General Theories

Question 1

What findings do Rothery’s categories refer to and what are the categories?

Answer 1

Joan Rothery found that early writing in school fell into (4) distinctive groupings
1) Observation and Comment
2) Recount
3) Report
4) Narrative

Question 2

Describe Rothery’s category of Observation and Comment and give an example 🐯

Answer 2

Observation and Comment refers to the observation a child makes in writing (“I saw a tiger”), followed by an evaluative comment (“it was very large”) or a mix of the two (“I saw a very large tiger”).

Question 3

Describe Rothery’s category of Recount and give an example

Answer 3

A Recount is a subjectively told, (usually) chronological sequence of events that (usually) follows a set pattern of orientation - event - reorientation.

e.g. a school trip where children are asked to recount their day

Question 4

What does orientation - event - reorientation refer to in Rothery’s categories?

Answer 4

Orientation - event - reorientation is apart of the Recount category.
1) Orientation = setting the scene
2) Event = the journey/place (name)
3) Reorientation = the closing, completing the writing

Question 5

Describe Rothery’s category of Report and what it might include

Answer 5

A generally non-chronological, factual and objective description of an event/thing

You might find: technical language, a singular semantic field

Question 6

Describe Rothery’s category of Narrative ….

Answer 6

Rothery’s Narrative is a story genre which sets the scene for events to occur and has an ending resolution.
It follows a set pattern of Orientation - Complication - Resolution coda