Genres, Voices, and Genres, Voices, and ThoughtsThoughts

Research Projects with a Research Projects with a Creative TwistCreative Twist

Kerri HarrisKerri Harris

North Star of Texas Writing Project North Star of Texas Writing Project Teacher ConsultantTeacher Consultant

Keller ISDKeller ISD

What is Multigenre What is Multigenre Research?Research?

A student selects a topic.A student selects a topic. Research is conducted: collecting information, Research is conducted: collecting information,

synthesizing it, and presenting it in a written synthesizing it, and presenting it in a written format.format.

Instead of one long expository piece of writing, Instead of one long expository piece of writing, the information is presented within a number of the information is presented within a number of creative pieces – poetry, diary entries, lists, creative pieces – poetry, diary entries, lists, artwork, graphics, news articles, and recipes – artwork, graphics, news articles, and recipes – imaginative writing based on real facts.imaginative writing based on real facts.

Also, this type of writing does not begin with a Also, this type of writing does not begin with a working thesis. The underlying theme of the working thesis. The underlying theme of the paper is merely suggested – like a common paper is merely suggested – like a common thread that runs through the whole piece of thread that runs through the whole piece of writing and keeps it all cohesive.writing and keeps it all cohesive.

A Teacher’s Guide to the Multigenre Research ProjectMelinda Putz, 2006

Seven Reasons for Choosing Multigenre Research Projects Over Traditional Research

Projects Number 7: “The blending of research and creativity seems especially fitting for adolescents who have a need to express themselves in ways different

from adults and yet have a need to show what they’ve learned.” -Margaret Moulton, teacher Number 6: “One of our top students told me that this was the best thing

she had done all year and that she wouldn’t let me keep it.” -Ellen Goldfinch, librarian

Number 5: “Each genre offers ways of seeing and understanding that others do not. The world is perceived through multiple genres. They shape our

seeing.” -Tom Romano, author of Blending Genre, Altering Style: Writing Multigenre Papers

Number 4: “Sometimes what we write needs to be answered. Sometimes the truth of one genre needs to be counterbalanced by the truth of another.”

- Tom RomanoNumber 3: “I want more than exposure; I want immersion. I want students

to travel the territory of a concept, to get to know its geography.” -Tom Romano

Number 2: “Narrative knowing shows. We read a novel and leave the world. We read a poem and feel a sharp, emotional surge. We see a painting and meld into it.” -Tom RomanoAnd the Number 1 reason why teachers should use the Multigenre Research

Project as stated by Ellen Goldfinch …

““Students find it fun to research, and teachers Students find it fun to research, and teachers find it fascinating to read!”find it fascinating to read!”

Bored with the quality of research papers your students have been turning in? Tired of reading papers that sound

like a thesaurus threw up on the words that students plagiarized? Have you been using the same research

assignment with your students for so long that the edges of your original copy have yellowed and cracked with

age?

Well, have we got a deal for you! It’s the handy, dandy…

Just look at what teachers and students are saying about our product!

“I was writing about feelings

and emotions I didn’t even

know I had!”

Lindsey

“Students get excited about the assignment, try lots of new writing forms, read and respond to each other’s work, revise their drafts, and turn in their best writing of the year.”Georgia“Word choice and sentence variety step up

at least a notch or two and students recognize the interactions between form and meaning.”

Sue

“An expository essay would have

limited my expression of the amount of

life my subject had.”

Claire

So try us out today and discover how, by using different genres to grammatically illustrate the facts on a topic, you too can help put some meat on the dusty bones of the traditional

research paper.

From the Kitchen of: Tom Romano

Yields: Students and teachers who are no longer bored with research!

Recipe: The Multigenre Research PaperThis recipe was brought about by the boredom and confusion of students while they researched topics given to them by their teachers. When teachers noticed that all the papers left a bad taste

in their mouths, they discovered that research papers needed a little spice!Ingredients:1 self-chosen topic with special meaning2–5 resources for topic2–3 weeks of research time 6–10 genres related to topic (see attached Shopping List)1 opener that introduces the reader to the paper1 repetend to link crots together1 page of end notes1 Research Journal for experiments and metacognitionPinches of voice, organization, love for chosen topic, conventions, word choice, and fluency

Procedure:1. Toss around several

ideas in your mind that would be fun to research. Once the topic rises to the top, rinse it off and peel away the layers of until you discover why you want to learn more about it.

2. Tap into as many resources as you can find that tell you more about the topic.

3. Carefully sift your resources together until you get just the right consistency of background and character to help you pick you genres.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with lots of color, creativity, and passion. Before turning it in to a teacher or reading for a presentation, package it nicely in a theme wrapper that represents your topic.

4. Choose six to ten genres that you feel comfortable using. Have fun with your selections and don’t use more than one of each kind. This tends to over-power your creation with two much of one kind of flavor and will leave the reader with a lingering taste of monotony.5. Lightly whisk in a repetend to unify your creation into something that any reader can follow and understand. The deeper the symbolism, the better the taste!6. After finishing the above steps, scatter in the end notes for the finishing touch.

Traditional Genres

Wills Requisitions Email messages

Letters Bumper stickers Definitions

Campaign speeches Magazine articles Fairy tales

Birth announcements Memos Catalogs

Newscasts Magazine covers driver’s license

Questionnaires Notes to or from the Advertisements

Obituaries teacher Book jackets

Song lyrics Greeting cards Postcards

TV commercials Class notes Telegrams

Radio shows Leases Schedules

Shopping lists Contracts Tickets

Timelines Parodies Editorials

News releases Police reports Prayers

Medical records Brochures Bulletins

Manifestos Diaries Laboratory notes

Surveys Invitations Pamphlets

Resumes Fiction Tattoos

Family trees Encyclopedia entries

Dedications Epitaphs

Crossword puzzles Poems

Cartoons/comic strips Daily schedules

Menus Advice columns

Diplomas Eulogies

In his book, In his book, Blending Genre, Altering Blending Genre, Altering Style: Writing Multigenre PapersStyle: Writing Multigenre Papers, ,

Tom Romano defines a multigenre Tom Romano defines a multigenre paper as a paper that, “…arises from paper as a paper that, “…arises from

research, experience, and research, experience, and imagination. A multigenre paper is imagination. A multigenre paper is

composed of many genres and composed of many genres and subgenres, each piece self-subgenres, each piece self-

contained, making a point of its own, contained, making a point of its own, yet connected by theme or topic and yet connected by theme or topic and sometimes by language, images, and sometimes by language, images, and content. In addition to many genres, content. In addition to many genres,

a multigenre paper a multigenre paper may also may also contain many voices, not just the contain many voices, not just the

author’sauthor’s..

Traditional Genres

Wills Requisitions Email messages

Letters Bumper stickers Definitions

Campaign speeches Magazine articles Fairy tales

Birth announcements Memos Catalogs

Newscasts Magazine covers driver’s license

Questionnaires Notes to or from the Advertisements

Obituaries teacher Book jackets

Song lyrics Greeting cards Postcards

TV commercials Class notes Telegrams

Radio shows Leases Schedules

Shopping lists Contracts Tickets

Timelines Parodies Editorials

News releases Police reports Prayers

Medical records Brochures Bulletins

Manifestos Diaries Laboratory notes

Surveys Invitations Pamphlets

Resumes Fiction Tattoos

Family trees Encyclopedia entries

Dedications Epitaphs

Crossword puzzles Poems

Cartoons/comic strips Daily schedules

Menus Advice columns

Diplomas Eulogies

So… How Do I Teach Voice?

Jerry Seinfeld

Patricia MacLachlan

Anthony Browne

Jackie French

Doreen Cronin

Simila

r

Form

ats

Animal DiariesAnimal Diaries

Pick your favorite animal, but don’t tell Pick your favorite animal, but don’t tell anyone what you picked.anyone what you picked.

Since writing with voice helps to bring Since writing with voice helps to bring out the emotion of the author, write a out the emotion of the author, write a diary entry in your animal’s voice diary entry in your animal’s voice about an event that made him/her:about an event that made him/her:

Angry

Confused

Jealous

Ecstatic

Isolated/Lonely

Cherished

Shocked

Disappointed

What are Thoughtshots and How Do I Teach Them to My Students?

Flashback Thoughtshot:She remembered the day he came through the door the first time. He was only a little boy then…Flash-Ahead Thoughtshot:She thought about her options. She could go there and pretend it never happened. She could tell him everything. She could buy a plane ticket to Bermuda with the money…

Internal Monologue or Dialogue:There was no way she could do it. She knew that, but still her feet kept moving, one step after another. She thought about why she was doing this but there was no way she could make sense of it…

Look at the pictures on the next slides. Pretend you are one of the

people in the picture. What was the person thinking at the moment the picture was taken? What kinds of

thoughts were running through the minds of the individuals? Was there something off-camera that we can’t see? What are the opinions of the

people in the picture about the other people in the picture? Write down

the thoughtshot (2-3 sentences) that could have occurred for ONE of the

people in the picture.

Put ‘em All Together and Put ‘em All Together and What Do You Get?What Do You Get?

A Diary of the Alamo by Jim BowieA Diary of the Alamo by Jim Bowie A Diary of My Greatest Victory by Santa AnnaA Diary of My Greatest Victory by Santa Anna The Goliad Gazzette with headliners such as: The Goliad Gazzette with headliners such as:

Massacre Mania, Interview with Coleto, and The Massacre Mania, Interview with Coleto, and The Battle BluesBattle Blues

Texas ABC Books: Every letter of the alphabet Texas ABC Books: Every letter of the alphabet representing something about Texas with a representing something about Texas with a requirement for at least a certain amount of voices, requirement for at least a certain amount of voices, thoughtshots, and genres.thoughtshots, and genres.

A Day In The Life Of a Karankawa IndianA Day In The Life Of a Karankawa Indian The Top Ten Greatest Inventions: Each section has The Top Ten Greatest Inventions: Each section has

to include the voice of the inventor and the to include the voice of the inventor and the descriptions are presented in different genres.descriptions are presented in different genres.

Math Doesn’t Suck: A User’s Guide for Surviving 7Math Doesn’t Suck: A User’s Guide for Surviving 7thth Grade AlgebraGrade Algebra

TEKSTEKSGrade 7 WritingGrade 7 Writing

Writing/purposes. The student writes for a variety Writing/purposes. The student writes for a variety of audiences and purposes and in a variety of of audiences and purposes and in a variety of forms. 15A-Hforms. 15A-H

Writing/evaluation. The student evaluates his/her Writing/evaluation. The student evaluates his/her own writing and the writings of others. 19A-Iown writing and the writings of others. 19A-I

Writing/inquiry/research. The student uses Writing/inquiry/research. The student uses writing as a tool for learning and research. 20A-Gwriting as a tool for learning and research. 20A-G

Viewing/representing/interpretation. The student Viewing/representing/interpretation. The student understands and interprets visual images, understands and interprets visual images, messages, and meanings. 22A-Cmessages, and meanings. 22A-C

BibliographyBibliographyGoldfinch, Ellen (2003).A match made in heaven: The multigenre project marries imagination and research skills. Library Media Connection. 21, 26-28.

Moulton, Margaret R. (1999).The multigenre paper: Increasing interest, motivation, and functionality in research. Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy. 42, 528-539.

Putz, Melinda (2006). A teacher's guide to the multigenre research project: Everything you need to get started. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Romano, Tom (2000). Blending genre, altering style: Writing multigenre papers . Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.