Engaging Writers with Multigenre Research Projects: A Teacher's Guide

Language and Literacy

by Nancy Mack, Ken Lindblom (Foreword)

Multigenre research projects affirm students' home cultures while developing important academic skills consistent with the Common Core State Standards in reading and writing. This book will guide teachers in assigning, scaffolding, and assessing multigenre research assignments, including how to choose a topic, pace the work, and keep writers on track to achieve specific goals. Chapters are arranged by topic with each containing a description of the educational rationale for the topic, an introductory activity that serves as an inspiration for students in selecting a topic, and field-tested minilessons with step-by-step instructions. All the traditional elements of a research paper—quotations from experts, works cited, explanation, synthesis, and analysis—are brought to life as students animate information with emotion and imagination. An additional chapter describes how teachers have adapted this project for other subjects, such as social studies, science, and literature. Book

128 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 2015

Reviews

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was asked to review this book. The main professional hat I wear is English educator, which means I prepare undergraduate and graduate students to teach grades 6-12 English, primarily in the Chicago area. In our program we make use of multi-genre research projects as an exciting alternative to the traditional argumentative library research project, which is more than ever the main thing students write in schools. Inquiry drawing on various genres is more interesting to read and write for many students and teachers. It’s less about making a single point than exploring a topic.

For instance, if your topic is the environment, you might write an expository essay about the importance of beekeeping, write a poem about your trip to Colorado, a fiction/fantasy about flying with the birds north for summer, and argument about global warming, and so on. You might include a short film of the flora and fauna in your community, or drawings/photographs of your garden, and so on. Multimedia, speech, various kinds of performance, can be part of the process, sure, dance, anything to explore a topic.

Most English teachers encountered this “pastiche” or collage approach to knowledge through the work of Tom Romano (Writing with Passion: Life Stories, Multiple Genres, Blending Genre, Altering Style: Writing Multigenre Papers). Here Mack extends Romano’s work; he didn’t talk very much about specifics, didn’t give guidelines for practice, but Mack provides some interesting prompts and models in clear writing. I liked it quite a bit.

(I’ll admit I know Nancy Mack a little, and like her and her work, but I haven’t been dishonest in saying it is useful for helping teachers see writing research projects with a fresh eye.)

[Erin McDonnell-Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick and easy read with good ideas to think "outside the box" on writing assignments in a classroom. The ideas could be really accessible to undergraduate students and many of the resources are hyperlinked in the ebook text. One consideration might be how could undergraduates visualize this successfully working in a classroom.

[✨ Megan ✨ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm vibing with so many of these exercises and assignments.