Unfamiliar Genre Project
The Unfamiliar Genre Project
In your experience as a reader and writer, you’ve likely encountered more genres than you even realize, but it’s also likely that you are drawn to some while you shy away from others. Because we each have distinctive experiences with the many genres we encounter, it’s also true that we have our own comfort levels with each genre. (Perhaps you prefer to write fictional stories, or perhaps making up whole stories from scratch seems impossible to you.) In this project, I will ask you to indentify the genres that are personally challenging—genres you are not particularly familiar with, that may intimidate you, or that you tend to avoid. From these, I would like you to honestly select one genre that you do not ordinarily choose to write in but would like to learn more about. This project asks you to investigate, read in, and write in a genre that is personally challenging. It has several purposes: to learn to study genres (which you can apply to future genres you encounter in your major, etc.) and to learn your research process while using your research to create something you might otherwise thinks is too difficult.
Picking a Challenging Genre
We’ll begin this project with honest soul-searching as you pick a genre that is unfamiliar or feels daunting to you. To ensure that you pick a genre that is truly challenging, the quality of the final piece will account for only a small part of your grade on the project; your engagement in the research process and the reflective journal will constitute most of your grade. See the Unfamiliar Genre Project Rubric attached. A proposal in which you identify your challenging genre along with an explanation of why you chose it and what you’d like to learn is due Friday, November 4, 2011.
The Research Journal
Although research includes many steps, the order of these steps may vary, like in writing. You may want to jump right into a draft. You may prefer to begin by reading (and collecting) samples of your genre. Perhaps you will begin by journaling: you might discover your own research process, which you’ll write about in your reflective letter. Whatever your process, metacognition (thinking about your thinking) is an important part of this research project. Throughout this study, keep a journal of your experiences. Use this journal to keep track of your daily activities as well as your feelings about each stage of the work. You’ll write about your metacognition in your reflective letter. Please write in this journal each time you work on the project.
Reading in Your Unfamiliar Genre
One part of your research in this genre study is to simply read within the genre. You must collect the best five to ten samples of published work in your chosen genre that you can find. (This means that you will be reading more than five to ten samples!) Once you’ve chosen your models, carefully reread them as you think about (and take notes on) the writer’s craft, structure, and unique strategies in each piece. You’ll create an annotated bibliography listing each of these models along with an annotation for each. Finally, consider what the collection as a whole teaches you about the genre: What are its characteristics? Where are its boundaries? In what ways does this genre borrow from other genres? In what ways do other genres borrow from this? You’ll synthesize these big-picture observations in the reading portion of you reflective letter.
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a formatted list of your model samples (bibliography) with a paragraph of thoughtful observations about the way each model sample was written or crafted (annotation). You will write an annotation for each of the model samples you collected for your genre. Notice in the rubric for this project that your annotated bibliography is worth 20% of the project grade. It is important that you pay as much attention to writing your annotated bibliography as to writing your centerpiece (also worth 20% of the final project grade).
Writing in Your Unfamiliar Genre
The centerpiece of this project will be a finished piece in your chosen genre. You must take this piece through several drafts including peer and teacher conferences. Before you actually get to your final piece, it’s likely that you’ll experiment with the genre—you may have several starts before you write the piece you will finish for your final project. Keep all of the writing (drafts, false starts, conference notes) you accumulate throughout this project. As you are writing, be aware of what you are doing: How did you write in this genre? What were your influences? What writer’s tools did you use? You’ll synthesize these observations in the writing portion of your reflective letter.
Reflection
The last piece you’ll write for this project is your reflective letter. Consider your experience during this project. Reread your journals. Reread your drafts and experimental writing. Reread your notes on your reading. With all this in mind, think about what you’ve learned about reading in this project. What have you learned about writing? What have you learned about studying genres and researching in general? Your reflective letter should discuss your experiences with reading, writing, your research process, and metacognition. In each of these sections, make big-picture conclusions from your experience.
Research Binder
The final project will take the form of a virtual research binder. It should be typed and organized with section headings in Microsoft Word or similar program and should be submitted via email as one document. You should use the section and subsection headings below.
· Genre: your final draft
· Reflection
o Reading Reflection-from reading all the sample existing genres
o Writing Reflection-from your process of creating your own sample
o Research Process-detailed step by step on how you immersed yourself in your unfamiliar genre
o Metacognition—what did you learn about how you learn?
· Annotated Bibliography
· Research Journal—keep detailed entries (minimum of half a page each day, but aim for more) about your thoughts and discoveries throughout the project
In your experience as a reader and writer, you’ve likely encountered more genres than you even realize, but it’s also likely that you are drawn to some while you shy away from others. Because we each have distinctive experiences with the many genres we encounter, it’s also true that we have our own comfort levels with each genre. (Perhaps you prefer to write fictional stories, or perhaps making up whole stories from scratch seems impossible to you.) In this project, I will ask you to indentify the genres that are personally challenging—genres you are not particularly familiar with, that may intimidate you, or that you tend to avoid. From these, I would like you to honestly select one genre that you do not ordinarily choose to write in but would like to learn more about. This project asks you to investigate, read in, and write in a genre that is personally challenging. It has several purposes: to learn to study genres (which you can apply to future genres you encounter in your major, etc.) and to learn your research process while using your research to create something you might otherwise thinks is too difficult.
Picking a Challenging Genre
We’ll begin this project with honest soul-searching as you pick a genre that is unfamiliar or feels daunting to you. To ensure that you pick a genre that is truly challenging, the quality of the final piece will account for only a small part of your grade on the project; your engagement in the research process and the reflective journal will constitute most of your grade. See the Unfamiliar Genre Project Rubric attached. A proposal in which you identify your challenging genre along with an explanation of why you chose it and what you’d like to learn is due Friday, November 4, 2011.
The Research Journal
Although research includes many steps, the order of these steps may vary, like in writing. You may want to jump right into a draft. You may prefer to begin by reading (and collecting) samples of your genre. Perhaps you will begin by journaling: you might discover your own research process, which you’ll write about in your reflective letter. Whatever your process, metacognition (thinking about your thinking) is an important part of this research project. Throughout this study, keep a journal of your experiences. Use this journal to keep track of your daily activities as well as your feelings about each stage of the work. You’ll write about your metacognition in your reflective letter. Please write in this journal each time you work on the project.
Reading in Your Unfamiliar Genre
One part of your research in this genre study is to simply read within the genre. You must collect the best five to ten samples of published work in your chosen genre that you can find. (This means that you will be reading more than five to ten samples!) Once you’ve chosen your models, carefully reread them as you think about (and take notes on) the writer’s craft, structure, and unique strategies in each piece. You’ll create an annotated bibliography listing each of these models along with an annotation for each. Finally, consider what the collection as a whole teaches you about the genre: What are its characteristics? Where are its boundaries? In what ways does this genre borrow from other genres? In what ways do other genres borrow from this? You’ll synthesize these big-picture observations in the reading portion of you reflective letter.
Annotated Bibliography
An annotated bibliography is a formatted list of your model samples (bibliography) with a paragraph of thoughtful observations about the way each model sample was written or crafted (annotation). You will write an annotation for each of the model samples you collected for your genre. Notice in the rubric for this project that your annotated bibliography is worth 20% of the project grade. It is important that you pay as much attention to writing your annotated bibliography as to writing your centerpiece (also worth 20% of the final project grade).
Writing in Your Unfamiliar Genre
The centerpiece of this project will be a finished piece in your chosen genre. You must take this piece through several drafts including peer and teacher conferences. Before you actually get to your final piece, it’s likely that you’ll experiment with the genre—you may have several starts before you write the piece you will finish for your final project. Keep all of the writing (drafts, false starts, conference notes) you accumulate throughout this project. As you are writing, be aware of what you are doing: How did you write in this genre? What were your influences? What writer’s tools did you use? You’ll synthesize these observations in the writing portion of your reflective letter.
Reflection
The last piece you’ll write for this project is your reflective letter. Consider your experience during this project. Reread your journals. Reread your drafts and experimental writing. Reread your notes on your reading. With all this in mind, think about what you’ve learned about reading in this project. What have you learned about writing? What have you learned about studying genres and researching in general? Your reflective letter should discuss your experiences with reading, writing, your research process, and metacognition. In each of these sections, make big-picture conclusions from your experience.
Research Binder
The final project will take the form of a virtual research binder. It should be typed and organized with section headings in Microsoft Word or similar program and should be submitted via email as one document. You should use the section and subsection headings below.
· Genre: your final draft
· Reflection
o Reading Reflection-from reading all the sample existing genres
o Writing Reflection-from your process of creating your own sample
o Research Process-detailed step by step on how you immersed yourself in your unfamiliar genre
o Metacognition—what did you learn about how you learn?
· Annotated Bibliography
· Research Journal—keep detailed entries (minimum of half a page each day, but aim for more) about your thoughts and discoveries throughout the project