Teaching upper elementary and middle school students about the different types of writing can feel overwhelming if you do not have the appropriate visual resources to help both you and your students understand the differences of each writing genre.
Students often confuse the different genres of writing, especially as they get older and are expected to understand the elements of each genre. If your students often mix different genres or forget the elements of genres they have already learned, a types-of-writing bulletin board is just what your classroom needs!
Start this school year off by explicitly teaching your students about the different genre types of writing. An overview of each genre is all they need before you dive into your first writing unit. By explaining each genre ahead of time using a visual reference writing bulletin board, your students will know where to look and find information about each type of writing all year long!
Ready to make a types of writing bulletin board in your classroom this year? Use these quick tips to make the most of your types of writing bulletin board this school year!
The best part? These posters align with ANY writing program, making them a must-have for every classroom!
1. The Types of Writing Genres to Teach
When it is time to teach writing to our upper elementary students, there are three main genres that students need to understand and be able to write in. They are informative, opinion, and narrative writing.
Each of these genres has its own purpose, structure, and keywords, which can feel overwhelming for students without clear guidance and reference tools. By giving students a strong foundation in these types of writing early in the year, we can help them build confidence and feel prepared for writing projects throughout the year.
👉 Informative Writing: This type of writing teaches, explains, or shares information about a topic using facts, details, and examples. Students may write reports, explanatory essays, or how-to/procedural writing.
👉Opinion Writing: Opinion writing asks students to share their thoughts or beliefs about a topic and support them with clear reasons and evidence. Persuasive writing falls under this genre because students are trying to convince readers to agree with their opinion or point of view.
👉Narrative Writing: In this type of writing, students tell a story with characters, setting, events, and a clear experience. Students may write personal narratives, fictional stories, descriptive narratives, and even types of poetry. They use vivid details and descriptions to express their ideas and experiences.
The posters included in this set will help you teach the genres you need:
- opinion
- persuasive
- informative
- procedural/how to
- narrative
- poetry
- structure of a paragraph
- structure of an essay
- structure of a business letter
- structure of a friendly letter
2. Set Up Your Bulletin Board for Year-Long Use
This types of writing bulletin board kit is easy to use! Just open, select the writing posters you want to use, and display them. This kit includes borders and two banner options to help you add a little pizazz to your display! Use the digital format to guide your instruction and review.
Optional easy cut banners included will read:
- Writers at Work!
- Growing Great Writers!
Go one step further and add another row of writing posters that will serve as tools to level up your students' writing.
Additional anchor chart posters included:
- Starting with Hooks
- Clear Conclusions
- How to Use Descriptive Language
- Examples of Descriptive Language
- What is Dialogue
Teacher tip: Use the small-size anchor chart posters, laminate them, and bind them with a binder ring. Leave this binder ring tool on your bulletin board, and watch students grab it as they write.
3. Use the Bulletin Board During Writing Instruction
Displaying this bulletin board at the back of the room, by the small table you use for group work, is a must! Having the posters right at your fingertips while working with students in groups or during writing conferences makes the ideas and concepts on the posters an easy-to-use reference and routine for review.
Use the small size posters and glue them into students' writing notebooks for easy access. You can also print, laminate, and join them with a binder ring. This tool is perfect for you to reference as you work with writers.
4. Create Independent Writers
The best part about having a bulletin board dedicated to types of writing and writing elements is that the students actually use them! This helps students become independent writers. You will find that their writing improves throughout the year when they have a central spot to go to for writing support on their own! The students refer back to the tips on each poster and grab the reference ring binder to bring back to their seats.
Just getting started with teaching writing? You will love this free back-to-school writing activity!
A types of writing bulletin board is much more than just classroom decor! It becomes a meaningful tool that helps students understand writing expectations, build confidence, and grow as writers all year long! When students have consisten visual references they can use independently, writing becomes less overwhelming and they become much more successful!
Whether you use these posters during mini lessons, small groups, or writing conferences, they will quickly become a go-to resource in your classroom.
Happy teaching! : )
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