D. Composition: Expressing Ideas and Creating Texts · Writing with Purpose, Voice and Evidence

Planning: Topic, Purpose, Audience, Form and Medium

D1.1 A2.5 A1.1About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can name the topic, purpose and audience for a text I plan to write.
I can tell the difference between genre, form and medium.
I can choose a form and a medium and explain why they fit my purpose and audience.

Words to know

topic
What a text is about.

purpose
Why a text is created: to entertain, inform or explain, persuade, instruct, or express feelings.

audience
The people who will read, hear or watch a text.

genre
A kind of text with its own style and features, like mystery, adventure, realistic fiction, informational or persuasive.

form
The shape a text takes, like a letter, report, poem, comic, speech or poster.

medium
How a text reaches its audience: on paper, spoken aloud, as a slideshow, a video, an audio recording or an email.

Remember from Grade 3

In Grade 3 you planned by asking: What is my purpose? Who is my audience? Which form fits? You explained why a form fits your message. In Grade 4 you will add two more ideas, genre and medium, and you will explain why each choice suits your purpose and your audience.

The same news, three ways

Your class is holding a bake sale to raise money for the local food bank.

For your grandparents, you might write a phone message or a card they can stick on the fridge.
For the kindergarten students, you might make a poster with big pictures and very few words.
For the whole school, you might read a short announcement over the speaker in the morning.

The topic is the same each time. The audience changes, so the form and the medium change too. Good writers make these choices on purpose.

A bake sale table with cookies, cupcakes, brownies and banana bread in a school hallway. — A bake sale is a real event that needs planning: who is your audience, and what form (a poster, a card, an announcement) will tell them about it best? AI-generated image

One topic, three audiences. When the audience changes, the form and the medium change too.

Plan any text with four questions: What is the topic? Why am I writing? Who is my audience? How will I share it (form and medium)?

Genre, form and medium

These three words sound alike, but they mean different things.

Genre is the kind of text. A mystery has clues and a puzzle to solve. An informational text gives facts. A persuasive text tries to change someone's mind.
Form is the shape of the text: a letter, a report, a poem, a comic, a speech, a diary entry, a recipe.
Medium is the way the text travels to its audience: printed on paper, spoken aloud, shown in a slideshow, recorded as audio or video, or sent by email.

One idea can be shared in many combinations. A persuasive text (genre) could be a letter (form) sent by email (medium), or a speech (form) given aloud (medium).

Topic	Purpose	Audience	Form	Medium	Why it fits
Our school garden	Inform	Families	Newsletter article	Paper sent home	Families can read it at home when they have time.
Snow-fort safety	Instruct	Grade 1 students	Comic with 4 panels	Paper poster	Young readers understand pictures and short speech bubbles.
Save the class pet's tank	Persuade	Principal	Letter	Email	A letter is polite and clear, and email reaches the principal quickly.
My first ice-fishing trip	Entertain and express	Classmates	Personal story	Read aloud	Hearing my voice helps listeners feel the excitement.

Planning choices and the reasons behind them

Worked example

Let's plan a text and explain our choices

You want more people to come to your community's spring litter clean-up.

Topic: the spring litter clean-up in our neighbourhood park.
Purpose: to persuade people to come, and to inform them of the date, time and place.
Audience: families who live near the park, including adults who are busy.
Genre and form: a persuasive flyer with a catchy headline, three reasons to come and the key details.
Medium: printed on paper and posted at the community centre and the grocery store.
Explain why: Busy adults walk past these places every day. A flyer can be read in a few seconds, and the headline and picture catch their eye. Paper works for people who don't use social media.

A persuasive flyer on paper, because it is quick to read and it reaches busy neighbours where they already go.

Worked example

Let's change the audience and see what changes

Same topic: the litter clean-up. Now the audience is your class, and you have 2 minutes during morning meeting.

The purpose is still to persuade and inform.
The audience is now kids your age who are sitting together and listening.
A flyer would be too small for the whole class to see. A short speech spoken aloud works better.
Change the language too: talk about things kids care about, like keeping the park clean for playing and protecting the ducks in the pond.
Explain why: Spoken words with expression can get a group excited, and everyone hears the message at the same time.

A speech given aloud. The topic and purpose stayed the same, but a different audience needed a different form and medium.

Just for fun

Why did the letter to the principal wear a tie?

Because it needed a formal tone! (Your text should dress for its audience too.)

Ask 'Why does this fit?'

When you choose a form and a medium, finish this sentence: I chose a ___ shared by ___ because my audience ___ and my purpose is to ___. If you can finish it, your plan is strong. This is also how you will explain your thinking to a teacher.

Hands-on activity

Plan three texts from one topic

You need: 3 index cards or 3 pieces of paper, a pencil.

Choose one topic you know well, like your favourite winter activity, your pet, or a family celebration.
On each card, write Topic, Purpose, Audience, Genre, Form, Medium.
Fill in the cards for three different audiences: a younger child, a grown-up in your family, and someone who has never been to Canada.
On the back of each card, write one sentence: I chose ___ because ___.
Read your cards to a grown-up. Ask them: Which plan would work best on you? Why?
Keep your cards. You can use one to write a real text later in this unit.

Your turn

What is the purpose of a recipe card for maple cookies?

Name the form and the medium: A poem that you record on a tablet and share with your aunt.

Is mystery a genre, a form or a medium?

Who is the audience for a get-well card to your neighbour?

You want to tell kindergarten students how to wash their hands. Choose a form and explain why.

Which medium fits better for inviting your whole class to your birthday party when no one should feel left out: a whisper to a few friends, or a printed invitation for every student?

Finish the sentence for a report on beavers for your class: I chose a ___ shared by ___ because ___.

More practice: warm-up

What does audience mean?

Name one purpose for writing.

Is a letter a form or a medium?

Is email a form or a medium?

What is the topic of a poster called Join the Library Reading Club?

More practice: on your own

Name the topic, purpose and audience: A thank-you note to the bus driver at the end of the year.

Why would a comic be a good form for teaching Grade 1 students about crossing the street safely?

Your grandmother doesn't use the internet. Which medium fits for sending her your story: email or paper? Why?

Give an example of the same topic with two different purposes.

A student wants to persuade the town council to build a skate park. Suggest a form and a medium and explain.

Challenge

Plan a text about why recess should include games everyone can play, for an audience of younger students. Give purpose, genre, form, medium and your reason.

Explain how the medium can change the way a message feels. Use an example.

A student made a 10-page written report to warn Grade 2 students about thin ice. What would you change and why?

Check your understanding

Quiz

What is the medium of a text?

Which is a form?

A text that tries to change someone's mind has which purpose?

You want to share a funny story with a friend who lives far away and loves listening to you. Which medium fits best?

Which is a genre?

Why is it important to explain your choices of form and medium?

For parents and teachers

Big idea (D1.1): Grade 4 writers identify the topic, purpose and audience for a text, and explain why the chosen form, genre and medium suit that purpose and audience. This connects to Strand A: how form, message, audience and creator relate (A2.5) and the transferable skill of communication (A1.1).

How to help at home:

When you see a text in daily life (a flyer, a road sign, a cereal box, a voice message), ask: Who is this for? Why was it made? Why did they choose this shape and this way of sharing it?
Before your child writes anything, have them say the four planning answers out loud.
Ask "why" questions about their choices, and accept any reason that connects to the audience or purpose.

Common difficulties:

Mixing up form and medium. Remind them: form is the shape (letter, poem); medium is how it travels (paper, email, aloud).
Only one audience in mind (themselves). Ask: "Would your little cousin understand this? Would your teacher?"
Reasons that don't connect to the audience ("because I like posters"). Push for: "because my audience ___."