AleciaHinston

TE848
Spring2017

TeacherInquiryProject:
AnnotatedBibliography
ResearchQuestion:Howcanthemulti-genreresearchprojectbe
effectivelyimplementedinamiddleschoolEnglishclassroom?

Romano,Tom.BlendingGenre,AlteringStyle:WritingMultigenrePapers.Portsmouth:
Boynton/Cook,2000.Print.
InBlendingGenre,AlteringStyle:WritingMultigenrePapers,TomRomano
providesacomprehensiveexplanationofhowheandotherteachershaveusedthe
multigenrepapersintheirclassrooms.Heincludessomepossibleroadblocksor
issuesstudentsorteachersmayencounterintheprocess,aswellassomesolutionsor
rationaleforthosewhoareunsureabouttheproject.Sprinkledthroughoutthebook
areexamples,aswell,writtenandcreatedbystudentsfromarangeofages.These
examplesprovideavarietyofmodelsfromwhichteacherscanreferastheyare
creatingtheirownmultigenreassignmentsandwhichstudentscanuseasastarting
pointfortheirownwritingandprojects.

IappreciatedthewaythatRomanobrokedonemanyofthecomponentsofthe
project,includingtheintroductionandtransitions.Healsospentalotoftime
discussingsomeofthegenresthatcouldbeincludedinthemultigenrepaper/project
andhowthosegenrescouldbetaughtinclass.Therewerecountlessexamples
throughoutthebook,someofwhichmaynotbeappropriateformymiddleschoolers,
buttheydidgivemeadeeperunderstandingofthevisionofthemultigenre
paper/project.Iespeciallylovedthemultigenreprojectabouteatingdisordersand
theireffects.Throughthisbook,Igainedabettervisionfortheemotionaland
reflectivecomponentsthatthisprojectcanhave,whilestillbeing
academic/informational.Romanodoesaddressthefinebalancebetweenemotionand
informationandalertsteacherstomakesurestudentsdonotoscillatetoofaronthe
emotionsidewithoutincludeinformationreflectingtheirresearch.Imleftwondering
howtomakesurestudentsdontgotooemotionalwithouttheinformation...without
killingstudentsenergyorcreativity.

Putz,Melinda.ATeacher'sGuidetotheMultigenreResearchProjectEverythingYouNeed
toGetStarted.Portsmouth,NH,Heinemann,2006.

MelindaPutzsbooktrulyiseverythingyouneedtogetstartedwiththe
multigenreresearchproject.Whilemanyteachershavebuiltoffofherideas,thisbook
isoftenreferredtoasathestartingpoint.Thebookisextremelypractical,including
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TE848
Spring2017
verydetailedhandoutstoprovidetostudents.Putzexplainseverypartoftheprocess,
includingintroducingtheprojecttostudentstopeereditingtothefinal
publication/presentations.Shealsoincludesgenres-bothtraditionalandalternative
-studentscouldchoosetoinclude,aswellasseveralexamplesforstudentsmodels.

Ifoundthisbooktobe,asmentionedearlier,agoodstartingpoint.After
readingsomeoftheotherarticles,Idecidedtotakemoreofanautobiographicalfocus
formystudentsprojects.However,IthinkIcouldtweakmanyofPutzsresourcesthat
sheincludesinherbook.Onetake-awayIhavethatIwouldliketoapplytomyown
projectsinmyclassroomisthemultigenremuseum.Studentscreatesomethinglikea
museumfortheprojects.Whilemystudentsprojectswillbeautobiographical,Im
wonderingifIcandosomethingsomewhatsimilar...yetappropriateforthe
autobiographicalfocus.

Painter,D.D.ProvidingDifferentiatedLearningExperiencesThroughMultigenre
Projects.InterventioninSchoolandClinic,vol.44,no.5,2009,pp.288293.,
doi:10.1177/1053451208330900.

Thisarticleprovidesadetaileddescriptionofthestepstwoteachers--aspecial
educationteacherandatechnologyteacher--implementedinasocialstudies
multi-genreprojectwiththeirstudents.Theyalsofocusedonhowthemulti-genre
researchapproachallowedformoreengaged,student-centeredlearningandorganic,
differentiatedinstructionforstudentswithspecialneeds.Studentswereableto
developtheirownskillsandteachtheirpeersboththeskillsneededfortheprojectas
wellastheinformationtheylearnedthroughtheirpartnerresearch.Thearticle
describeshowtheteacherscollaboratedduringtheplanningandtheexecutionofthe
projectduringthelastfiveweeksoftheschoolyear.Theyalsodescribedachecklist
systemtheyusedduringtheprojecttoassessstudentsprogressandlearning.While
theirdifferentiatedlearninghappenedalittlemorenaturallyratherthaninamore
teacher-created,structuredway,theirprojectprovedhowthemulti-genreresearch
projectlendsitselfmoreeasilyandnaturallytodifferentiatedlearningasopposedto
moretraditionalresearchprojects.

Iwascuriousaboutthisarticleasmystudentscomefromarangeofabilities
andskilllevelsandwedonothaveanyspecialservicesatmyprivateschool.WhileI
didntfeelasifthearticleprovidedanynewinsightonspecificdifferentiation
strategiesusingthemulti-genreresearchproject,Ididleavethereadingwithadeeper
appreciationforthebenefitsofthemulti-genreresearchapproach.Hearingfromthe
teachersperspectivesontheirrolereversalintheclassroom(lessteacher-directed,
moreteacher-facilitated/student-led)furtherconvincedmeonthebenefitsofthis
assignmentinamiddleschoolclassroom.IhaveseenfromexperiencethatwhenI
givemystudentsthebenefitofthedoubtandhandthemastructured,yet
open-endedcreativeassignment,mostofthemabsolutelythrive.Theopportunitiesto
meetwithstudentswhomayhavespecialneedsorwhomaystruggleincertainsteps
orliteracyskillsisanothersellingpointforthemulti-genreresearchproject,
AleciaHinston
TE848
Spring2017
allowingthestudentswhoworkatafasterpacetoexploreatopicofinterestmore
in-depthaswellasstudentswhomayworkmoreslowlyorwhoarestrugglinga
chancetomeetone-on-oneorinsmallgroupswithmeduringclasstime.

Lenoir,W.David.TheMultigenreWarningLabel.TheEnglishJournal,vol.92,no.2,
2002,p.99.,doi:10.2307/822232.

InTheMultigenreWarningLabel,DavidLenoirarguesthatthedangertothe
multigenreresearchprojectisalackofunityamongthevarietyofwritingpieces.
Withoutacommonthreadwoventhroughoutthepieces,Lenoirstatesitwouldbe
moreofananthologyratherthanamultigenrepaper.Heclosesthisarticlewithacall
toteacherswhoareconsideringthemultigenrepaperfortheircurriculum:Aswe
guideourstudentsthroughtheliberatingmulti-genreform,wemusttakecareto
showthemthattheoneinescapableconstantofasuccessfulmulti-genretextis
unity-andthatthisunitywillbethereonlywhenauthorsconsciouslysupplyit(p.
101).Throughexamplesheprovidesthroughoutthearticle,heacknowledgesthevalue
ofsuchanon-traditionalassignment,whilealsoacknowledgingamajorissuethat
manyoftheotherteacher-writersonthistopiceitherignoreorbrushover.

IappreciatedthedevilsadvocateapproachthatLenoirtookinthisarticle.I
amnotleadingmystudentstocreateananthology;however,Irecognizetheveryfine
linebetweentheanthologyandthismultigenreproject.Imleftwonderinghowto
avoidcrossingthatline.HowdoImodelandexplicitlyinstructmymiddleschoolers,
whooftenstrugglewithmoreabstractthinking,tolookforthedeeperunifyingtheme
ineachpieceoftheirwritingthatisonthesametopicyetdifferent?Arethereany
middle-school-friendlyanalogiesorexamplesIcouldusetohelpthemunderstand
moreclearly?


Bickens,Sarah,etal.DevelopingAcademicSkillsthroughMultigenreAutobiography.
TheEnglishJournal,vol.102,no.5,1May2013,pp.4350.

Thisarticledetailedspecificallyhowtocreateanautobiographicalmultigenre
assignment.ThewritersarguedthatsuchaprojectaddressesseveralCommonCore
StateStandardsatonce,aswellasincorporatingallfourcoreaspectsofELA:reading,
writing,speaking,andlistening.Inthisproject,studentsareassignedtowriteseveral
chapters,whicheachchapterfocusingonaspecifictopicoreventofwhotheyare.
Chapter1isanintroductionandreflectiononthewritingprocess.Chapter2narrates
aneventthathappenedbeforethestudentwasbornandthathadanimpactonwho
theyaretoday.Chapter2researchesthestudentsheritageandtheprocessof
immigration.Chapter3describesapivotaleventinthestudentslifetimethusfar.
Thefollowingchapters(aswellastheprevious!)aretrulyuptotheteachers
discretion,dependingonstudentneeds,interest,andpopulation.Somesuggestions
AleciaHinston
TE848
Spring2017
includeTheBestAdviceasacriticalessay,ThePersonIMissasaletter,ItsNot
Fairasapersuasiveessay,andMyFutureaseitheranobituaryorawardspeech(p.
45).

WhileKisselsarticleEngagingAdolescentLearnerswiththeMultigenreLife
MomentProjectwashelpfulinexpandingmyunderstandingofthemultigenre
projecttoincludeautobiography,IappreciatedthespecificdetailsthatBickenset.al
includes.SpecifyingthechapterideaswashelpfulformetoimaginewhatIcould
createwithmystudents.Imimaginingusingsuchaprojectwithmy8thgraders
towardstheendofsecondsemesterandincludingaThisIBelievechapter.Ialso
amwonderinghowIcanincorporateitortieittoourstudyatthebeginningofsecond
semesterTheDiaryofaYoungGirlbyAnneFrank.

Kissel,Brian,etal.EngagingAdolescentLearnerswiththeMultigenreLifeMoment
Project.MiddleSchoolJournal,vol.39,no.5,2008,pp.5969.,
doi:10.1080/00940771.2008.11461655.

Similartotheprevioussource,thisarticlealsofocusedonusingthemultigenre
writingprojectasanautobiographicalassignment.Whiletheresearchcomponentis
essentiallytakenout,studentsstilllearnaboutthebeautyofdifferentgenresandthe
whyandhowofusingspecificgenresoverothers.Whatcanacomicstrip
communicatemorepowerfullythanapoem?Viceversa?Theauthorsalsoemphasize
theimportanceofstudentsbothbeingheldtohighexpectationsandfeelingsafein
theirclassroomenvironmentinordertosucceed,includinginthistypeofassignment.
Theysuggestwaitinguntiltheendoftheschoolyeartoassignthisprojectinorderfor
studentstofeelcomfortablesharingpersonalaspectsofthemselvesinthis
autobiography.Theyincludeanexampleofamultigenreautobiographyonthetopicof
astudentsparentsdivorce.Theexamplesshowshowstudentscanfocusononelife
eventthatshapedorimpactedthemandthenwritefromavarietyofanglesto
contributetothedeepermeaning.

Ifoundthistobeveryhelpfulfromamiddleschoolstandpoint.Ihavemy7th
gradersstarttheyearwithapersonalnarrativeessay.SinceIamtheir8thgradeELA
teacheraswell,howpowerfulitwouldbetohavethisautobiographicalmultigenre
projectassignedattheendoftheir8thgradeyear,andthentocomparetheiressay
withtheirfinal8thgradeproject!Theresearchcomponentiseliminatedinthistype
ofproject,soIdontknowifthisisexactlywhatIamlookingforinordertoprepare
mystudentstoresearchandwriteinformativelywell;however,itdoesprovidea
helpfulexampleofhowthemultigenrewritingassignmentcanbeusedbeyondjustthe
researchpaper/project.