Preparing to Write
Students need to write with a strong awareness of purpose and audience for their writing. In
other words, they need to think about who will read their texts and why they are writing them.
The vocabulary, formality, and overall format or genre of their written texts will vary depending
on the purpose and the audience. For beginning writers, teachers may give assignments that
specify topic, purpose, and audience for the student. For example, an English language student
may write a complaint letter to the landlord about a needed repair, or write to a teacher explaining
a child’s absence from school. Writing samples can be introduced to illustrate the genre of
writing that is appropriate for that purpose and audience.