Genre and Text
Features
Understanding of Concept and Identification
By Cali Linfor
Genre Definition
 A class or category of artistic endeavor having a
particular form, content, technique.
 Genus; kind; sort; style.
 Genre is an abstract, mental representation of a text
type, situated within a community of readers and
writers. Because genres are socially constructed,
audience, community, context, writer’s role and other
“social” features are central to our genre knowledge. –
Dr. Ann Johns
Understanding Genre (Ann Johns)
. • All literate people have genre knowledge: of everyday
texts (e.g., bills, political flyers), of sacred texts (e.g.,
the Koran, the Bible), and perhaps of pedagogical texts
(e.g. school essays).
• Genres are purposeful, and their functions are at least
partially determined by the context and community---as
well as by the writer. Texts are written to get things
done.
Ann Johns Continued
 Some genres, like some language registers, are valued
more than others within a community. Community
members name their valued genres and understand
their purposes and conventions.
 Examples?
 No texts are innocent. All discourses are ideologically
driven—even, or especially, in educational and
professional contexts.
More Johns!
 Generic conventions are subject, in most cases, to
community constraints; writers can be both freed and
restricted by the audience expectations for a genre.
 The macro-structure and register of a text are
functional: they serve the purposes of the writer who
generally operates within genre constraints. (Unless
she is genre-bending.)
More! More! More!
 What is present, and absent (“the silences”) in texts,
including certain content or evidence for
argumentation, is determined by genre and the
immediate context—as well as by the writer.
 Extra-linguistic features such as headings, font size,
and use of visual information may also be constrained
by genre. (Text features anyone?)
 In our changing world, an individual’s genre knowledge
cannot be static: we must revise our knowledge to
produce texts appropriate to specific situations.
Last Word!
 In addition, new genres are born, genres evolve---and
they die when they are not longer of use to a
community.
Concept Map for Terms
 Definition
 Essential Characteristics
 Sentence found in
 Examples
 Synonyms
 Non Examples
 Your own sentence
Pass out Concept Map for
Genre
What it is not? Drawing on
prior knowledge
Group work with Genres
Familiar to Us
 Dance
 Film
 TV shows
 Video Games
 Music
 What are the essential
Dance
characteristics if the
dance genres shown
below?
How many kinds of dance can you
name?
 http://www.ehow.com/vide
o_5238641_pop-lock.html
Film
How many categories of films can
you name?
What are the some other
examples of this genre of
film?
How many types
of video games
can you name?
 What are some non
examples of this video
game genre?
How many genres of
TV shows can you
name?
What is the definition of this
genre?
What are synonyms or sub
genres?
 What are the
How many genres of
music can you name?
characteristics of? (select
a genre you are not
comfortable with)
Chill, Choral, Political Hip
Hop, Death Metal, Hoomi,
Indian Classical
http://listverse.com/2009/1
1/08/top-10-extremegenres-of-music/
 What doesn’t this genre
do?
Concept Maps of Kinds of
Genres
 In pairs, select a TV, Film, Music, Dance, or Video
Game Genre you have listed.
 Complete the Concept Map for that Genre
Scaffolding for students
 Would fill in parts of the map
 Would do as a group
 Would give them a partial list
 Then, in pairs
 Would share a model
 Then, on own
What did you learn
about genre from doing
this activity?
Consumption
 How many hours a day or
week do you spend
consuming each of these
kinds of “texts?”
 Dance
 Music
 Film
 TV
 Video Games
What other texts do you
consume?
It is a matter of what
you eat.
Confusing Terms-Major
Genres. Dewey had it right!
Fiction
Non Fiction
 Genres
 Genres
 Patterns of Organization
 Patterns of Organization
 Style
 Style
Name them!
 Written Genres
 Styles
 Patterns of Organization
Mix and Match
 Who can name a problem/solution autobiography?
 Who can name a lyrical novel?
 Who can name an iambic play?
 Who can name a narrative solitary novel?
 Who can name a free verse protest poem?
 What can name a literary speech?
Work with Genre
 What genre are Joe and Jane Go to College, Don’t Let
Stereotypes Warp Your Judgment. And Black Men in
Public Spaces?
 For your selected text, what are the text features that
tell you its that genre?
What are the most
important written genres
for each grade level to
know?