MULTI-GENRE WRITING"A multigenre paper arises from research, experience, and imagination. It is not an uninterrupted, expository monolog nor a seamless narrative nor a collection of poems. A multigenre paper is composed of many genres and subgenres, each piece self-contained, making a point of its own, yet connected by theme or topic and sometimes by language, images, and content. In addition to many genres, a multigenre paper may also contain many voices, not just the author's. The trick is to make such a paper hang together.“

~~ (Romano, Blending Genre, Altering Style i-xi)

Schedule Examples of Multi-genre Mulit-genre writing and Oreo cookies Create a multi-genre piece Share Works Ideas for Multi-Genre in the

classroom Resources

Brain Goals Understand what multi-genre is Think of applications

Social Goal Follow up with someone a day, a

week, a month from now to discuss how writing is used.

Multi-Genre Examples Books

Magic School Bus Magic Tree House & Research Guides Snowflake Bentley

Jacqueline Briggs Martin  The Man Who Named the Clouds

Julie Hanna & Joan Holub Black and White

David Macaulay

Read-Write-Think.org Online Mapper (Primary) Planning Sheet

Read-Write-Think.org Online Mapper (Primary) Interactive Tool

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Read-Write-Think.org Online Mapper (Primary) Example

Examples: Ojibwa Project (3rd Grade)

Research Created webpage summarizing Life in an Anishinabe

Camp

Directions Making a Wigwam, DreamMaker

Podcast Fictional Narrative Influenced from readings

and guest speaker

Recipe & Review Wild Rice Hot Cereal

Example: Me Book (5th Grade)

Bi-Weekly writing assignments of various writing skills and genre

Writings are student focused

Collected and bound into a book

Keepsake for outgoing 5th graders

Sample LayoutDue Date Topic Skill

Cover and Back (Self or Pets) Parts of a BookAbout the Author 3rd Person Pronouns

Second Grade Buddies Interview to Paragraph

Mom and Dad Paragraph Pargraph:Topic,Body, Closing

Family Tree OrgaqnizationFriends Alternative Nouns

Sports and Hobbies Dscrp Verbs, F.O.W.Expository

Name: Due Date: Topic: Buddy biography Skill: Multi-paragraph organization Topic Description After interviewing your buddy, you will write about this person in a paper containing three or more paragraphs. Skill Description Presenting facts in an orderly way is important to good writing. Follow these instructions and your buddy biography will be well organized. Introductory Paragraph: Begin with a topic sentence that names your buddy. My buddy, Jon Smith, is a second grader at Highlands. In the next sentence tell where you met. We met on a sunny September morning when our two classes got together. In the third sentence describe him or her. Jon is tall and slender with a freckled nose and a big grin. Jane has blue eyes and curly brown hair.

Writer’s Checklist

Me Pts My buddy biography has an introduction which ___ ___ Begins with a topic sentence that names him or her ___ ___ Continues with a sentence to tell where we met ___ ___ Follows with a description ___ ___ Comments on his or her behavior during the interview. The body of my buddy biography is organized into paragraphs that ___ ___ share similar topics.

Name: Due Date: Topic: Family Tree Skill: Organization Topic Description A family tree is a map of your direct lineage. Each person is one “branch” with you as the “trunk’. Include your parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. You may go back an additional generation if you wish. Siblings can be listed with you on the trunk. If you prefer, you can make a chart instead of a tree. Each name should include first, middle, maiden (when appropriate), and last names. Each name should also include the year and place born. Make sure to ask your parents for help with this information. You may wish to include a flag or flags that represent your ethnic heritage.

ME BOOK: Poetry Writing Due Date: Monday, April 23rd

Explanation: For this ME BOOK assignment, you will need to copy and include two of your favorite poems from the poetry collection that was completed in your writing class.

me pts Followed directions (Includes 2 favorite poems from Poetry Collection)

Proofread for grammar, spelling, and punctuation Length and content are appropriate.

Meets quality work standards (On clean, plain white paper, neatly written in ink or typed)

I had the worst teacher ever. She was meanest teacher in the whole school. I had trouble in math and didn’t understand what the word sum meant. She kept me in for recess because I didn’t finish my math. Another time she kept me in from recess because I went through her desk.

Recess was my favorite time of the day. The swings were the best. Every time I was on the swings it felt like I was 100 feet off the ground. I remember a soaring feeling. That was when I started to want to become a jet fighter pilot. My best friend Derek Flaten was my co pilot.

Rearranging OurselvesHow many Girl Scout cookies have you (family included) ordered?

Getting Settled InGrab several Oreos

(try a variety)Pour some milkPick up and read Oreos Article

• Using technology: camera, iPod, websites

• Tell a story through photos and captions

Digital Storytelling

Genres to Explore Personal Narrative

Your tale involving Oreos

Fantasy Personification:

Telling from the point of view of the cookie

Research History of the Oreo

Poem

Digital Storytelling using Story Kit Tell a story

through photos and captions

Technical Writing Directions for

Oreo recipe or How to eat an Oreo

Historical Fiction Fable / Folk Tale

Creating a Multi-genre Piece Select a Genre On a Index Card Write a Short

Piece 10-15 minutes

Glue Cards to Construction Sheet Add Drawings to Sheet Think about…

Student benefits with this kind of writing

Classroom use of multi-genre writing

Other possible multi-genre projects

Sharing• From each group, 1 or 2 people

• Share something that stood out about someone else’s work that help you learn more about Oreos.

Classroom Ideas? Quick digital storytelling with Storykit

app Great way to initiate writing All genres were honored Gets at Gardner Intellegences

Resources: Articles Eyes Like Saucers: Using Multi-Genre

Projects to Stimulate the Writing Lives of Teachers and Students by Dan Rothermel “I have my students select an interest of

theirs to use as an exploration to find reasons to care about and be engaged in writing. My students experiment with at least four different written genres to tell the stories of this self-selected aspect of their lives.”

Resources: Article Exploring the Past through

Multigenre Writing By Sirpa T. Grierson “Research comes alive when students

explore a range of alternate genres instead of writing the traditional research report.”

Resources: Online Tools Good Overview

http://writing.colostate.edu/gallery/multigenre/introduction.htm

Annenberg: Teaching Multigenre Writing Workshop Video http://www.learner.org/workshops/middlewri

ting/prog5.html?pop=yes&pid=2076

NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

1. Students read a wide range of print and nonprint texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works. 

2. Students read a wide range of literature from many periods in many genres to build an understanding of the many dimensions (e.g., philosophical, ethical, aesthetic) of human experience.

 3. Students apply a wide range of strategies to comprehend, interpret,

evaluate, and appreciate texts. They draw on their prior experience, their interactions with other readers and writers, their knowledge of word meaning and of other texts, their word identification strategies, and their understanding of textual features (e.g., sound–letter correspondence, sentence structure, context, graphics).

 

NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

4. Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.

 5. Students employ a wide range of strategies as they write and use different

writing process elements appropriately to communicate with different audiences for a variety of purposes.

 6. Students apply knowledge of language structure, language conventions (e.g.,

spelling and punctuation), media techniques, figurative language, and genre to create, critique, and discuss print and nonprint texts.

 7. Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and

questions, and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate, and synthesize data from a variety of sources (e.g., print and nonprint texts, artifacts, people) to communicate their discoveries in ways that suit their purpose and audience.

 

NCTE/IRA NATIONAL STANDARDS FOR THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS

 8. Students use a variety of technological and information resources (e.g., libraries, databases, computer networks, video) to gather and synthesize information and to create and communicate knowledge.

 11. Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective,

creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

 12. Students use spoken, written, and visual language to

accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).  

Mrprowell.com – Multi Genre Writing

Mrprowell.com – Digital Storytelling

Oreo Personality Test

Psychologists have discovered that the manner in which people eat Oreo cookies provides great insight into their personalities. Choose which method best describes your favorite method of eating Oreos:

1. The whole thing all at once. 2. One bite at a time 3. Slow and methodical nibbles examining the results of each bite afterwards. 4. In little feverous nibbles. 5. Dunked in some liquid (milk, coffee...). 6. Twisted apart, the inside, then the cookie. 7. Twisted apart, the inside, and toss the cookie. 8. Just the cookie, not the inside. 9. I just like to lick them, not eat them. 10. I don't have a favorite way because I don't like Oreo.

Your Personality:1. The whole thing. This means you consume life with abandon. You are fun to be with, exciting, and carefree with some hint of recklessness.

2. One bite at a time. You are lucky to be one of the 5.4 billion other people who eat their Oreos this very same way. Just like them, you lack imagination, but that's okay, not to worry, you're normal.

3. Slow and Methodical. You follow the rules. You're very tidy and orderly. You're very meticulous in every detail with everything you do. People like you oughta stay out of the fast lane if you're only going to go the speed limit.

4. Feverous Nibbles. You have a tendency to work too much and do too much. You always have a million things to do and never enough time to do them. Stop reading this and get things done already!

5. Dunked. Every one likes you because you are always upbeat. But, dunking is a messy business and you can be untidy at times.

6. Twisted apart, the inside, and then the cookie. You have a highly curious nature. You take pleasure in breaking things apart to find out how they work, though not always able to put them back together, so you destroy all the evidence of your activities.

7. Twisted apart, the inside, and then toss the cookie.You take risks that pay off. You take what you want and throw the rest away.

8. Just the cookie, not the inside.You enjoy pain.

9. I just like to lick them, not eat them. Stay away from small furry animals and seek professional medical help - immediately.

10. I don't have a favorite way. I don't like Oreo cookies. You probably come from a rich family, and like to wear nice things, and go to up-scale restaurants. You are particular and fussy about the things you buy, own, and wear. Things have to be just right. You like to be pampered. You are a prima donna. There's just no pleasing you. Why are you here with us little people?