The Purpose of writing within the context of Schooling.

Essay by danix2uniUniversity, Master'sB+, August 2003

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The Primary School curriculum's main aim in all aspects of teaching is to equip students in skills that will assist them to function adequately within society academically and socially. Writing of course, is a crucial part of the Primary school curriculum it not only gives the students ability to communicate effectively but to experiment with language and express ideas. DET 2002:84 states "through writing students can reflect on experience, re order ideas to create new knowledge, and find relationships with the old and the new".

The intention of writing now goes well beyond students composing sentences or stories into a logical sequence or the pre 1960's drilling processes. We have now come to understand that texts are socially constructed and have a real life purpose. These purpose are of importance now when we are teaching children to write. It is understood that we need to clearly outline to students the purpose of why they are writing and what means we are asking them to write in.

(DET 2002:1)

As capable writers, student's need to become aware of what texts are most appropriate to suit the message they are trying to convey and the importance of who they are trying to convey it to. There also is consideration to how they position their reader whether they mean to inform, persuade or entertain as this will influence their choices in the structure of their text and the language in which they use. Within the school curriculum every audience or context involves a specific genre Cope & Kalantiz (1993:2) Genre then being the way in which we compose texts to get certain things done. It is seen through language and the way we exchange information, knowledge and interact socially." Knapp and Watkins (1994:20). Knapp and Watkins (1994:20) describe genre as being " a...