WRITING ASSIGNMENT: MULTIGENRE RESEARCH PROJECT

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1 CONTEXT WRITING ASSIGNMENT: MULTIGENRE RESEARCH PROJECT The final project for our unit on All Quiet on the Western Front will be a multi-genre research paper. Students will be given class time to work on this in addition to time spent on it at home. The project will take several weeks to complete. The theme of the project will be to research another person. It must be someone whom the student does not know well or hang out with on a regular basis. It can be someone out of the class, but it must be approved by the teacher. Students may also opt to research another group or club member on campus that they are not attached to or with which they know nothing about. For instance: band members, sports team members, artists, theater/drama actors, ROTC members, student leadership/student body representatives. Every student must get their research subject s approval to interview them and each student must get their research subject approved by the teacher. (Adults might be easier candidates for the interviews. Check with the school district that you will be teaching in to make certain it doesn t violate their privacy laws.) PURPOSE This assignment will help students to gain knowledge of many different writing forms, genres. It will give students experience in many different writing styles. It will help them in and out of the classroom. As research is done, it will teach students to analyze the information and learn to

2 organize it in a way that will interest readers. The point of the research material researching the life of another student they don t know is to foster tolerance and breed unity between unlikely parties/individuals. It is to help students see beyond their comfort zone and learn about the life of another. By looking more closely at someone else s life, they will in turn begin to find their own identity too. (Be sure to check with your school district on specific FERPA laws and any release forms that need to be signed by students being interviewed and their parent-guardians. According to FERPA as well as Human Subjects Research Regulations, you cannot do this type of project interviewing minors and publishing material about them without written consent from the student and their parents/guardian. You ll have to include these forms and also check with your school district on their policies. If it is not possible to do student interviews, this project can be adapted to interview an adult where such strict laws do not apply.) AUDIENCE The audience will be fellow classmates. Peer editing and response will be a huge part of this assignment. Students will critique each other s projects. The teacher will review the finished pieces, provide suggestions, and eventually grade the final, finished product. RESEARCH 1. First you will choose a person to research. Remember: they must be someone you don t know well AND you must have that person s approval to interview them and gather information FIRST hand from them. 2. Once you have gathered your information and research you will then choose eight (8) different genres. You cannot use a genre more than twice. 3. Six (6) of those genres must be written, the other two (2) may be pictures, music, cartoons, artwork, etc. You may choose to do all written genres, that is ok. 4. Out of the eight (8) genres you choose to include in your project, up to two (2) may be written, drawn, sung, or otherwise provided by the person you are researching. You are responsible for at least six (6) of the genres. If you do not have your research subject submit any genres you will need to provide them. You must have eight (8) genres in your final project. 5. The following genres are required: a. Interview b. Newspaper Article about your subject c. Essay (3 pages, 12 font, double-spaced) d. Intimate observer response 6. Each of the ten (10) genres will have different due dates. During class time we will peer review the genres. I will read them, and give credit for it being turned in on time. I will then return it to you with suggestions for improvement and have you correct, re-type, and hand it back in. you will turn in each genre for your completed final research project.

3 7. If you choose to include music, you must include the written lyrics, and you should include a copy of the song on cd or tape with your project. 8. With your final completed project, you will turn in a separate sheet of paper with a rationale for why you chose the person to research. You must also turn in a reflection letter about what you learned from this project how you changed or grew. 9. The final page of the project will be a formal MLA style bibliography of citations to show where you found your information. If your citations are mostly interviews, include the interviewee s name, the date and duration of those interviews. EXPECTATIONS Don t panic!!!! This sounds scary but it won t be, it will be out of the box and not boring, it will be fun! We will go through each phase and step of it together. I am here to help you and answer all of you questions. I know that you will be successful and even enjoy this project as you make it yours and are creative. Please don t hesitate to talk to me or other students to get ideas. I want your projects to be interesting, vivid, bold, exciting, diverse with many genres, intelligent, and insightful. I want to see your imagination and intellect turned loose! When I read your projects in the end, I want to really know more about the person and their life through your eyes and how you are growing and learning. I know I am asking a lot of you, but it s because I believe in you and know that you are capable of making a masterpiece. I am here to help you, I want you to succeed and we will work step by step on this project. As a class, we will learn as we go you are not alone! DUE DATES Topic: Short bibliography: Interview 1: Interview 2: Newspaper article: Essay first draft: Essay final draft: Intimate observer response: Genre 1: Genre 2: Genre 3:

4 Final Multi-Genre Research Project including: All eight (8) genres Final bibliography Rationale Reflection Letter EXAMPLES OF GENRES 1. Poems 2. Short stories 3. Journal/Diary entries (real and imaginary 4. Newspaper articles 5. Dialogues and Conversations 6. Quotes Poster and photograph of James Europe: an African American soldier and musician. Courtesy of: 7. Children s books 8. Songs and ballads 9. Documentaries 10. Interviews 11. Collages 12. Adventure/Fantasy/Science Fiction 13. Resumes 14. Facts 15. Radio Scripts 16. Photos and Captions 17. Plays 18. Letters (personal, persuasive, observations, informational, etc.) 19. Recipes 20. Childhood memories 21. Birth certificate 22. Advertisements, posters, flyers, wanted posters 23. Scrapbooks

5 ASSESSMENT Your project will be graded in three stages: 1. You will receive points for turning individual genres in on time for peer review and editing. You will get full points if your draft is stamped by me on the day it is due. 2. You will then turn in your genre with the peer review sheet attached to it and will receive a grade for the quality of the individual genres from me. 3. Your final project will be graded according to the Multi-genre Rubric and against the guidelines given in this document. SIX-TRAIT PEER-SCORING SHEET (ADAPTED FROM GRIERSON, 2003) Directions: Read this piece out loud. After you have read the piece, HONESTLY evaluate it using the six traits. Mark YES if you agree with the statement; mark NO if you disagree. Then on the rough draft, underline those things which you felt were particularly good about the piece. If you marked NO on any item, list ideas that would help to strengthen this area. Ideas and Content The piece has a clear purpose and makes a point. The writer uses clear, relevant details and examples to help the reader understand the message. The author sticks to the main idea. He/she leaves out details that do not matter. It is obvious that the writer has thought about his/her topic carefully and feels as if he/she knows what he/she is talking about. Organization The beginning of the piece is effective; it makes the reader want to keep reading. The author has told things in an order that makes sense and makes it easy to follow what is being said. The details in the piece go together or lead up to some bigger idea, main point, or conclusion. The piece ends well; it does not just stop suddenly, but it does not drag on too long either. Voice The writer has written in a way that shows how he/she really thinks and feels about this topic. The piece is fun to read. The writer has put something of him/herself into the piece and it sounds like him/her--not like someone else. It is obvious that the writer has given some thought to what the reader will think and feel when reading this. Word Choice It is easy to picture what the piece is about; the words paint a picture in the reader=s mind. The writer did not use words or phrases which have been heard many times before; instead he/she has tried to find new ways to say things. The writing sounds natural. It is obvious that the writer has tried to have fun with language.

6 Sentence Fluency The sentences make sense; the meaning of each one is clear, and there are not words left out. The sentences have variety; some are longer than others, and they do not all begin the same way. When the piece is read orally, it is smooth and easy to read. Conventions The piece has been proofread; errors in spelling, punctuation and/or grammar have been corrected. The paragraphs begin in the right spots. The piece is EASY to read because correct spelling, grammar, capitalization, punctuation and paragraphing have been done. WRITING ASSIGNMENT/RESEARCH PROJECT RUBRIC GENRE ONE: Research Essay / 100 Process: Completed the following (20) has stamped draft includes peer review paper shows thoughtful revision TOTAL (20) Product: Ideas (28) reflects research is written from one perspective of the person s life is interesting (gives surprising facts or ideas) follows assignment (focused on heroism of individual) Organization (16) has interesting introduction and conclusion uses well-structured paragraphs contains overarching thesis statement Voice (12) is interested, engaged, and informed Conventions (12) has correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation includes correct MLA citations Word Choice (6) uses one vocabulary word effectively uses effective, precise words throughout Sentence Fluency (6) shows interesting variety is like speech and has a smooth flow TOTAL (80) GENRE TWO: / 40

7 GENRE THREE: / 40 GENRE FOUR: / 40 GENRE FIVE: / 40 GENRE SIX: / 40 GENRE SEVEN: / 40 GENRE EIGHT: / 40

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