Guidelines and requirements for the Fall 2014 Multigenre Project, Rust

1. 1 Multigenre Project Composition Guidelines and Requirements
Inquiring and Researching:
Multiple Perspectives, Multigenres
Fall 2014 Ms. Rust and the NHS Media Center Inquiry/Research Project
MULTIGENRE RESEARCH/INQUIRY COMPOSITION PROJECT GUIDELINES AND REQUIREMENTS

2. 2 Multigenre Project Composition Guidelines and Requirements
Learning Targets
 I can research information on a topic that is personally meaningful.
 I can engage in an inquiry-based research process applying critical-thinking skills to information and knowledge in order to construct new understandings, draw conclusions, and create new knowledge.
 I can design creative alternate genres to represent key learnings and compose them in a unified way to share what I’ve learned about my research question.
 I can correctly incorporate elements of MLA style writing and documentation.
Overarching Task
You will be creating a multigenre composition project that represents your insights and new understandings from your inquiry around your primary research question you have developed on your self-selected topic.
This composition, which will incorporate the elements outlined in this document, can be composed in one of two ways:
1. A Microsoft Word document that will be converted to a PDF document and uploaded to Ms. Rust’s dropbox; we will also publish these on our project LibGuide.
2. Compose your “composition” in a virtual format (Wikispaces, Weebly, Wordpress, Google Docs) and share the link with us via Ms. Rust’s dropbox; we will link to virtually published projects from our project LibGuide as well.
Whichever format you choose, the basic requirements and guidelines will be the same.
Basic Requirements/Sections for Your Multigenre Composition
 Cover Page
 Dear Reader Essay/Letter
 Table of Contents
 Three (3) Multigenre Elements with notes (see this document for multigenre product options and the requirements for the notes)
 Appendix: Photo of Your Mindmap and a Short Paragraph Describing Your Mindmapping Process: How You Created It, What Became Clearer Through Mindmapping, Gaps That Noticed During Mindmapping, and How You Narrowed Your Topic Through Mindmapping (look back at your mindmap interview notes from Monday, 10/20 to help you composed this piece).
 Works Cited Page

3. 3 Multigenre Project Composition Guidelines and Requirements
Aesthetics, Appeal, and Source Attribution
 Your work should utilize a clean and easy to read color/design scheme and if virtual, navigation scheme.
 All sections should be labeled clearly and appropriately (example: Multigenre Element Three: Two Voice Poem)
 All work should be free of spelling and grammatical errors and follow all conventions of standard American English.
 All images used as part of the project should be original work by you OR Creative Commons licensed content with attribution (Ms. Hamilton and Ms. Lund will assist you with this requirement).
 If you are publishing as a Word/PDF document, you will need a running footer with pagination (Ms. Hamilton and Ms. Lund can assist you with this skill).
 All paraphrased/summarized and directly quoted content should be attributed with the appropriate use of MLA style in-text parenthetical references; Ms. Rust, Ms. Hamilton, and Ms. Lund will assist you with this expectation). These parenthetical references will be incorporated into your notes (more on the “notes” section later in this document) for each multigenre product/artifact. Additionally, when applicable for multimedia created content, we will assist you in incorporating attribution into those products.
 Each project will include a final Works Cited page; you must use at least five sources in this project. At least one source must be a scholarly database (see our LibGuides tab). Each source, of course, must be used at least once in the project content. We will import the Works Cited page from EasyBib. Ms. Hamilton and Ms. Lund will do a preliminary check of your Works Cited page to make sure all sources have been created or exported to your list correctly.
Notes for Multigenre Products
You will create a paragraph of 5-8 sentences for each multigenre product; these paragraphs are called “Notes.” Notes should explain:
1. What the genre product represents about your understanding and key ideas/concepts/answers to your research questions . Think of these pieces as concrete details.
2. Why you chose this medium and how it conveys your big ideas. Think of this aspect of your notes as commentary.
3. Incorporate MLA style parenthetical in-text references into the body of the paragraph when referencing information (whether paraphrased or directly quoted) you’ve learned through your research/inquiry.

4. 4 Multigenre Project Composition Guidelines and Requirements
Dear Reader Letter/Essay to Your Audience
This piece will be the introduction to your project work, but it will most likely be one of the last components you complete since it calls for reflection on your overall work and learning experiences.
 This introductory essay or “letter” serves as a guide for the reader. It provides the reader with some idea as to how to read the paper and the information they ought to know before reading the paper.
 This letter is written in a letter-form with a salutation addressed to “Dear Reader.”
 If you are struggling with what to write, partner with someone and give them the highlights of the information you are supplying and the attitude your are striving to establish. Have your partner say back what they understood and ask questions that naturally arise in their mind. From their response, write a “letter” to the reader filling in the blanks they pointed out.
Structuring the Dear Reader Letter/Essay
Your composition will be multiple paragraphs, and you should include MLA style parenthetical style in-text references/documentation any time you reference summarized, paraphrased, or directly quoted information. Please incorporate concrete details and commentaries when drafting your paragraphs.
 What did you know about your topic before your research began? What questions did you want to investigate and what did you want to learn? Why were you interested in this topic?
 What are the highlights and key understandings that you have learned? You will want to think about this in terms of your primary research questions and organize accordingly.
 Why does your topic matter? Why should someone care about your topic?
 What learning standards did you choose as your personal learning targets, and how have you demonstrated improvement and/or mastery? Be sure to cite specific evidence of your work over the last few weeks.
 What do you feel you have learned from this process and what did you do well? What questions still remain for you, and/or what you want to do better? What does your project say about you as a learner and as a researcher?
Your letter and essay should use a standard letter salutation (“Dear Reader”) and closing (“Sincerely”, “Yours Truly”, “With gratitude”, etc.) Your composition should reflect appropriate usage of standard American English and be free of major and minor grammatical errors.
We will provide a sample letter for you to view in class for inspiration.

5. 5 Multigenre Project Composition Guidelines and Requirements
Appendix: Mindmapping Processes
Ms. Hamilton will provide you a photo of your mindmap to embed in this part of your multigenre composition. We would like you to compose a short paragraph (6-8 sentences) that:
 Describes your mindmapping process (how you went about creating it)
 Explains what ideas, concepts, or themes that became clearer for you through the mindmapping process
 Identifies gaps or patterns you noticed in your mindmapping process.
 Share how mindmapping process helped you narrow your focus or “crop” your topic (look back at your mindmap interview notes from Monday, 10/20 to help you composed this piece).
A Checklist to Organize Your Final Project
 Cover Page (title of your project, course title, your name, and date submitted)
 Dear Reader Letter/Essay
 Table of Contents
 Multigenre Element 1 and Notes
 Multigenre Element 2 and Notes
 Multigenre Element 3 and Notes
 Appendix: Photo of Your Mindmap and a Short Paragraph Describing Your Mindmapping Process: How You Created It, What Became Clearer Through Mindmapping, Gaps That Noticed During Mindmapping, and How You Narrowed Your Topic Through Mindmapping (look back at your mindmap interview notes from Monday, 10/20 to help you composed this piece).
 Works Cited

6. 6 Multigenre Project Composition Guidelines and Requirements
Multigenre Menu
Group 1: Print Media
 Newspaper article
 Editorial
 Letter to the Editor
 Advice Column
 Magazine Article
 Infographic (see us for tools for creating this genre)
 Other proposed option for approval from Rust/Hamilton ___________________________
Group 2: Digital Compositions and Texts
 VoiceThread
 Smore
 Tumblr blog
 Other type of blog
 Photo essay (may be created through a variety of mediums
 Memoir or other text created with Mozilla Thimble
 Visual based PowerPoint
 Prezi
 Other proposed option for approval from Rust/Hamilton ____________________
Group 3: Multimedia
 An original video (news, documentary, creative) and can be created with a variety of tools
 Vine video
 Hyperlapse video
 Mashup video with Mozilla Popcorn
 A video documenting your developing response to your research
 Audio recording
 Story Corps style interview and recording (see us for details)
 Other proposed option for approval from Rust/Hamilton ___________________________
Group 4: Creative Compositions and Genres
 Skit
 Poem (can be a wide range of poetry types, including two voice poems, found poems, and other traditional forms of poetry)
 Story
 Script
 Song or Rap
 Artwork in various mediums
 Comic strip or cartoon
 Fictitious Facebook page or Twitter feed
 Word clouds
 Faux text message conversation
 Six word memoir
 Other proposed option for approval from Rust/Hamilton ___________________________
Group 5: Performance
 TED style talk
 Creative or interpretative dance
 Performance of an original song or rap
 Monologue
 One act play
 Other proposed option for approval from Rust/Hamilton ___________________
Group 6: Potpourri
 Artifacts for a time capsule
 Original design and/or artifact created with a 3D printer (see us for help---our local public library can provide you help and access)
 Triboard
 Paper circuitry writing and art (super cool new genre—see us for information)
 Video game design about your topic
 Trivia game or PPT (Jeopardy style) about your topic
 Student proposed genre for teacher /librarian approval __________________________