Writing in Role
Writing in role allows learners to work in a slightly distanced way, supporting the development of writing in more complex modes,
and offering student writers opportunities for writing from different perspectives. It gives students the chance to see themselves
as writers who can control the communication medium, as they look at the ways in which both the reader and the writer make meaning,
combining self and other as they are composing.
Examples of opportunities for writing in role include:
· authors of fictional diaries
· first-person accounts from characters in texts
· petitions organized by the villagers
· monologues by leading or minor characters
· interviews between students and fictional characters
· speakers making announcements, speeches, or proclamations
· writing cartoons and scripts
· voicing the words and thoughts of the characters
· reporting on fictional (or real) events
A Demonstration of Writing in Role
A group of teachers created these writing in role activities structured
around the theme of Medieval Times. In order to have information to
use as "experts writing in role," the students will need to research
this period of history - its achievements, people, dangers, growth,
and development - and, of course, the Internet is a useful resource,
along with books, videos, and documents. The students can role-play
the inhabitants of the Middle Ages, or those who are revisiting it.
Diaries
Students imagine that they have travelled back in time to the year 1300 and have landed in a medieval town. They can write entries in their diary detailing
experiences they faced that day, incorporating their research findings.
Detective in Role
The students can form groups of three or four. As a group, they must try to solve a mystery that took place in 1200. They can take on the roles of detectives who
find the answer to the mystery, retaining the qualities of the time period as much as possible.
Travelogues
Allow the students to assume the role of travel agents who have been asked to plan a tour of the medieval castles of Europe. They are responsible for choosing at
least ten famous castles representative of the age. In addition, students must prepare detailed itineraries for their clients.
In Memory of...
Students research Medieval Times to find a person of note, for example, a politician or a legendary figure. Writing in role as a court
biographer, they tell of the person's contribution to the society of the time.
Reporting on the Black Death
As a newspaper reporter for a large, medieval paper, the students write about the plague and its impact on cities in Asia and Europe. They can base
their story around 1350, when the Black Death was at its most virulent.
Fashion Times
Students, in small groups, imagine themselves as clothes designers who have been asked to design outfits for both women and men that will be worn at
a huge feast. They can base their designs on fashions of the time. They sketch and colour their designs, and list at the bottom of each sketch the
materials used to make the clothes. (The materials should be consistent with fabrics available at the time.) The work of each group can be posted
so that students can share their designs.
Serfs' Petition
In groups of four or five, the students meet as serfs in a medieval fiefdom. They draw up a petition that demands better treatment for serfs, and
outlines the extent of their duties and the lacking compensation offered by the owner of the land.
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