Text Forms, Genres and Choosing Texts for a Purpose

Remember from Grade 3

In Grade 3 you sorted texts into literary (stories and poems that entertain or share ideas) and informational (texts that teach facts). You learned genres like fable, fairy tale, realistic fiction, fantasy, biography and how-to, and you set a purpose before reading.

In Grade 4 you will meet new genres, learn about cultural text forms, explain how a genre's characteristics help it share meaning, and choose the right texts (from many different creators) for a purpose.

Hook: Four texts about winter

All four texts below are about winter. But they are very different kinds of texts. Read each one and ask yourself: What kind of text is this? How can I tell?

Text A: The Case of the Missing Mittens

On Monday morning, every left mitten in the Grade 4 cloakroom was gone. The right mittens still hung on their hooks. Ms. Okafor frowned. "Who would take only left mittens?" Jonah noticed a trail of wet sand leading to the supply closet. Priya noticed that the closet door, which was always locked, was open a crack.

Text B: The Lantern

Long before electric lights, Hannah lived on a farm in Upper Canada. Every winter evening she carried a tin lantern to the barn to feed the cows. The snow squeaked under her boots. Tonight the wind was so strong that it blew out her candle halfway across the yard. In the sudden dark, she heard the barn door banging.

Text C: Community Rink Opens for the Season

The outdoor rink at Maple Park opened on Saturday after a week of cold weather froze the ice solid.

Volunteers flooded the rink every night for six nights. "We needed it to stay below freezing so the ice would be thick and safe," said volunteer Dev Sharma. The rink is open every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Skaters must wear helmets during public skating.

Text D: A haiku

Fresh snow on the deck tiny bird tracks write a note no one else can read

New genres for Grade 4

A genre is a family of texts that share characteristics. When you know the characteristics, you know what to expect, and you understand the text faster.

• Text A is a mystery. There is a puzzle to solve (who took the mittens?), clues (wet sand, an open door) and a detective, or two!
• Text B is historical fiction. It is set in a real time in the past (Upper Canada, before electric lights), with made-up characters and true details of the time (a tin lantern, a candle, a barn).
• Text C is a news article. It has a headline, and its first sentence tells the most important facts: who, what, when, where and why. It includes a quote from a real person.
• Text D is a haiku. It has 3 lines with 5, 7 and 5 syllables. It captures one small moment in nature.

Cultural text forms

Some text forms come from a particular culture's way of sharing stories and knowledge. They are called cultural text forms. Here are a few:

• Haiku comes from Japan. It is a very old form of poetry.
• Oral stories are told aloud, not written. In many First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, Elders and Knowledge Keepers share stories aloud to pass on history, teachings and values.
• Griots (GREE-ohs) in parts of West Africa are storytellers, musicians and historians. They keep a community's history alive through songs and spoken stories.
• Wampum belts, which you learned about in Grade 3, record important agreements in patterns of shell beads.

Each form has characteristics that help it share meaning. An oral story is heard, so the teller can change their voice, pause, and look at the listeners. Listeners remember the story and can tell it again, so knowledge passes from one generation to the next.

Choosing texts for your purpose

Before you read, listen or view, ask: Why am I reading? Your purpose helps you choose the right text.

• To enjoy a story: a novel, graphic novel, poem or picture book.
• To learn facts: an informational book, a reliable website, a news article.
• To follow steps: a how-to text, a recipe or instructions.
• To make up my mind about an issue: persuasive texts and news articles that show different sides.
• To understand someone else's experience: a biography, an autobiography, or a story by a creator who has lived that experience.

Also choose texts by diverse creators: people of different cultures, languages, abilities, ages and places. Different creators notice different things. Check the author's biography (often on the back cover or the last page) to learn about the creator.