TEXT TYPES

P-12
Loddon Mallee Region

Session Outline

Literacy Elements
Gradual Release of Responsibility
Breakthrough Framework
Text Categories
Text Types
Deconstruction and Reconstruction of Texts
Writing in a Multimodal World

LITERACY ELEMENTS

Read Aloud

SPEAKING &
LISTENING

Write Aloud

Shared Reading

Shared Writing

Guided Reading

Guided Writing

Independent Reading

OBSERVATION
&
ASSESSMENT

Independent Writing

GRADUAL RELEASE OF
RESPONSIBILITY

DEGREE OF CONTROL

Role of the
teacher

MODELLING

SHARING

GUIDING

APPLYING

The teacher
demonstrates and
explains the literacy
focus being taught.
This is achieved by
thinking aloud the
mental processes and
modelling the
reading, writing,
speaking and
listening

The teacher continues

to demonstrate the
literacy focus,
encouraging students
to contribute ideas
and information

The teacher provides

scaffolds for students
to use the literacy
focus. Teacher
provides feedback

The teacher offers

support and
encouragement when
necessary

The student
participates by
actively attending to
the demonstrations

Role of the
student

Students contribute
ideas and begin to
practise the use of the
literacy focus in
whole class situations

Students work with

help from the teacher
and peers to practise
the use of the literacy
focus

The student works

independently to
apply the use of
literacy focus
4

Pearson & Gallagher

Breakthrough
Framework

Text Categories
Texts are grouped and defined in particular categories. It is important to note
that any such classifications are arbitrary and that there is always likely to be
overlap between ways of grouping texts and defining text types.

LITERARY TEXTS

Categories of Texts

FACTUAL TEXTS

The categories of texts indicated above can be further subdivided

into different Text Types.

Text Types
LITERARY
Literary texts are written to re-create, create, shape and
explore human experience. Literary texts can be based on
fiction or fact and includes written and spoken texts. e.g.
picture storybooks, traditional stories, speeches, novels, short
stories, plays, poetry, translated works, non-print texts and
non-fiction works such as biographies. (VELS)

Narrative in story, drama and poetic format

Literary Recount
Observation
Literary Description
Personal Response
Review

FACTUAL
Factual texts are written about real phenomena.

Factual Description
Information Report
Procedure
Procedural Recount
Factual Recount
Explanation
Exposition
Discussion

Text Type Quiz

TASK 1:
In your envelope are the 9 key Text Types, their
Purposes, their Structures and their Language
Features.
You Will Need:
Text Type template (insert colour you have used)
TEXT TYPE quiz envelope contents

In pairs put the grid together.

Check against the completed grid (Hand Out) Text
Type Grid

The 9 Key Text Types

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Description (factual or literary)*This text type is often embedded within other texts
Report (factual)
Recount (factual or literary)
Narrative (literary)
Procedure (factual)
Explanation (factual or literary)
Exposition (factual)
Discussion (factual)
Response (factual or literary)

Page
number8

Text Types - Described

These are the texts that need to be explicitly
taught and are crucial to students learning.
They provide the basic entry point for student
learning and access to effective participation in
the community.

Text Types - Description

Continued

They are idealised for teaching purposes.

In real life we find mixed texts. Examples of
mixed texts (hybrids) are:
An Information Report may contain an
Explanation
A Narrative may contain Descriptions of people
places and events.
A scientific Procedure may conclude with an
Explanation of a scientific principle.

Hybrid Text -

Example

Information
Report

Explanation

Procedure

Science World
7 Macmillan 3rd
Edition.

Text Types as Starting Points

When students understand that:

Different types of texts exist

Texts have different purposes
Texts have particular structures
Texts have characteristic language features including
particular grammatical patterns and
Texts have particular language conventions (spelling,
punctuation, font variations and page layout), they are in a
better position to manipulate and combine different Text
Types in purposeful ways for a particular audience. We
see this daily in different text formats.

Text Formats or Forms for Real

Purposes
There are 8 key Purposes for Writing
To:
Entertain
Recount
Socialise
Inquire
Describe
Persuade
Explain
Instruct
(Hand Out) - Text Forms table - based on Purposes

Reference: Annandale K et.al.(2004)

Teaching Text Types

What do they provide?
Text Types provide links to literacy development as a
social practice.
Text Types provide for the literacy development across
and within:
Domains and Dimensions,
VCE, VCAL and VET subjects
Text Types provide students with shared
understandings about how to effectively communicate
in each area of study.

What should our focus be?

We need to focus on those that are most relevant to the
content of the program.
We need to focus on those suggested in the Focus
Statements in VELS and VCE subjects.
We need to explicitly teach and reteach particular text
types and adapt formats to match the nature and level of
content deemed as essential learning.

What should our focus be?

Continued

Data driven teaching using classroom sources of

information. Responding to assessment through
observations, conversations and previous products
created. Data gathered from teachers moderating
together.
Data driven using external sources of information e.g.
English Online (Prep to Year 2) On Demand Testing
(Linear and Adaptive) and NAPLAN (Years 3,5,7 & 9).

Text Types
To learn about texts we need to have a working knowledge of each under the
following headings.
TEXT TYPES

9 Key Text Types

Which of the 9 are
being used individually
or in combination
hybrid format?

PURPOSES

8 Key Purposes
What is the purpose/s
of the writing and who is
the audience?

STRUCTURAL /
ORGANISATIONAL
FEATURES

How the text is

organised and
structured from:
word, to
sentence, to
paragraph to
whole text level?

LANGUAGE FEATURES

What special language

features have been used to
make it appropriate for the
purpose and intended
audience? What
grammatical features are
evident that influence the
understanding of the writing.

CONVENTIONS of Language that are common to all Text Types and hybrid formats
Spelling including topic specific terminology
Punctuation all punctuations marks used e.g. capital letters, full stops, question marks etc
Grammar the structural rules that govern words, phrases and sentences in a given language.
Page Layout spatial organisation of the text on the page or screen
Font Variations e.g. bold, italics, CAPITALS, underline, COLOUR and size
Use of Visuals e.g. graphics, maps, tables, pictures etc.
Hand Writing and Computer Generated text legible handwriting or electronic typing

Predicting From Text Beginnings

The heart is the most important organ of the circulatory
system. It allows oxygenated blood to be pumped around the
body. The heart has parts.
Report
Last week Dad took me to the football to watch my favourite
team.
Factual Recount
The wolf crept out from behind the tree, crouched low and
was ready to pounce. The children would fall into the trap just
like the others had.
Narrative

Predicting From Text Beginnings - continued

The following is the instructions of how to set up your mobile phone.
Procedure
The ear provides audio information to the brain. It works by
collecting the sounds in the outer ear. The sound vibration causes
movement of the ear drum and the tiny bones connected to it.
Explanation.
There are many ways to overcome poor eyesight now and one way
is to have eye surgery. Before a decision is made however patients
need to consider many factors such as their state of health, cost and
risks associated.
Discussion

Predicting From Text Beginnings - continued

Mobile phones should not be used while being served
in a retail outlet.
Exposition
Billy is a teenage boy. He is of medium height with
golden brown hair.
Description
The movie Twilight a most compelling film and is set in
deepest, darkest heart of America. It has romance,
action and plot twists woven around the two central
characters.
Response

Modelling Text Types

In order for students to be able to create and
manipulate various texts types effectively, they must be
able to deconstruct idealised and hybrid examples .
Deconstruction allows the students to familiarise
themselves with the text before them and analyse its:

Purpose,
Structural / Organisational features ,
Language features and
Conventions

Hand Out
The
Invasion.

Deconstructing a Narrative
Read the Narrative

1 per person

Source www.writingfun.com

Deconstructing a NARRATIVE
SAMPLE TEXT

The Invasion
IDEAS AND INFORMATION
Who
the invaders the mosquitoes, cockroaches and beetles
What
they moved through the city into gardens, on pavements, walls
and they sucked the blood of people
When
on a hot steamy summer night
Where
in a city somewhere

ORGANISATION /STRUCTURE
ORIENTATION
1st paragraph
sets time and setting

COMPLICATION followed by a series of events

2nd paragraph
The many legged invasion begins
3rd paragraph
Describing the what the invaders did
4th paragraph
Further description of what the invaders did e.g. suck human blood
5th paragraph
Humans sleeping on unaware of the invasion

CONCLUSION
6th paragraph
Just another night of fun for the invaders

LANGUAGE FEATURES
WORD LEVEL
Noun groups e.g. streets, houses, ceilings, walls, people,
invaders
Verbs e.g. quivered, entered, walked, asleep
Adjectives e.g. many-legged
Topic specific terminology e.g. cockroaches, beetles
SENTENCE LEVEL
Descriptive e.g. climbed silently over carpets
Entertaining e.g. need to feed on blood

LANGUAGE FEATURES continued

WHOLE TEXT LEVEL
Figurative language (images created with clever use of
language) e.g. antennae quivered, feed on human
blood
Adjectival modifiers e.g. totally unaware
Prepositions e.g. over, under, on, in and into
Past tense e.g. It was, they took, were sound
asleep.

CONVENTIONS OR MECHANICS
Spelling Topic words e.g. cockroaches, beetles,
mosquitoes, antennae.
Punctuation Exclamation marks (double !!),
commas, capitals, full stops, hyphenated word.
Grammar Past tense, adjectival modifiers,
figurative language.
Page layout Heading, paragraph spacing, pictures
Font variations Larger text heading and BOLD

Deconstruction Task
INSTRUCTIONS
Form a group of 8.
TASK 2:
Using the Text Type Pack (Hand Out) each person is
to choose a sample Text Type other than the Narrative
and using the Text Type template deconstruct the text.
Complete as per the Narrative previously demonstrated.
20 min.
Each person display your stimulus text, and deconstruction
details. Sharing with your table.
Discuss each in detail
20 min.

Scaffolding Text Construction

TASK 3:
Form into groups of 3
Read the Plasma Television article.
Using the A3 Exposition Planning sheet and the
Text Type Grid to guide your group, plan an
argument for or against the issue.
Compare arguments constructed that support or refute
the thesis with the group.

Modes of Text Delivery

Text Modalities
used to make
meaning by the
students.

Language

Visual

Audio

Gestural

Spatial

Elements of
Linguistic Design
Delivery.

Elements of
Visual
Design.

Elements
of Audio
Design.

Elements of
Gestural Design.

Elements of
Spatial Design.

Is it in a:

Vocabulary and
metaphor
Modality
Transivity
Nominalisation
of processes
Information
Structure
Local
coherence
relations etc.

Colours
Perspective
Vectors
Fore
-grounding
and backgrounding
etc.

Music
Sound
effects
etc.

Behaviour
Bodily
physicality
Gesture
Sensuality
Feelings and
affect
Kinesics
Proxemics etc.

Ecosystem
and
geographical
meaning.
Architectonic
meanings
etc.

LIVE,
PRINT/PAPER or
DIGITAL/ELECTR
ONIC format?
Adapted from
Anstey M and Bull
G (2009) Using
Multimodal Texts
and Digital
Resources in a
multiliterate
classroom, e.lit,
Marrickville,
Sydney

Writing in the Multimodal World

How will you assist students writing in the

multimodal and digital world?
What modes of meaning comprise
multimodal texts?
Do we have the metalanguage to talk
competently about multimodal texts?
Do we have the teaching and learning
expertise to be able to assist students to write
quality multimodal texts?

Scaffolding Writing through the

Gradual Release of Responsibility Model
Discussion: Using what you have learnt today how will
you implement or strengthen the teaching and learning
around Text Types using the Gradual Release of
Responsibility model?
Familiarising students with the text How?
Modelling How?
Sharing How?
Guiding How?
Independent How?

Writing as a learned Skill

Something to ponder -

Writing is a learned skill and if

anything goes in writing everything
goes!
Anon

References

Anstey M and Bull G (2009) Using Multimodal Texts and

Digital Resources in a multiliterate classroom, e.lit,
Marrickville, Sydney
www.writingfun.com (2010)

Department of Education and Early Childhood Development

(DEECD), (2009) Key Characteristics of Effective Literacy.
Pub. Student Learning Division, Melbourne

Standard P and Williamson K (2006), Science World 3rd

Edition Student CD Macmillan, Melbourne.

Annandale .et al (2004) First Steps Writing 2nd Edition, WA

Department of Education and training.