How To... Implement Transactive Writing
By Linda Lindroth

For Reproducible click here. PDF 56B

For President's Day, create a manual on how to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - a fun way to honor former president and peanut farmer Jimmy Carter.

Guidelines for writing can be very complex and often become even more so when teachers begin to incorporate technology tools. Here are some ideas for using technology with your transactive writing.

What is transactive writing?
In its simplest form, transactive writing is "writing for information." More specifically, it is written text that helps the reader complete real-world tasks. The writer has ideas, information or an explanation that is intended to persuade a specific audience to accomplish one or more authentic purposes. In the academic realm, transactive writing demonstrates students' knowledge of a subject.

Transactive writing can take many forms: letters, manuals, brochures, feature articles, editorials, a speech, booklets or pamphlets. Students might create a brochure to show mastery of core content; a how-to manual written for younger students can reinforce learning for the writer as well as the reader. A feature article can be used to share researched information about a literary unit or author study. One might do an authentic assessment of the water cycle by creating a pamphlet to present the process.

Transactive writing should reach a conclusion, persuade the reader to accept a stated opinion or provide detailed steps for solving a problem.

Guidelines and resources
The process of transactive writing is enhanced with the use of technology for finding realistic problems and writing to an authentic audience.

1. Make sure of your facts. Present and develop an idea about your topic. There must be clear information to support your idea and detailed facts to develop your position.

Using the Internet to enrich your information base is a great way to add detail. One of my favorite sites is www.answers.com, which is great for general information and definitions with audio support for younger students. Many of the related web links give more in-depth facts. Here are additional web resources:

• Dear Librarian: Writing a Persuasive Letter – www.readwritethink.org/lessons/lesson_view.asp?id=875 This is a detailed lesson plan for writing a persuasive letter about Emily's Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary (HarperTrophy, 1990). It includes Letter Generator and Persuasion Map Planning tools. Students follow the mapping scheme to create their own persuasion map using thesis, three main reasons to support the goal and up to three facts for each reason to provide knowledgeable information that will persuade the reader.
• African American History Month Stamp Project – www.mcps.k12.md.us/departments/isa/elit/el/afriamerstamp.html After investigating African American History stamps, students will write a persuasive letter to the webmaster nominating an African American for a new stamp.
2. Write with an authentic purpose that meets the need of the selected audience. This is highly motivating and increases student life skills for the type of writing required in the workplace. When topics are meaningful, it creates student ownership for their writing. For some letter-writing ideas for President's Day and web links with more topic suggestions, visit www.TeachingK-8.com
3. Write for authentic readers and real-life situations. Make sure students have a target audience in mind, one that can be influenced and engaged by the writing. Use the web to find organizations that might share a viewpoint, a local newspaper, a community leader or the school decision-making team that could respond to their persuasive writings
4. Submit student writing to the chosen authentic audience. The audience must be real-world readers. It is important that their writing be read by someone other than the teacher.

For Reproducible click here. PDF 56B

Linda K. Lindroth is Teaching K-8's technology editor and website coordinator, and a technology resource teacher at Russell Cave Elementary School in Lexington, KY.

February 2007, Volume 37, Number 5