Tell it Like it is?
Module 1, Activity 1.2 - Writing for Audience
Student Page
(teacher lesson for this page)

Introduction:

Who will be reading my work? Who do I want to convince? Who your audience is when you are writing is one of the most important things that you must consider as a writer. The people you are trying to appeal to or convince will ultimately determine the way in which you tell the story. In this lesson, you will have the opportunity to determine the characteristics for writing for different audiences and attempt to write the same story for two different groups.

Activities:

Task One - Speak to the Audience
To start, think of something interesting that has been recently happening in your life or in your community. Jot down the main points of the story. Find a partner and, in two minutes, explain to them what has been happening. While you are speaking, your partner should be writing down the basic details of your story. After you have told the story once, imagine that you are trying to explain the same event to your Grandma or another, older, member of your community. When you tell the story this time, your partner should record any details that you added or changed in telling your story to a different audience.

Task Two - Finding Characteristics
In groups of 2 or 3, search through the newspapers and magazines that you have brought with you to class. Find at least 3 articles that are directed at teens and 3 articles that are directed at a second audience.

After you have selected your articles, as a group, discuss and write down the characteristics of the articles written for teens. You will want to consider the following:

1. the language used throughout the article
2. the people interviewed in the article
3. the information/statistics given in the article

Now, discuss and write down the characteristics of the stories written for the target audience that you are focusing on that is not teens.

Objectives:

You will be able to
- assess an author's ideas and techniques
- locate, assess, and summarize information from a variety of sources
- recognize writing as a process of constructing meaning for yourselves and others

Task Three - Writing for Different Groups
Choose a story from your community that you are interested in and that is appropriate for school (you may use your idea from task one if you like).

Your job is to write this story for two separate audiences. One of your audiences should be a group of people similar to yourself. The other audience is your choice. Try to choose targets that have specifically different interests. Challenge yourself to address those different interests in your writing.

For example:

Your community is currently considering whether store hours should be increased for the four weeks before Christmas.

Try writing the story with high school students in mind (i.e. focusing on the increased hours and the challenge that might cause with respect to school work, sports, etc.)

Then, try writing the article with the local business owners in mind (i.e. chance for extra income)

Still not sure how to begin? Look at an example from another lesson discussing audience and perspective (Task Two - Drumming up News)

The words you choose are one of the ways you target your work at an audience.