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Compare & Contrast
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Friendly Letter |
Narrative |
Informative
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Persuasive
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Types of Evidence:
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Our Writing NormsUse correct capitalization.
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Types of Writing You Need to Know in 4th grade:
- Opinion/Persuasive/Argumentative Writing
Have you heard the expression, "The pen is mightier than the sword?" Whoever said it was probably thinking about persuasive writing. This type of writing tries to change readers' opinions or actions.
Persuasive writers often begin by taking a position on an issue. Readers are invited to agree with that position and are urged to take action. Writers must present convincing reasons why readers should adopt their opinion. Sometimes reasons are based on logic, but writers can also appeal to readers' emotions.
When you write persuasively, you will gather evidence, organize your argument, and try to get readers to agree with you. - Expository Writing
While writing can amuse and entertain readers, it can also enlighten them. Writing meant to inform or explain is called expository writing. It focuses on things people need to know.
Expository writing can take many forms. Something as simple as jotting down directions for a friend is expository writing. When giving directions, you need not include details about the scenery. Your purpose is to tell someone how to get from one place to another, so you focus on the most important information. Directions are often organized in step-by-step sequence. ("First, go to the corner," you might begin.)
Another form of expository writing is comparison and contrast. An example of a comparison-contrast piece is an explanation of how a movie is similar to and different from a book with the same title. - Narrative Writing
- A narrative tells a story. It has characters that are involved in some sort of action. The action might be an incident that could happen in real life, like meeting a bear on a camping trip. Or it could be an occurrence that could happen only in your imagination, like falling down a rabbit hole and entering a new world. The action might also be an actual event from a person's life.
- Establish a setting
- Create a plot
- Determine point of view
- Use effective language
- To make your narrative easy to follow, begin by getting your reader's attention. Then choose the most important events to include in your story. Arrange the events in a logical order, such as time order. Make your characters come to life by using dialogue to reveal their thoughts and personalities.
- Descriptive Writing
- Movie directors use lighting and props to create a specific atmosphere. To make a house look spooky, a director might call for dim lights, shadows, and cobwebs in a set. How do writers create moods and places? Writers use descriptive details to create a scene with words. These details help the readers imagine that they hear, see, smell, taste, and touch the items described in the piece of writing.
Descriptive writing is like painting with words.- Observe—Gather details about your subject.
- Elaborate—Find words that appeal to readers’ senses.
- Organize—Put the details in order.
HOW TO WRITE A THESIS STATEMENT
A thesis statement conveys to the reader the points and/or arguments you wish to make in a paper. It is the "thread" that is woven throughout your paper by telling the reader your argument or analysis and how you will interpret the importance of the subject. In the most simple of terms, a thesis statement answers the question, "What is this paper about?"
Additionally, a thesis statement:
- It is an assertion, not a fact or observation. Facts are used within the paper to support your thesis.
- It takes a stand, meaning it announces your position towards a topic.
- It is the main idea and explains what you intend to discuss.
- It answers a specific question and explains how you plan to support your argument.
- It is debatable. Someone should be able to argue a counter argument, or conversely, support your claims.
Citing Textual Evidence
