8/2/2019 Costenbader Synthesis

1/2

Matt Costenbader

Comp 1 Dr. Sherry

In the entries below, I talk about how the different parts of my Michael Vick project

that I did this semester address the course goals. I chose to write about my slideshow for

the audience/purpose goal, my diary entries from Michael Vick for the language andconventions goal, my professional article genre for the critical use of evidence goal, my

slideshow again for the print/ non-print media goal, and my apology letter to the NFL

Commissioner for the writing process goal.

A. Students will be able to compose for particular audiences and purposes.

For this goal, I chose to write about my slideshow genre. It is composed so that people of

all different backgrounds will be interested in seeing and reading the information I have onit. I used eye catching features, like different-colored backgrounds and fonts. For example,

I used Philadelphia Eagles green for the background of the slides that talk about when he

was on the Eagles and red for when he was on the Atlanta Falcons. I also used pictures and

set up each slide format differently so that when it was being read, the person was notlooking at the same boring slide with a different picture and words each time.

B. Students will be able to compose using language and conventions appropriate to

genre.

I chose to write about my diary entries from Michael Vick for this goal. When a personwrites in a diary, they most likely do not use formal language like they would in a report or

article. They use language they actually use everyday in an informal setting. Slang is

common in diaries, and proper grammar is not always needed. I used some slang and also

informal language in my diary to make it more realistic and like Vick actually wrote them.For example, in the diary entries from Vicks childhood, I tried to use informal language to

make it like a child wrote it and not an adult.

C. Students will be able to read, select, and use evidence critically to formulate and

support arguments.

For this goal, I chose to write about my professional genre article. In a real article, peoplehave to use factual information that they researched and try to shy away from opinions. I

did that in my article. I used all the information I could from the information I researched

to make it like a real article as much as I could. I used a lot of information from Wikipedia.

I did this because it had a whole biography on Vicks life and that is basically what myarticle is, a biography. It makes the article seem very professional.

D. Students will be able to interpret and compose in a variety of media and print/non-

print genres.

My slideshow is what I chose to write about for this goal. My slideshow is not something

that you would print out, because it is meant to be looked at slide by slide on a computerinstead of paper by paper. I used different pictures of Vick for each slide that related to the

information of the slide so that they portrayed information as well. I used unique headings

for my slides to show what was to come on that slide.

8/2/2019 Costenbader Synthesis

2/2

E. Students will be able to discuss and apply appropriate writing processes both

individually and in collaborative contexts.

For this goal, I chose to write about my apology letter to the NFL Commissioner fromMichael Vick. When I first wrote it I had a lot of grammar mistakes and I also used some

words repetitively. For example, I used words like Ive, and Im, and other conjunctions.

The people that reviewed my letter suggested that I should just spell them out insteadbecause it makes the letter look more professional and that was what I wanted it to look

like. After it was peer reviewed I got great feedback on it and ideas from other people that I

had not even thought of. They corrected my grammar mistakes, gave me some ideas aboutdifferent words to use, and helped me make it look more like a formal letter. For example, I

used too many commas where I should not have and after my letter was reviewed, they

fixed that for me.

Reflection:

When I first chose my topic for my multigenre project, I had already known a lot about

Michael Vick. I knew the story of what he had done, the teams he had been on, what kind

of player he was, and also what kind of person he had changed into. I did not expect to findout that many new things about him, but I was wrong. I learned a lot about Vick, especially

about his childhood. I learned how growing up in a really bad neighborhood affected howhe grew up and how he got involved in the dog-fighting operation. I also learned about the

groups he was working with, and how hard he was working to stop animal abuse. It was a

lot of fun looking at statistics of him, and watching videos of him playing also.

Throughout this project, I learned that you have a lot of freedom with your genres. I

thought, at the beginning, that I would have to do a bunch of different types of reports and

boring word documents on Vick, but I was wrong. I learned that word documents are notthe only way to convey information, and not the best either. My slideshow is a good

example of this. It was fun creating it because I got to put a lot more than just words into it.

I got to use pictures, different colored backgrounds, different colored headings, and otherthings as well. I got to put my own creative touch on it and I really enjoyed that.

If I were going to teach this course, I would definitely use the multigenre project with mystudents. I think it is a fun way to talk about something youre passionate about. It is unlike

any other project I have done before. I am used to the conventional essay on a topic we

dont get to choose and I dont enjoy those. I liked the freedom this project brought, and

how it brought out the creativity in us. I also like that it is spread over a long period of thesemester and we dont have to jam it all into one or two weeks like other projects.