Multigenre (take two) March 5, 2008

I think that I have said it before, but I want to say again, I think it is wonderful when people give step by step instructions on what is supposed to be done in a classroom.  After reading this, I feel that I could really help someone understand how a multigenre project should be implemented in a classroom.  I know that they had and example of a teacher’s second grade project, but I think that is a little much for a second grader.  I am happy to have one decent writing about a subject from my second grade classroom.  I think that it would be difficult and very time consuming to require more than two genres for one particular content area.  I do like exposing children to different genres.  I think that it would be much easier for me to pick different subject matters for a specific genre.

There was also a lot of group collaboration that was integral for the understanding and completion of the assignment.  I like putting the project on the student and then they have a real sense of accomplishment and learn problem solving, cooperation, and general thinking skills as well as about their subject and genres.  This seemed to be such an important part, and I felt that my second graders do well to stay on task without a teacher for about 5-8 minutes.  After that, the conversation tends to not be on task.  I am not saying that it can not be done, but I feel that it would be a definite challenge.  I have completed a multigenre project and was not aware of it until now.  I still remember the project and some of the things we completed for a high school English class.  I do not remember a lot of assignments from school and think that it is interesting that once I started reading about multigenre that this particular project really stood out in my mind and brought back a lot of fond memories.  I remember my classmates and I preparing for the presentation of our project.  I think that I is a gift tot be able to learn for a lifetime and that is what I did with that particular project.

Multigenre projects would have to be memorable to a student just because it is so different from what they are used to doing.  Teacher, including myself, must think about what is going to be the greatest impact for our students.

    Project Idea

I might do my multigenre project on Abraham Lincoln.  I think that he and his life are fascination and ideas for several genre have come to my mind:

Letters from or to him

News article about his death

Calendar or schedule of what he might do

Journal entry of his, his wife, or John Wilkes Booth

List of things he might need to get completed in a day

Poem

Invitation to the play

Election Poster (or whatever form of advertisement they used)

Banner about his election

Story about his loss of the ?congressional election?

Sign to advertise to fight in the Civil War

Eye witness account of assassination

I am sure there are many more

There are a lot of ideas that I have but have not done research and will need to see what will work best with the information that I find.

I also thought about Harriet Tubman.  She is an amazing woman and some of the same genre ideas can work for her too.

 

Recipe for a multigenre piece 

several students to work cooperatively                          one interesting topic

6 (or more to taste) cups of previous genre                    motivated students and teacher

lots of time to work                                                       teacher direction

students to inquire

  

                                               

Preheat writing workshop for months before starting.  Then       have students pick a topic and work, work, work.  Celebrate the final draft with a party to enjoy and share the project together.