Below is a list of types of writing that may be employed for various purposes in a course. Some types, such as the personal letter, the journal, and the freewrite, lend themselves to students' exploration of ideas, stimulating insight. Some, such as the outline, the annotated bibliography, and the review of literature, can be used to practice specific skills like summary and analysis; they build skills necessary in certain kinds of professional writing but are not precisely like any forms students will use after college. Other types, such as the business letter, the memo, the letter to the editor, and the scientific report, are professional modes students will use later. None of the types serves one goal only, and all of them can lead students to learning, clarification, and discovery.
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abstract answer to a question briefing paper brochure, poster, or advertisement case analysis character sketch contemplative essay definition description (of process, of place, etc.) dialogue editorial essay exam freewrite group journal the "I-Search" |
instructional manual journal, laboratory, or field notebook letter to editor or open letter list materials and method plan memo microtheme narrative news story or feature story newspaper 'filler' notes on reading or lecture outline personal letter play |
proposal question or muse response or rebuttal resume review of book, play, work of art, etc. rough draft script for film or slides summary survey of literature technical or scientific report term paper thesis sentence web site word problem |
A journal can be either a response to a given assignment or lecture or just an open response to the course. The group journal is a notebook or computer site (i.e. email group list) where assigned groups of students can respond to one another. The freewrite is an assignment, which can be timed or untimed, in which students do not have to worry about grammar and form but rather concentrate on generating ideas. The microtheme is a brief essay, written on something small, such as a five-by-eight card that, because of its limited scope, forces students to be concise. The "I-Search" is a first person account of the writer's process in researching a question or developing a paper. Many of these types of writing are much shorter, consequently requiring less grading time or not requiring grading at all, than the traditional term paper. Yet, as they still emphasize the written word, the help students use writing to learn.
Adapted from Barbara E. Fassler Walvrood. Helping Students Write Well: A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines. New York: MLA, 1986. 8-9.