This workshop focuses on the intersection between purpose for writing and the genre chosen to carry out that purpose. It explores the different genres in which students are now writing and what they learn about writing from these experiences. Multigenre texts and their creation are also investigated.

These are the key points the teachers, educators, authors, and students consider:

1. The purpose for writing relates directly to its form or genre.

2. Students need to have opportunities to write narrative, persuasive, and informative pieces. They need opportunities to amend their work mindful of their own thoughts as well as suggestions from their teacher and their peers.

3. Students need to be aware of different writing genres. They need to know how they differ from, and are the same as, each other. They need a chance to read and analyze good examples of many different genres.

4. Students need to know the defining parts of a genre, but they can also use those implicit expectations to break through in their writing and mix genres or create multigenre pieces to grow as writers.

5. Teachers can offer students different strategies to help them deal with writing in different genres.

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Try this interactive activity to practice writing in different genres. It's part of A Writer's Notebook, an online writer's workshop led by noted author Judith Ortiz Cofer.