Multigenre Projects
Multigenre projects encourage students to read, research, and learn and then transfer and transform their newfound knowledge in a creative style through various genres. Not just the typical genres-fiction, nonfiction, historical fiction, biographies, poems-but letters, newspaper articles, obituaries, brochures, lists, advertisements-any form of written communication. Before beginning writing, students must first study and understand different genres. Then, they will research their topic and decide upon genres that represent what they have learned and important information to be shared. Students keep a writer’s notebook, a literary response log, and a draft book. Students meet for whole class instruction, in small groups, and in conferences with the teacher. Teachers model through “write-alouds and think alouds”.The multigenre project includes a cover, an introduction, an outline or table contents, defenses, 3-6 genres, and visual designs. (Writing Without Boundaries, page 35) In writing, the students must consider who the audience is, why the piece exists, characteristics of the genre, and the perspective and purpose. (page 37) Multigenre projects can be written as a response to literature, or as connections to social studies or science.A multigenre project sounds interesting and fun…but overwhelming! I don’t understand how it can be implemented into a heterogeneous, self-contained elementary classroom of 20+ students. So much is expected of classroom teachers; we are expected to teach a curriculum impossible to complete within a given year. And I am concerned that while multigenre writing would be enjoyable and motivating, it would not prepare our students for the narrative writing test. (I know I continue to refer to the test, but that is our (school/county) focus) I disagree with the importance placed on these tests from Washington and from NC. I would rather have the freedom to instruct using creative strategies. Often, I feel as f I am in a “traditional rut” and would like to escape. I need not to be afraid to “think out of the box”. I think it would be fun and exciting to try something new and different…such as teaching reading and writing through various genres. I also think it would be difficult. I am considering ways I could change my daily schedule and my teaching strategies. I look forward to “mixing things up”.
If I attempted a multigenre project with my second graders, I would consider something similar to the” Primary Focus on Biography” (Writing Without Boundaries, page 80-81.) We have a famous American unit of study, so this would be a possibility. Another possibility may be with animal life cycles, as mentioned in our multigenre assignment by Dr. Fyre. I did like the Snowflake Bentley project from readwritethink.org; although the project is written for grades 3-5, we study a weather unit in second grade.
Topics I am considering for my multigenre project are the holocaust, nanotechnology, animal life cycles, weather, Sally Ride, George Washington. Lots of thoughts running rampant!!! I think the holocaust and technology would be interesting, but I would like to create an example for my second graders-animals, weather, or famous American-might be a better choice.
The lists of genres is very impressive – way more ideas than I could ever think of – text message?. Some genres my second graders have worked with are poems, narratives, journals, informational texts, letters, cards, plays, readers theater, power point, maps, dialogue, instructions, graphs, charts, lists, illustrations…a longer list than I imagined.
A genre I could consider teaching my students to study and write is a weather report. We will study weather in science this spring. I hope to have my students write haiku poems about weather too. We are finishing a study of famous Americans. I plan to invite my students to write acrostic poems about what they learn. It would be fun to have them write letters or journal entries from their person’s perspective. Letters and journals are genres they have experience with already.
marymcb said,
March 13, 2008 at 11:07 pm
Sonia,
You have a lot to say in your blog. I think your topics are interesting. The holocaust seems a little mature for second grade. How would you approach it? I think you are right that one of the most interesting parts of multi-genre writing is to have the students take responsibility and make a lot of their own decisions. An important part is the audience. I don’t know that even as adults we always consider the audience when we are writing. I appreciate your frustration at the responsibilities teachers face. I wonder if the activities and efforts that go into developing a multi-genre project can incorporate either directly or indirectly some of the testing objectives. I think we do teach to much to the test and in the process stifle some higher level and creative thinking. Maybe this multi-genre project can increase creativity and higher level thinking skills while still providing some tools to be successful on the EOGS.