"I think students really need more of an audience than just the teacher."
- Lori Mayo
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The first audience any writer addresses is herself or himself. To get a handle on how you and your students perceive the processes of writing, use this inventory as a starting point for classroom discussion.
This questionnaire can help students think about audience in regard to numerous writing tasks.
In pointing his students' attention to audience, Charles Ellenbogen used an activity using newspaper articles that you might like to try with your students. Read and listen to him talk about it.
Kelly Quintero used a similar activity to help her students explore the issues of writing for a specific audience. This activity builds on a writing exercise that was part of a writer's workshop led by Judith Ortiz Cofer. You can participate in this activity through the interactive A Writer's Notebook.
Do you have a favorite tip for helping students identify and work toward the expectations of an audience? Share your thoughts on Channel-Talk.