Multi-Genre Research Project Using Non-Fiction Writing in Your Classroom Developed by Jesse Priest

What is the Multi-Genre Research Project? Definition: The Multi-Genre Research Project is a compilation of written and visual work that is based on the research of one topic.

What is the purpose of the Multi- Genre Research Project? Students are able to choose a topic of interest, research it, and present their writing in a creative manner. Students learn how to write different forms of Non-Fiction and gain understanding of how and why each genre should be used.

Who can do this project? Anyone! This project is very easily differentiated based on students’ interests, ability and need. It can even be done by interdisciplinary teams…talk with your team and decide who teaches each topic and share grading.

How do I start this project? Starting this project is easy…. 1. Give yourself a timeframe to work in. It is not uncommon for this project to span the entirety of a marking period. 2. Decide what your project requirements will be and formulate a checklist for yourself and the students. 3. Announce the project and explain it to your class. Give students a few days to think about a topic that they might like. a. students must really like their topic! b. it must follow guidelines that you set.

Researching for the project 4. Provide Research Days. Schedule time in the library as well as time in the computer lab for students to further research their interests. 5. Make the students commit! They must tell you the topic by a certain deadline…switching a topic mid-project is difficult for you and them. 6. Spend time teaching students how to research. Provide note taking sheets with specific questions and guidelines. Provide students will reputable websites to gather information off-line! And discourage mass printing! Students should record all information on their note sheet or cut and paste into a word document. 7. Students should have a folder to keep all research materials. They should be encouraged to keep this information in a safe location at school.

Duration of the Project: 8. State your expectations for daily writing. 9. Encourage students to use facts but be creative! 10. Keep a checklist of completed assignments for students to refer to.

Writing Genres autobiography advertisement announcement assignment sheet book jacket business report/prospectus campaign speech character sketch clinical lab report collage (visual or word) collage critical analysis descriptive paragraph: or a specific description of some sort descriptive paragraph diary or journal entry diary encyclopedia entry eulogy informative essay narrative essay

Writing Genres persuasive essay grocery list or list of some other sort grocery list interview: real or imagined; however you must say which it is interview letter memo menu movie review newspaper article obituary personal commentary radio broadcast recipe rhetorical analysis scientific lab report stream of consciousness song/ballad (the lyrics) song/ballad travel journal

Visual Genres cartoon or comic strip cartooncomic strip CD cover graph/chart illustration photographs map w/ legend travel poster wanted poster sports card birth certificate postcard bumper sticker

My Personal Experience I was first introduced to this project in college by one of my professors. I loved it so much that I have done it every year that I have worked at Windham. It is a wonderful thing to see kids excited about a project that could potentially be 25 writing pieces. But the reason that they are excited is because they love the topic and they want to research it and they want to write about it! And when it is completed, they want to bring it home and share it with others. When the project is completed, I have students do a creative project about their topic. Then we write invitations home to invite parents to come to school for lunch and presentations. The kids are always so excited to share their work and sometimes they don’t even realize the amount and quality of their work until it is all bound up into a nice little book for them. I hope that some of you find this project interesting and feel as if you might like to give it a try on your teams or in your classroom. It would be great if many people tried it out and we could host a multi-genre research faire for parents and community members. It would be a great way to showcase the works of our students! Good Luck! Jesse

Multi-Genre Links: ultigenre.assignmentsheet.doc ultigenre.assignmentsheet.doc nre.html nre.html