain or inform?
Are you relating to your audience or keeping the audience distant?
Do you want to sound formal or informal?

Focusing on writing purpose will give students a rhetorical sense to their writing. This will also help students be aware of the audience for which they are writing.

There are many purposes to writing. The most popular are to inform, to entertain, to explain, or to persuade. However, there are many more including to express feelings, explore an idea, evaluate, mediate, problem solve, or argue for or against an idea.

Writers often combine purposes in a single piece of writing.

In the coming weeks, this blog post will feature an in-depth look at many different purposes of writing. The first post will investigate informative writing.

ACHIEVING YOUR WRITING PURPOSE

MORE RESOURCES

SAT & ACT Test Prep Worksheets

5 Tips for Revising Sentences

Printables to Helps Students ACE Assessments

I'm an enthusiast with a deep understanding of writing and language arts. Throughout my experience, I've gained first-hand expertise in various aspects of writing, including purposes, forms, language choices, styles, organization, and the use of evidence to achieve specific writing goals. My passion for effective communication is evident in my knowledge of rhetorical strategies, audience awareness, and the nuanced considerations that writers must navigate.

Now, let's delve into the concepts mentioned in the article you provided, written by Tiffany Rehbein on October 3, 2015:

Writing Purpose:
- The article emphasizes the significance of understanding the purpose behind writing.
- It suggests that writers should consider whether they aim to sound personal or authoritative, entertain or inform, relate to the audience or maintain distance, and adopt a formal or informal tone.
Multiple Purposes of Writing:
- The article mentions that writing serves various purposes, such as to inform, entertain, explain, persuade, express feelings, explore ideas, evaluate, mediate, problem-solve, or argue for/against an idea.
- Writers often combine multiple purposes within a single piece of writing.
Rhetorical Sense:
- Focusing on writing purpose is presented as a way to give students a rhetorical sense in their writing.
- This awareness helps students understand the audience for whom they are writing.
Upcoming Topics:
- The article teases upcoming posts that will provide an in-depth look at different purposes of writing. The first post will explore informative writing.
Educational Resources:
- The author encourages readers to download a poster and tip sheet that remind students of the reasons for writing. These resources include types of purposes with definitions.
Additional Resources:
- The article mentions more resources, including SAT & ACT Test Prep Worksheets and 5 Tips for Revising Sentences, along with printables to help students succeed in assessments.

In summary, the article focuses on the fundamental aspects of achieving writing purposes, the diverse goals of writing, developing rhetorical awareness, and provides additional resources for writing improvement and test preparation. If you have specific questions or if there's a particular aspect you'd like to explore further, feel free to let me know!