Multi-genre presentation of research requires students
to integrate, rather than merely present, information they have gathered
through research. The idea was originally proposed by Tom Romano
in his book. Writing With Passion : Life Stories, Multiple Genres
(Boynton/Cook, 1995) and has been adapted in various ways by different
teachers. Romano’s latest book, Blending Genre, Altering Style (Boynton/Cook,
2000) is dedicated to this type of paper. Students research a topic
much as they would for any other type of research project. This method
lends itself especially well to the use of direct sources, such as interviews
and observations.
The difference comes in the presentation of the research.
The idea of the multi-genre paper is to choose different genres to present
information gained through traditional (direct and indirect) sources. The
multi-genre paper allows for more creativity in the presentation and simultaneously
allows students to explore the possibilities and boundaries of literary
genre and visually express knowledge. .
The research portion of the multi-genre project does
not differ significantly from any other research paper—three search or
traditional. The presentation of that research is very different.
The student presents the material in three or more genes. This
could be, for example, a news story, a poem, created journal entries. They
may also be required to include some sort of visual representation as well.
The different genres should be related in some way and balanced to present
all of the information and different perspectives on an issue.
A poem might be used to present the emotions involved and a pamphlet or
news article to look at the facts. The object in this type of presentation
is to achieve a balance between the types of sources used in order to fully
treat the subject. A report on the rise of the textile industry in
New Hampshire might include, for example, a mock report to shareholders,
a letter from a mill girl to her family back home, a letter to the editor
of a local paper by a concerned citizen and a poem depicting the conditions
within the mills. Other possibilities might be journal entries,
newspaper articles and statistical charts
The student provides an introduction in which he
or she introduces the topic, explains the genre used and their purpose
and how the various parts integrate to form a cohesive whole.
The student also includes a notes page which clearly
explains how the sources were used in the compilation of the material
(see example). Generally in-text citations are NOT used in this type of
paper. The paper also includes a more traditional works cited page.
While the multi-genre paper may initially appear
easier, it’s actually more challenging because it requires the student
to integrate the material well enough to present it in totally different
forms. This can be quite difficult if the student does not have a
sufficient grasp of the material. It is similar to the difference
between trying to write a historical novel and doing a straight history
report. The former is much more difficult because it requires more
integration. Students however, generally find multi-genre papers
motivating and interesting because they allow them to be creative.
Teachers find this type of paper MUCH more interesting to read.
In introducing this type of paper, teachers often
work with the idea of genre itself. They may ask students to do found
poetry—taking prose and moving to poetry—or write a prose version of a
poem—or a letter or journal entry based on a poem. You could practice
having your students create found poems from historical sources. The possibilities
are endless.
Genre as Lens
When beginning writers discover the power of genre
to give meaning to material, they will begin to understand that genre is
a lens they can use to examine life. The more skillful they become
with a specific genre, however, the more danger that they will see the
world through that single lens. While walking across the same campus,
the poet finds poems, the journalist sees news stories, that the essayist
discovers essays.
There is something necessary and wonderful about
this. We need people who see poems where we do not, but we should
make sure we try out the great variety of lenses available to us…. We should
use genre—the entire range of genres—to help us explore our subject.
Donald Murray
A Writer Teaches
Writing
Found Poetry and Poetry to Prose Activity
Criteria for Evaluation of Multi-genre Research Paper
Examples of Different Genre on the same subject--Count Basie