English in the New Zealand Curriculum
Level 2: Writing Functions
Transactional Writing: Students should write instructions and explanations, state facts and opinions, and recount events in a range of authentic contexts.
Levels 1 and 2: Reading and Writing Processes
Exploring Language: Students should explore choices made by writers, and identify and use the common conventions of writing and organisation of text which affect understanding.
Thinking Critically: Students should identify and express meanings in written texts, drawing on personal background, knowledge and experience.
Processing Information: Students should identify, retrieve, record, and present coherent information, using more than one source and type of technology, and describing the process used.
English in the New Zealand Curriculum, pages 35–36
http://www.tki.org.nz/r/language/curriculum/contents_e.php
This class was introduced to written explanations through picture books that described some phenomenon or process in narrative form, for example Mr Archimedes' Bath, and The Very Hungry Caterpillar. The students listened to the stories and discussed the scientific processes described. They were asked to say how or why something had happened.
The teacher used models of written explanation, in published texts, to illustrate the specific language features found in explanatory writing. The students were able to identify some features and discuss how they made the explanation clear. Discussion covered use of paragraphs, cause-and-effect phrases, and specific detail. She particularly used explanations in the Junior Journals, for example "How Flies Walk Upside Down" (1. 84).
She then read The Best Nest, and the class discussed how and why birds build nests. She focused particularly on cause and effect, giving some examples of effects, and asking the students to respond with a possible cause. For example, if an effect was that "the nest falls to the ground", a possible cause could be that "the nest is built on a rickety branch". Students recorded these in their draft books.
The students were then given the task of writing an explanation for "What makes the best nest?" They revised the criteria they had identified from the published models, such as using a topic definition to begin, and including specific detail and cause and effect.
Jonathan wrote his draft as a list, numbering his ideas. In conference, the teacher was able to guide him toward using paragraphs for his sequenced ideas. He published his work independently.
Teacher-student conversations
The teacher talked with Jonathan to extend his understanding of explanation writing.
| Teacher: | You have remembered to include the definition of a nest. |
| Jonathan: | Yes – that has to come first. |
| Teacher: | And you've numbered these ideas? |
| Jonathan: | It made it easier to sort the different things out. |
| Teacher: | How about when you publish, you use separate paragraphs for those ideas, instead of numbers? |
| Jonathan: | Okay. |
| Teacher: | I see you've used the words "cause" and "effect" too. |
| Jonathan: | Yes. |
| Teacher: | If we wanted to keep the meaning the same, without using those words, how could we write that in a sentence? |
| Jonathan: | Um ... |
| Teacher: | "The nest is warm" ...? |
| Jonathan: | Oh – you could say the nest is warm so the egg is happy. |
| Teacher: | Yes, you could. Any other words that might fit there? |
| Jonathan: | The nest is warm ... therefore the egg is happy. |
| Teacher: | Well done – "therefore" is a useful word for explanations. You will have a lot to think about when you publish your explanation. |
Integrating reading and writing
Opportunities should be sought in classroom reading programmes for students to respond to written and visual texts, identifying how processes or phenomena can be explained. Picture books with narrative text will be useful. Exposure to transactional texts will be essential. The "reading to" programme will provide opportunities for discussing specific vocabulary, language features, and diagrams, which may be transferred to student writing and drawing.
To move Jonathan towards the next learning step, the teacher might help him to focus on:
- Ideas – extending factual ideas with some objectivity.
- Structure – prioritising, grouping and organising ideas.
- Vocabulary – encouraging extended use of precise topic-related vocabulary.
This could be done by:
- ongoing class and individual discussions, prompting further detail through questioning
- modelling texts with examples of language features of explanation writing
- conferencing or giving feedback in reading and writing programmes.
References
Allen, Pamela (1980). Mr Archimedes' Bath. Sydney: Collins.
Carle, Eric (1970). The Very Hungry Caterpillar. London: Hamilton Puffin.
Eastman, P.D. (1969). The Best Nest. Beginner Books. Glasgow: Collins.
Ministry of Education (1994). English in the New Zealand Curriculum. Wellington: Learning Media.
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