Activities for Genre Knowledge

Activity 2.4A

Part One. Find and bring to class two to four texts that represent different genres; try to block out or hide any source details (like if it’s from a newspaper, be sure to cut or block out the title of the newspaper if visible). In pairs or groups share the texts and try to infer the genre; try to figure out what genre each text represents. Discuss and/or freewrite about how you all identified the genres—what features gave them away. Can you also identify each text’s discourse community and the genre’s function in that community?

Part Two. As directed by your instructor, read samples of short texts from various genres such as obituaries, wedding announcements, new briefs, abstracts of journal articles, letters to the editor, magazine ads, and resumes. Create and complete a matrix like the one below—adding additional columns for more sample genres—identifying key genre features of each text. Then discuss the social actions and values represented in the genre features for each text.

Part Three. Choose a topic or message and write about it in three brief texts chosen from the genres above. Feel free to stretch the truth and get creative. For example, maybe you work for a restaurant so you compose a resume for a new position at a new restaurant, an obituary where you discuss your restaurant career accomplishments (yes, this is a weird one, writing your own obituary), and a letter to the editor about the importance of care and quality in the hospitality industry. Review your completed chart above and the sample texts as needed. After you write your drafts in each genre, share them with classmates for feedback and make any changes needed to better fit each genre. Then reflect by responding to the following questions: What did you find difficult about writing in specific genres? What about writing in each genre made your life easier? How might each genre change for different discourse communities?

Activity 2.4B

As directed by your instructor, find and analyze three to five genres used in your academic major and/or your future profession. For example, to find academic texts, you might search specific college library research databases, and to find professional texts you might go to a company or organization’s web site. Create and complete a matrix for identifying the genre features for each sample you found (you can use the table from the previous exercise). Then, discuss and/or freewrite about how each genre functions in that discourse community, what it does. What do each of these genres teach you about the discourse community of your academic major and/or future profession?

Activity 2.4C

Complete the following matrix to compare and contrast the genres and discourse communities for different academic disciplines. Choose disciplines you are familiar with such as classes you have or currently are taking and/or your major. In groups discuss the similarities and differences among various academic discourse communities.

(These activities are adapted from Anne Beaufort’s book College Writing and Beyond.)