TEKS Terminology: Understanding Modes of Discourse

As state and national curriculum standards continue to change, it is important for teachers to develop a common set of definitions for terms that appear in those standards. This column describes the four modes of discourse--narrative, descriptive, exposition, and persuasion--and links them to a variety of genres students can write in to compose authentic texts. In addition, the connection to author's purpose is discussed. Sharing a common set of definitions lessens the confusion teachers face when implementing the standards.