Writing Genres and Ideas

If you are homeschooling a middle school child you are undoubtedly working with your child on his or her writing skills. Here is a list of genres to teach, as well as creative writing assignment ideas.

Genres and Types of Writing to Master by High School:

1.Paragraph Writing
2.Descriptive Writing
3.Reflective Writing
4.Research Paper
5.Narrative Writing or Autobiography
6.Persuasive Writing
7.Poetry-including free verse, Haiku, couplets and Diamante
8.Speculative Writing
9.Non Fiction
9.Short Fiction
10.Fantasy Short Fiction, such as a Fairy Tale
11.Descriptive Writing
12.Dialogue via a short play

Here are some creative ideas to teach the genres of writing listed above:

1.Short Screenplay or Scene
2.Journal or Diary Entries
3.Two-Voice Poem
4.Inspirational Speech
5.Greeting Card Line
6.Classified Ads
7.Top Ten Lists
8.Changed Song Lyrics
9.Lesson Plan
10.How to Manual for a short topic
11.Recipes or Cookbook
12.Graph and Charts with diagrams and explanations
13.Time Line with explanation
14.Book, movie, and television show reviews
15.Comic Strips or Graphic Novel Excerpts
16.Board Game, rules, instructions and template or prototype
17.Test on a current topic or subject being studied
18.Advice Column, as would be in a newspaper
19.Complete Menu
20.Travel brochure
21.Eyewitness Account
22.Letter of Complaint
23.Investigative Report for a Magazine
24.Interview
25.Tall tale
26.Science Fiction short piece
27.Video Game Idea/design and description
28.Website Design
29.Powerpoint Report
30.Advertisement and Marketing Ideas for a product

The ideas above are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to creative suggestions. Dynamite Writing Ideas!: Empowering Students to Become Authors by Melissa Forney is an excellent book for continued reference and inspiration for teaching writing. If you are unsure about the exact styles and genres, Scholastic publishes a great book titled Traits of Writing: The Complete Guide for Middle School (Theory and Practice) by Ruth Culham. This guide will make teaching your middle school student writing not only easy, but also fun!