1. +
Multigenre Research and
Composition
Beth Friese and Gretchen Hazlin
AASL National Conference, October 2011

2. +
A bit about Beth
@librarybeth
PhD Candidate, Language
and Literacy Education
MEd, Instructional Technology
University of Georgia

3. +
A bit about Gretchen
@libraryms
Librarian,
Kilmer Middle School
And, a bit about all of you!

4. +
Visit Our Wiki
www.multigenreresearchandcomposition.wikispaces.com
Slides (soon!)
Additional Readings and Resources
Multigenre Texts To Use With Students
Google Form to collect ideas and
contact info
Questions (or tweet us)

5. Take a few minutes to think
+ about research projects you’ve
done in your school (and jot a
few down).

6. +
What is multigenre research
and composition?
(First, what is a genre?)

7. +
Many similarities with familiar
inquiry process
 Developing questions
 Locating and evaluating sources
 Synthesizing information
 Writing (one way or another)
 Information ethics
 Citations

8. +
Multigenre Research: Why?
 Creatively
Speaking, Part Two: Sir Ken Robinson on
the Power of the Imaginative Mind (From
Edutopia.org)
 Cultivating
the researcher’s imagination -
research and imagination are not opposites
(Tom Romano)
 Movingpast (or adding to) the traditional
research paper
 Incorporating different perspectives on a topic

9. +
Choice and imagination in how
research is presented
 What are interesting, compelling, creative,
novel ways to show what I have learned?
 Theimportance of purpose and audience:
Who am I trying to communicate those ideas
and insights with?
 Focusing on the often taken-for-granted
“product” of research as an opportunity for
choice and agency for young researchers

10. + AASL Standards for 21st Century Learner
 2.1.1 Continue an inquiry-based research process by applying critical-
thinking skills (analysis, synthesis, evaluation, organization) to information
and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw
conclusions, and create new knowledge.
 2.1.6 Use the writing process, media and visual literacy, and technology
skills to create products that express new understandings.
 2.2.4 Demonstrate personal productivity by completing products to
express learning.
 3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new understandings
effectively.
 4.1.8 Use creative and artistic formats to express personal learning.

11. +
Gretchen’s Projects

12. Multigenre Research Projects
and the Middle School Classroom

13. 7th grade English
Traditional
boring
research
project

14. Novel study + multigenre

15. Supporting Grade 7 ELA Standards

16. Project Structure
Five week project, lessons interspersed
with research days and novel discussions:
• Project intro/modeling
• Questioning
• Print resources
• eResources
• Keywords/Searching
• Notetaking
• Citing Sources
cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesclay/1205035422/

17. Trauma
Free Range Kids
U.S. Marshalls
Robert Cormier
Witness Protection Program
Bicycles
Cognitive Rehabilitation
Importance of Stuffed Animals

18. Al Capone
Mafia
Alcatraz
San Francisco
Prison guards
Prison escapes
Entrepreneurship
Autism

19. Genres

20. Group 1: Print Media
Newspaper/Magazine Article
Obituary
Editorial
Letter to the Editor
Recipe
Application – job, school, etc.
Wanted poster
Headlines/Front page
Mission statement
cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62693815@N03/6277209256/in/photostream

21. Group 2: Visual with Words
Invitation
Advertisement
Travel brochure
Greeting card
Cartoon
Bumper sticker
Business cards
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/crossettlibrary/4541063275/in/photostream/

22. Group 3: Visual Display
Picture/photograph
Graph/chart
Map
Certificate – award, death, degree
Storyboard
Postcard
Menu
Scrapbook page
Magazine cover
cc images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fatguyinalittlecoat/5707005110/in/photostream/

23. Group 4: Informational
Interview Memo
Timeline Lab report
Directions Calendar agenda
Campaign speech Membership cards
Assignment sheet Will
Resume Police report
Encyclopedia entry
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/koalazymonkey/3861185525/

24. Group 5: Creative Writing
Diary entry Top Ten List
Song Travel journal
Poem Report card
Short story Telegram
Personal narrative Prayers/mediations
Conversation Eulogy
Pledge Letter
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/234447967/

25. Sample Student Projects

28. The kids struggled with…
…choosing a research question
cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/drachmann/327122302/

29. The kids struggled with…
…found versus created genres
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0117.html

30. We loved…
… teacher / librarian collaboration -- planning,
teaching, research support, assessment
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lumaxart/2137737248

31. We loved…
…classroom instruction and research lesson content

32. We loved…
...opportunities for differentiation
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/roamallday/4033193503/

33. We loved…
... “museum gallery” project presentation and
evaluation (self, peer, teacher)
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fridgeuk/739691311/

34. We loved…
...that the research unit and the end products were a
much more interesting and a lot more fun
C

35. Artifact Adventure Project
U.S. History 1865-Present
Remediation course of struggling learners
Goal = to provide an interesting, choice-laden
research experience for students and to use
the finished products to educate the rest of
the class about a particular topic

36. Topic Selection
Anything related to U.S. History 1865-present
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/75905404@N00/5991689206/

37. Genres

38. Informational Text
News article Interview
Obituary Timeline
Editorial Directions
Letter to the Editor Campaign speech
Advice column Resume
Magazine article Encyclopedia entry
Recipe Lab Report
Wanted poster Calendar/agenda
Headlines/front page
cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62693815@N03/6277209256/in/photostream

39. Visuals
Picture/photograph Invitation
Graph/chart Advertisement
Map Travel brochure
Certificate – award, Greeting card
death, degree Cartoon
Storyboard Bumper sticker
Postcard Business cards
Menu Response to art
Scrapbook page Neighborhood flyers
Magazine cover
cc images: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fatguyinalittlecoat/5707005110/in/photostream/

40. Creative Writing
Diary entry Top Ten List
Song Travel journal
Poem Report card
Short story Telegram
Personal narrative Prayers/mediations
Conversation Eulogy
Pledge Letter
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/calliope/234447967/

41. Sample Student Artifacts

44. The kids struggled with
…overwhelming choices

45. The kids
struggled with…
…found versus created genres
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/myeye/3124629911/

46. We all struggled with…
…timing of the project
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/telstar/3303367343/

47. We loved…
…that students who were
not normally interested
in History were very
engaged in their own
projects
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/hmns/4184563369/

48. We loved…
... flexibility in differentiation – students could work
at own pace, add challenges as needed
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sfbike/3478873639/

49. Changing it All Up for Next Time
Emphasize research skills continuously
Practice, practice, practice
Cc image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/piratejohnny/5040118511/

50. +
Beth’s project
 Collegeseniors, future elementary and middle
school teachers
 Topics were aspects of diversity, broadly defined
 Personalchoice in topics and how research was
presented
 Full writing process for each genre
 Students had to explain / defend / reflect on their
choices throughout

51. +
Examples of Research
Products

52. +
Diary Entries
Practicing voice, point of view, narrative principles

53. +
Letters
Conventions of a letter, audience, voice

54. +

55. +
Poetry
Free verse, “Acrostics” and more

56. +

57. +
Translated Poem

58. +
In order to create a genre
effectively, study examples

59. +
Newspapers, Brochures
Informational Genres

60. +

61. +

62. +
Blogs
Adding links, comments, conversations

63. +
Digital Genres
Texting, Glogster, Facebook Pages

64. +

65. +

66. +
Calendars, Schedules
Expressions of time, interests

67. +
Before and After

68. +
Wordle, Tagxedo, and other word clouds
Design Decisions: Text, Font, Organization, Color

69. +

70. +

71. +

72. +
Collage

73. +

74. +
Added interest with creative containers
Boxes under the bed, luggage, scrapbooks,
medicine chests, wishing trees, lunchboxes

75. +

76. +
Genres you find along the way…
Social stories, forms, translated poetry,
medical bracelets, and on and on and on…

77. +

78. +

79. +

80. +
Concrete Poetry

81. +

82. +

83. +

84. +
Playing to student strengths

85. +
Plagiarism
 Createsomething that has never been
created before
 Transforming is the key (accompanied by
reasoning)
 Studentsexplain how they choose their
genres and constructed them

86. +
 Explainingthe process of selecting and
creating the genres is part of the product
 Putting genres together in innovative ways
 Can create these projects along side the
familiar research paper
 Inject play and creativity into research

87. +
And now back to you…

88. +
Thank you for participating!
I’d be happy to hear from you if you incorporate
multigenre research elements in your school!
elizfriese@gmail.com
@librarybeth @libraryms