Genre and Text Features Understanding of Concept and Identification By Cali Linfor

Genre Definition A class or category of artistic endeavor having a particular form, content, technique. Genus; kind; sort; style. Genre is an abstract, mental representation of a text type, situated within a community of readers and writers. Because genres are socially constructed, audience, community, context, writer’s role and other “social” features are central to our genre knowledge. – Dr. Ann Johns

Understanding Genre (Ann Johns). All literate people have genre knowledge: of everyday texts (e.g., bills, political flyers), of sacred texts (e.g., the Koran, the Bible), and perhaps of pedagogical texts (e.g. school essays). Genres are purposeful, and their functions are at least partially determined by the context and community---as well as by the writer. Texts are written to get things done.

Ann Johns Continued Some genres, like some language registers, are valued more than others within a community. Community members name their valued genres and understand their purposes and conventions. Examples? No texts are innocent. All discourses are ideologically driven—even, or especially, in educational and professional contexts.

More Johns! Generic conventions are subject, in most cases, to community constraints; writers can be both freed and restricted by the audience expectations for a genre. The macro-structure and register of a text are functional: they serve the purposes of the writer who generally operates within genre constraints. (Unless she is genre-bending.)

More! More! More! What is present, and absent (“the silences”) in texts, including certain content or evidence for argumentation, is determined by genre and the immediate context—as well as by the writer. Extra-linguistic features such as headings, font size, and use of visual information may also be constrained by genre. (Text features anyone?) In our changing world, an individual’s genre knowledge cannot be static: we must revise our knowledge to produce texts appropriate to specific situations.

Last Word! In addition, new genres are born, genres evolve---and they die when they are not longer of use to a community.

Concept Map for Terms Definition Sentence found in Synonyms Essential Characteristics Examples Non Examples Your own sentence

Pass out Concept Map for Genre

What it is not? Drawing on prior knowledge

Group work with Genres Familiar to Us Dance Film TV shows Video Games Music

Dance What are the essential characteristics if the dance genres shown below? o_ _pop-lock.html o_ _pop-lock.html How many kinds of dance can you name?

Film What are the some other examples of this genre of film? How many categories of films can you name?

How many types of video games can you name? What are some non examples of this video game genre?

How many genres of TV shows can you name? What is the definition of this genre? What are synonyms or sub genres?

How many genres of music can you name? What are the characteristics of? (select a genre you are not comfortable with) Chill, Choral, Political Hip Hop, Death Metal, Hoomi, Indian Classical 1/08/top-10-extreme- genres-of-music/ What doesn’t this genre do?

Concept Maps of Kinds of Genres

In pairs, select a TV, Film, Music, Dance, or Video Game Genre you have listed. Complete the Concept Map for that Genre

Scaffolding for students Would fill in parts of the map Would give them a partial list Would share a model Would do as a group Then, in pairs Then, on own

What did you learn about genre from doing this activity?

Consumption How many hours a day or week do you spend consuming each of these kinds of “texts?” Dance Music Film TV Video Games

What other texts do you consume?

It is a matter of what you eat.

Confusing Terms-Major Genres. Dewey had it right! Fiction Genres Patterns of Organization Style Non Fiction Genres Patterns of Organization Style

Name them! Written Genres Styles Patterns of Organization

Mix and Match Who can name a problem/solution autobiography? Who can name a lyrical novel? Who can name an iambic play? Who can name a narrative solitary novel? Who can name a free verse protest poem? What can name a literary speech?

Work with Genre What genre are Joe and Jane Go to College, Don’t Let Stereotypes Warp Your Judgment. And Black Men in Public Spaces? For your selected text, what are the text features that tell you its that genre?

What are the most important written genres for each grade level to know?