Engaging in and Exploring

Recount Writing
A practical guide for classroom teachers
What is recount writing?
This resource paper has been designed to assist classroom teachers to review and refine the teaching of recount writing.
Recounts are used to relate experiences or retell events for the purpose of informing, entertaining or reflecting. Recounts can be personal, factual or imaginative. Personal recount retelling an activity that the writer has been personally involved in and may be used to build the relationship between the writer and the reader e.g. anecdote, diary journal, personal letter Factual recount reporting the particulars of an incident by reconstructing factual information e.g. police reconstruction of an accident, historical recount, biographical and autobiographical recounts Imaginative recount applying factual knowledge to an imaginary role in order to interpret and recount events e.g. A Day in the Life of a Roman Slave, How I Discovered Radium Procedural recount recording the steps in an investigation or experiment and thereby providing the basis for reported results or findings Literary recount to retell a series of events for the purpose of entertaining

A
Genre writing papers are available from www.decd.sa.gov.au/literacy/

What do students need to know about recount writing?

Key terms: Genre refers to any staged, purposeful social activity which is accomplished through language. Genres may also be referred to as text types. Genres are used for specific purposes with each genre having specific language features and schematic structure. Students need to know how language is used to structure the text and how the language features are used in recount writing to achieve the purpose. Students also need to develop an understanding of how different audiences and purposes of recount texts determine the language choices they make. This language is influenced by: Resource Paper: June 2012 Purpose what do I want my writing to do/achieve? e.g. accurately retell an incident Audience for whom am I writing? e.g. my teacher, peers Identity whom am I writing as? e.g. an authority/expert Attitude how will I make my audience feel? e.g. informed, happy, sad

What do students need to know about the structure of recount texts?

RECOUNTS
Title Orientation - provides the reader with background information needed to understand the text. e.g. who, when, where Sequence of events series of events typically ordered in chronological order. In this example it is appropriate to include personal comments and evaluative remarks throughout the text.

Personal Recount
The language creating the structure of the text is italicized. The language features of recount texts are detailed on page 3.

My Holidays

Year 3/4 text

Re-orientation A summary statement/an evaluative comment/a return to the starting point.

During the holidays, our family went to Victor Harbor. We stayed in a holiday apartment. There were nine other apartments where we stayed. After we unpacked our things, we went to the beach. At the beach we met our cousins and played with them. Later on, Mum went shopping with my brother to buy some groceries. While she was shopping, Dad and I went fishing. The next day we went to Greenfields Adventure Park. It was really crowded. Every day we went to the beach. Sometimes while we were there, we went fishing with Dad. On the last day of our holiday, we all went fishing again. We caught lots of fish. It was really cool fishing with Dad.

The language creating the structure of the text is italicized. The language features of recount texts are detailed on P3.

Title Orientation-provides the reader with background information needed to understand the text e.g. who, when, where Sequence of events series of events typically ordered in chronological order.

May Gibbs

Year 7 text

Cecilia May Gibbs or Mamie as she was sometimes called was born in England on 17th January, 1877. When she was four years old her family migrated to Australia. Mays interest in art was obvious from an early age. Her parents encouraged her to attend school at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Later, when May was twenty three her parents sent her to London for art classes. During the next nine years May visited London three times. On her third visit May took along some manuscripts for childrens books, but they were rejected because publishers said they were more suitable for Australian children. She returned to Australia in 1913 where she illustrated a series of childrens books. By 1918 May Gibbs was famous for her beautiful watercolour pictures of gumnuts and gum blossoms, which culminated in The Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. This childrens book was an immediate success. May married in 1919 and lived in her home Nutcote on the shores of Sydney Harbour, where she gained inspiration from her natural bush garden, She published two childrens comic strips and a series of short stories. One of the comic strips gained popularity nation-wide. May continued to draw cartoons until she was ninety years old. Through a love of the Australian bush, which was displayed in her artwork and stories, she has encouraged young Australians to care for their natural environment.

Re-orientation rounds off the sequence of events. This may take the form of a summary statement/an evaluative comment/a return to the starting point.

May Gibbs left a legacy to all young Australians. Even today children enjoy reading the stories and looking at the illustrations of the unique Gum Nut characters. Adapted from Targeting Text (Middle Level) Blake Education, Glebe, NSW

Resource Paper: June 2012

What do students need to know to make appropriate language choices for recount texts?
An annotated example of a Recount - Topic: May Gibbs Year 7 text.
Text Structure TEXT Language features examples

Orientation- provides the reader with background information e.g. who, when, where

Cecilia May Gibbs or Mamie as she was sometimes called was born in England on 17th January, 1877. When she was four years old her family migrated to Australia

Topic Word: Cecelia May Gibbs Past Tense: called, was born, migrated Circumstances of time:: 17th January, 1877, when she was four years old Nominalisation: interest Verb: encouraged (sensing) Time Connective: Later Noun group: the Art Gallery of Western Australia Circumstance of time:: when May was twenty three Circumstance of purpose: for art classes Circumstance of time: During the next nine years Noun groups: her third visit, some manuscripts for childrens books Binding conjunction: because Topic specific vocabulary: manuscripts, publishers, illustrated. Verbs: illustrated, were rejected Comparative: more suitable Time Connective: By 1918 Noun group: her beautiful watercolour pictures of gumnuts and gum blossoms, two childrens comic strips, a series of short stories Reference items: her, this, she, one Evaluative language: beautiful Relative Clause: which culminated in Nominalisations: inspiration, popularity Topic specific vocabulary: comic strips Foregrounding human element: May Conjunction: until Verb group: continued to draw Relative Clause: which was displayed Foregrounding of human element: May Gibbs Conjunction: even Sensing verb: enjoy Evaluative language: enjoy, unique

Sequence of events-typically ordered chronologically.

Mays interest in art was obvious from an early age. Her parents encouraged her to attend school at the Art Gallery of Western Australia. Later, when May was twenty three her parents sent her to London for art classes.

During the next nine years May visited London three times. On her third visit May took along some manuscripts for childrens books, but they were rejected because publishers said they were more suitable for Australian children. She returned to Australia in 1913 where she illustrated a series of childrens books.

By 1918 May Gibbs was famous for her beautiful watercolour pictures of gumnuts and gum blossoms, which culminated in The Tales of Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. This childrens book was an immediate success. May married in 1919 and lived in her home Nutcote on the shores of Sydney Harbour, where she gained inspiration from her natural bush garden. She published two childrens comic strips and a series of short stories. One of the comic strips gained popularity nationwide.

May continued to draw cartoons until she was ninety years old. Through a love of the Australian bush, which was displayed in her artwork and stories, she has encouraged young Australians to care for their natural environment.
Re-Orientation - rounds off the sequence of events. This may take the form of a summary statement/an evaluative comment/a return to the starting point.

May Gibbs left a legacy to all young Australians. Even today children enjoy reading the stories and looking at the illustrations of the unique Gum Nut characters

Resource Paper: June 2012

What teachers need to know to support students with recount texts

Recount texts have logically sequenced stages. Supporting students to order their thoughts chronologically and develop circumstances will assist them to produce recount texts. Oral language activities that build vocabulary and provide authentic purposes enable students to develop the range of language skills for recounts. Scaffolding students with a planned and logical sequence of activities through a teaching and learning cycle that provides a gradual release of responsibility will support students to confidently construct a recount. Assessment processes that provide explicit feedback and use assessment as, for and of learning help students to understand the criteria for a successful recount and to reflect on their work and improve their skills.

A Teaching and Learning Cycle: a systematic and explicit approach to teaching writing
1. Setting the context find out what students already know, engage students and establish a purpose 2. Deconstruction and modelling examine the structure of modelled texts and model text production 3. Joint construction work with students to jointly produce a text as a scaffold 4. Independent construction support students to produce their own text and provide explicit feedback on how to improve.
A teaching/learning cycle for topic: MAY GIBBS

Setting the context

Read texts by May Gibbs and view her illustrations Construct a time-line of her life with students. Add significant world events at the time she was illustrating and writing Have students working in groups to discuss and describe her illustrations Assessment for learning Observe learners engagement and provide feedback.

Model/ deconstruction Identify text structure and language Use cut up texts to sequence events, cloze
features of historical recounts activities to develop language, and word banks extend vocabulary Develop and present role play of aspects of May Gibbs life Highlight circumstances and noun groups of the May Gibbs text Assessment as learning- teacher and students collaboratively develop an historical recount rubric

Independent construction Make a timeline or PowerPoint of an authors life

Assessment of learning- teachers make judgements of student achievement over time

Joint construction Teacher and students jointly reconstruct the introduction of another authors life Complete the recount in groups
Assessment as learning- teacher and students collaboratively assess progress against criteria

Self review reflecting on your literacy practices

In what curriculum areas do/could you explicitly teach recount texts? How might you build students vocabulary to develop the language of recount? What oral language activities could support students to develop language skills to chronologically sequence events, thoughts, ideas? What teaching and learning cycle will you provide to scaffold learners? How will you explicitly teach the structure and language features for recount texts? What assessment processes will you use to support students and make expectations clear to learners?

Some useful resources: http://thewritingsite.org http://teacher.scholastic.com www.orangeusd.k12.ca. www.writingfun.com Examples of Recount Literature: http://www.librarything.com/

Resource Paper: June 2012

Sequencing recount writing with increasing complexity

Expressing ideas Engagement with recount texts across the year levels should be guided by these continua to make choices about the complexity of the task Examples
Sample learning area and possible topics Studies of Society and Environment History Science English What is the topic? Everyday, concrete Technical, abstract

Interacting with others

Who is involved? Peers A range of audiences including formal contexts Formal written structure which may include recount writing within another genre

Creating coherent text

How is the message conveyed? Oral language is central to communicating thoughts and ideas in sequence

Years R-3
Simple recount related to personal experience My school and community My Family Growing beans Swimming Week

Years 4-6
Recounts related to historical events and procedures History of communication Diary of a convict Observing and growing moulds Imaginative recount based on a fairy story in 1890, the next stage, once the spell had been broken the clanking chains the soft white mould, the jewel encrusted, silver goblet became, turned into, grew whipped, stole, changed, wished for felt, miserable, looked repulsive, the cruel wizard growth, freedom, transformation of place or time: in the hold of the ship, on a slice of bread, by the end of the third day mightnt, want, probability, must In 1868 After a long, hot day

Years 7-9
Recounts dealing with historical events and procedures Explorers Post Cards from the Silk Road Ecosystems Literary recount based on a real life event

Years 10-12
Recounts dealing with national and international concerns requiring technical, political, and social science knowledge: Natural Resources Letters from WW2 Sustainability Biographical recount of a significant Australian public figure

Language features
Connectives to to
organise text

yesterday, this week, today my little brother the wet soil, my kickboard

Noun groups

after five long days, ecosystems, during this time the fragrant aroma of spices, the fragile river community, the unrivalled Olympic Games opening, had been, comprised, represented, encompassed journeyed, recycled, remembered, discovered, show-cased exotic selection of spices, an absolute travesty arrival, conservation, research of place, time or cause: out of direct sunlight, once the ban was lifted, due to engine failure typically, certainly perhaps, would The next stage of the journey The Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics

at this moment, as a consequence, following her graduation the stench of decaying bodies, the gradual reduction of greenhouse gases, his generous and ongoing donations to the Australian War Museum possessed, symbolised, represents, Is equal to contemplated, hoping, develop, designed, deliberated, impacted upon unwavering dedication to, This hell hole of a place, has proven to be an environmental catastrophe desperation, development, prominence of accompaniment: (with whom and manner) crept furtively, with a view to consistency, in the company of her colleagues frequently, would, absolutely

Relational verbs to show relationship Verbs action and mental Evaluative Language Nominalisations Circumstances

have, has, is are, were, has went, splashed, sprouted, was born love, enjoyed, was fun weather of place or time: in the water, at my nannas, on the window ledge hope, sometimes

Modality to express certainty, usuality, frequency Foregrounding - of human and non human participants at the beginning of sentences and paragraphs

Pronouns: My, I, We Today

Opening your letters The final stage of this development Cecilia May Gibbs

Resource Paper: June 2012