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11th Grade English Composition

Designed by

Mr. Brady Nordfeltbradynordfelt@gmail.com

Based on a template from The WebQuest Page

Pictures Provided By evanleavitt On Flicker

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The purpose of any paper is to explore and learn about a subject and to extend our thinking. The multi-genre web accomplishes that purpose, but it also gives you the opportunity to express the idea/subject in a less linear way than a regular paper. Writing is thinking, and each time we write, we are teaching our brains to think. In addition, when we publish our writing on the web, we are sharing our ideas, our feelings, our thinking with others, which creates a web of human understanding.

 by Ruth Wollersheim & Dawn Hogue

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TitleThis assignment will be the final Major Paper for the semester ending December of 2007. You will be given 3 weeks to complete the assignment, which starts on Nov. 26 – December 14th. For the final Major Paper, you will be asked to create a multigenre paper on a famous author of your choice. You are encouraged to choose an author that has been studied in class but it is not required. Your work can be from any angle you sees fit. It can be written from the perspective of the author, from a fan of the author, or any number of perspectives.

Authors Studied So Far This Year That You Can Choose From if Desired:•Enders Game by Orson Scott Card•Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain•The Cask Of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe•The Lottery by Shirley Jackson•Julius Cesar by William Shakespeare•Various Poems by authors like Robert Frost, Emily Dickenson, Edgar Allan Poe, Langston Hughes, and T.S. Elliot.

What You Have Written This Semester:•A literary analysis essay on the student’s choice between The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and The Cask Of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe•A persuasive essay on a current issue of their choice•Five Poems written in five different styles talked about in class•A creative writing piece in which students take on the personal of a character in Enders Game by Orson Scott Card•Students are also required to keep a writing journal where they write for 15 minutes in a notebook, 3 times a week.

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Background: We have finally made it to the last three weeks of class. We have learned a lot this semester, but the learning is not over yet, we have one more assignment to complete. For this last assignment we will be doing a research project. Before you get all depressed let me first explain the type of research project this is. This project is going to be a multigenre research paper. Although the sound of this project may seem daunting, do not fret. This project will allow you to use creativity, imagination, and have a little fun at the same time. (More information on what a multigenre paper is, what they look like, and what they entail will be provided on the next slide as well as in class.)

Assignment: For this assignment, you will first need to pick a famous author of your choice. You can choose from any of the authors we have read in class or one of your choice. Once you have chosen an author, you must then research information about your particular author. Once you have some information about the author, it is time to choose the six types of genres you will use. A list of possible genres is included with this assignment. In class I will be giving lessons all along the way on different genres so that you can be more familiar with them. If you look on the calendar, you will see the genre’s we will be discussing in class. Feel free to choose any genre you like. Before you begin to write, though, you must first decide on what repetitive element you will use in your multigenre paper (as explained in class), as well as what audience you will be writing to.

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Requirements:•A title page, which includes a title, your name, and the date•A preface, foreword, or introduction (discussed in class)•A minimum of six genres•Only one genre that is repeated•Something repeats in the paper to unify the project (discussed in class)•An annotated bibliography in MLA format, with at least 4 sources•A final memo at the end of the paper (discussed in class)Grading: For this assignment you will be graded to the rubric provided.

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[Teacher Page] Example Multigenre Writing

http://writing.colostate.edu/gallery/multigenre/toc.htm

http://www.gretchenle.com/student_work/multigenretitle.html

Common QuestionsWhat is a genre? A genre is a type of writing. A poem is a genre.  A traditional research paper is a genre.  A newspaper editorial is a genre. So are plays and diaries and cartoons and billboards.   What is a multi-genre essay? It's a collection of pieces written in a variety of genres, informed by your research on a particular subject, that presents one or (more likely) more perspectives on a research question or topic. A multi-genre paper is personal, creative, and can’t be copied from some other source. It involves you, as a writer, making conscious decisions about what information is important and how it should be presented to the reader. What are some genres I might use? You could write an editorial, a poem, a dialogue between characters, a letter, a debate.  You could include a collage, a poster, a book, a CD cover.  You will have much choice about what to include.  But beware -- this should not be a haphazard collage of disjointed stuff; you must connect the genres and what they represent with a central, significant theme (a thesis).  Your creative efforts must be informed by solid research, including research about the genres themselves. But I've never done anything like this before.  What do I do?As you research, you'll need to consider an audience or audiences who would be interested in your topic, and you need to consider what genre/s would be effective for communicating with those audiences.  In other words, what genres will "speak" to the people whom you want to reach?  (Those are the ones you can use in your multi-genre project.)  And why?  You'll need to be fully engaged in your research -- don't approach it as if you were on a scavenger hunt to find information to spit back in an "academic" paper, because you're not.  Instead, you'll need to think about what you want to do, for whom, and how best to do that. 

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Ideas

6 5 4 3 2 1

Clear, Focused, and interesting

Clear and Focused

Mostly clear and Focused

Somewhat Clear and Focused

Lacks Clarity and Focus

No central idea or purpose

Holds readers attention

Gives Reader important

information

Mix of new and common

knowledge

Writers knows enough to

write in brad terms

Scrambling for things to say

Writer has no information

from which to write

Information from multiple

sources

Information from more than one source

Research combined with

personal beliefs

Limited Research, a lot

of personal knowledge

Random thoughts with popular belief

No Research to provide

knowledge

Accurate, relevant

information adds weight to

main idea

Strong support adds credibility

to main idea

Gaps in support, left

with questions

Sketchy evidence that

hurts credibility

Evidence and Support not

helpful

Minimal or unrelated

detail

Organization

6 5 4 3 2 1Organization guides reader through the

text

Design supports

development of info.

Design fits well with purpose and content

Design not always a

smooth fit

Design is at odds with

writing

No design or pattern

Lead and conclusion are

just right

Lead introduces

topic, conclusion provides closure

Good lead and conclusion

Recognizable lead and

conclusion

Lead and Conclusions

not connected to text

No real lead or conclusion

Structure and support direct

readers understanding

Structure makes writing easy to follow

Structure leads the reader

along

Structure present but

causes reader to stumble

Structure, hard to follow

Structure is loose and

unrelated to ideas

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Voice

6 5 4 3 2 1Professional, enthusiastic voice, well suited to audience

Professional sincere voice well suited to

audience

Sincere and appropriate,

but not consistent

Voice is out of balance. Too much or too

little

Voice sounds distant or

encyclopedic

Voice is inappropriate, just a whisper

Voice is welcoming to

reader

Voice reaches out to reader

Voce appears and then retreats

Writer rarely speaks to

reader

Little effort to engage reader

No one is at home in the

writing

Tone reflects knowledge

Confident tone makes reader

open to message

Confidence in spurts

Writer projects limited

confidence

Serious lack of confidence

Writer does not know or like

topic

Writer has clear

enthusiasm for topic

Writer is engaged by

topic

Enthusiastic moments

Lack of engagement. Reader drifts

Reader must work to pay

attentionLack of voice

Word Choice

6 5 4 3 2 1

Explicit, memorable

words suited for topic

Carefully chosen words suit the topic

Functional language

makes message

reasonable clear

Imprecise language starts

to cloud language

Generalities, vague words

create confusion

Words create no clear message

Writer knows the language

of content

Writer properly uses the

language of content

Writer familiar with language of content area

Some important

terminology used

incorrectly

Writer lacks language for content area

Words misused or not

meaningful

Powerful words give writing

energy

Strong words give writing

energy

Occasional strong words

that give writing energy

Infrequent use of strong words

Word choice is ambiguous

Word choice does not speak

to reader

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Sentence Fluency

6 5 4 3 2 1Sentence

consistently clear and

direct

Sentences clear and

direct

Sentences generally clear and readable

Sentences are clear with close

reading

Confusing structure demands rereading

Confusing structure obscures meaning

Text graceful and easy to

read

Smooth phrasing allows

easy reading

Smooth phrasing

outweighs awkward sentences

Awkward moments outweigh smooth

phrasing

Awkward moments slow

the reading

Can be read only by

mentally editing

Purposeful beginnings

with connected sentences

Purposeful beginnings with often connected sentences

Some repeated beginnings

Many repeated beginnings

Beginnings are repetitious or hard to spot

Very hard to tell where sentences

begin and end

Sentence structure enhances readability

Sentence structure adds

interest

Sentence structure

avoids extremes of long or short

Long sentences and or choppy

sentences

Long, awkward and or choppy

sentences

Extreme awkward,

choppy, and or long sentences

Conventions

6 5 4 3 2 1

Hardly any errors

Minor errors easily

overlooked

Noticeable errors

Noticeable distractions from errors

Many noticeable distractions from errors

Message hidden under

errors

Thoroughly edited

EditedEdited for general

readabilityErratic editing

Minimal editing done by writer

Even patient readers will

struggleSources

correctly cited in MLA

Sources correctly cited

Sources cited with need of

few corrections

Citations need re-checking

Citations missing or

faulty

Sources not cited

Contains all elements

required and ready to publish

Contains all elements

Contains most of the required

elements

Contains many of the required

elements

Missing several required elements

Missing many of the required

elements

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Throughout this three week project, I will be teaching you more information regarding different types of writing. I will not be able to cover all types of writing possible, but we will cover the following.

EulogyFound PoemsNewspaper ArticleInterviewMagazine ArticleJournal Entrie

You will also be given lots of time in class to work on this project, so don’t sweat it, have fun with it.

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The WebQuest Page The WebQuest Slideshare Group

Pictures Provided By evanleavitt On Flicker

Introduction paragraph provided by by Ruth Wollersheim & Dawn Hogue

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11th Grade English Composition

Designed by

Mr. Brady Nordfeltbradynordfelt@gmail.com

Based on a template from The WebQuest Page

Evaluation

Teacher Script

Conclusion

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The Assignment:

This assignment is for an 11th grade English class (English 11) at Fort Collins High School in Fort Collins Colorado. This assignment will be the final Major Paper for the semester ending December of 2007. Students will be given 3 weeks to complete the assignment, which starts on Nov. 26 – December 14th. For the final Major Paper, students will be asked to create a multigenre paper on a famous author of their choice. Students are encouraged to choose an author that has been studied in class but it is not required. Their work can be from any angle the student sees fit. It can be written from the perspective of the author, from a fan of the author, or any number of perspectives.

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Fort Collins High School And The Students In My Class:I have chosen Fort Collins High School as a context for this classroom.

Established 117 years ago, Fort Collins High is the oldest in Fort Collins. Steeped in history, Fort Collins High has a long history of education. As part of the Poudre School district, Fort Collins High is one of six high schools in the area. The diversity in the town of Fort Collins is limited, being predominantly Hispanic and Caucasian, but different culture and economic levels are in abundance. Fort Collins the city lies an hour north of the Denver area tucked right up against the Front Range. The population is roughly 115,000 and home to Colorado State University. Due to the location of the city, many people in the town enjoy outdoor activities. The town has also been recognized as the best place to live, for its population size, in the USA, by Money Magazine. Key places of employment in the area are HP, Poudre Valley Hospital, Colorado State University, and the Poudre School District.

Fort Collins High School currently enrolls 1,440 students from the surrounding area. Classes meet 5 times a week for 50 minutes for 5 hours of credit per semester. In 2005 the school graduated 551 students of which 82% went to college. In 2003-2004 the school averaged 2 points higher on the ACT than the Colorado average. From the statistics it is clear the attention that is given to education in the school. Information gathered from the following website (http://schoolweb.psdschools.org/fchs/aboutfchs.htm)

This multigenre assignment is designed for an 11 th grade English class (English 11). The class is made up of 24 students of varying backgrounds. The class includes 15 girls, and 9 boys with a variety of learning abilities. Most of the students are proficient readers and writers, with a few strugglers. I will be teaching this lesson in a 50-minute block, to my 5th period class, first semester.

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Standards and Benchmarks Addressed in AssignmentStandard 2: Students write and speak for a variety of purposes and

audiences. In order for students to meet this standard, they will have to:

•Write…for a variety of purposes such as telling stories…conveying technical information…[and] explaining concepts•Write…for audiences such as peers, teachers, and the community•Plan, draft, revise, proofread, and edit written communications•Use a variety of devices such as figurative language, symbolism, dialect, and precise vocabulary to convey meaning Standard 3: Students write and speak using conventional grammar, usage, sentence structure, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.

In order for students to meet this standard, they will have to:•Know and use correct grammar in…writing; •Apply correct usage in…writing; •Use correct sentence structure in writing•Demonstrate correct punctuation, capitalization, and spelling.• Standard 4: Students apply thinking skills to their…writing.

In order for students to meet this standard, they will have to:•Identify the purpose, perspective, and historical and cultural influences of an…author. •Evaluate the reliability, accuracy, and relevancy of information.Standards and Benchmarks adapted from the Colorado Model Content Standards for Reading and Writing.

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See the process pages included in the student section. There you will find all the information that will be needed to use and adapt this lesson to your class.

How My Class Structure And Instructions Supports The Students Writing Process

The first thing that the students need to understand is what a multigenre paper looks like. That is why I will provide many examples for the students to use as references throughout the project. These examples will be from previous classes, Romano’s book, and even published works like The Collected Works of Billy the Kid. Besides examples of multigenre papers, I will provide lists of possible genres that students can use in their papers (List Provided in Assignment). With these examples the students can start to grasp what it is they are supposed to do.

With this assignment, I also want to give my students plenty of in class time to do their writing and research. In allowing the students ample time to write revise and research in class, I can be there as a help throughout the whole process. This also allows the students to feed off of each other with brainstorming and peer editing. In class time also allows the students to focus on their projects when the distractions of the end of the semester are drawing near.

Throughout this process, I will provide minilessons on different genres so that students can become familiar with what their options are. The minilesson’s will include topics such writing a found poem, the language of newspaper articles, journal writing, and etc. In the end, I hope that the students produce writing that they are proud of and that showcases the writing ability they have gained in my class and classes previous.

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See the rubric provided in the student section.

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As Tom Romano puts it in his book, Blending Genre, Altering Style, a multigenre paper arises from research, experience, and imagination… A Multigenre paper is composed of many genres and subgenres, each piece self-contained, making a point of its own, yet connected by theme or topic and sometimes by language, images, and content” (Romano x). Looking at a multigenre paper in this way we can come to a better understanding of the complexity and time that is involved in writing such a paper. It requires the student to draw on all the elements of writing they have learned and used throughout the semester. It is this reason that I have designed this project for the end of the semester as a sort of comprehensive evaluation of what they have learned. From previous writing assignments in the semester, students have learned how to use the 6 traits of writing (Ideas, Organization, Voice, Word Choice, Sentence Fluency and Conventions) as laid out in Vicki Spandels book, Creating Writers, to produce effective writing for various audiences (Spandel). They have also used these traits to produce formal research papers with proper use of citation and conventions. This final multigenre project will allow the students to combine all of these tools into one big project.

Whether our students like it or not, they are writers. They write when they are texting, sending emails, writing in journals, using facebook or myspace, and even blogging. Besides this they are also writers in our classes. The trouble is that writing in the classroom, more specifically research writing, is more often than not, looked at as boring, difficult, and in no way fun. This may even be the way that some teachers look at assigning research papers. But a multigenre paper turns the table on all of this negativity surrounding a typical research paper. In answering the question, what’s to be gained from a multigenre research paper, the NCTE website has this to say. “Student work must consistently reflect the facts gained from thorough research, yet the creative outlet often generates enthusiasm for research and writing. Most teachers — and students alike — would also agree that it’s fun” (NCTE.ORG)! This “fun!” engage the students in the writing process allowing them to write in a way that they have not previously had an opportunity to do with a typical research paper. In essence, the writing quality has an opportunity to grow. Many teachers have come to understand this very thing as they have used multigenre papers in their classrooms. One such teacher is written about in Romano’s book. She states “The best things I’ve discovered are the way the writing becomes so interesting on all levels. Word Choice and sentence variety step up at least a notch or two…students’ inventiveness is triggered. They recognize the interactions between form and meaning. (Romano 5).” The “step up” in the writing is what we as teachers look for, it is what I look for as a teacher when I assign this final multigenre project to my students. Of course the students need help along the way and that is what we teachers are there for.

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Pictures Provided By evanleavitt On Flicker

Introduction paragraph provided by by Ruth Wollersheim & Dawn Hogue

The WebQuest Page The WebQuest Slideshare Group