Multigenre: Memoir Lesson

Grade Level and Content Area: High School English

Please note this lesson is a product of what I have learned through reading Crafting Authentic Voice, Writing With Passion: Life Stories, Multiple Genres , and Blending Genre, Altering Style: Writing Multigenre Papers by Tom Romano.

You will notice many hyperlinks throughout this webpage. They are additional resources that I used in making my multigenre lesson.

Definitions

Memoir: An autobiographical form of writing in which the author gives his or her personal impressions of significant figures or events. This form is different from the autobiography because it does not center around the author's own life and experiences.  http://www.gale.com/free_resources/glossary/

 “Mulitgenre papers are made up of a collection of texts which rely on a variety of genres which are woven together and connected in a way which creates an overall impression or message.”                   The prior quote is from: read-write-think © 2004 NCTE/IRA –materials may be reproduced for educational purposes

Simpler Directions

Directions for creating a multigenre memoir:

1. Brainstorm

Brainstorm a list of your personal stories. This is an informal list: "the story about the time when..."

• Tell the story of something in your life you are proud of.
• Describe a job you have had. Include co-workers, the work itself and its relationship to the world at large, how you felt about it, how it affected your life.
• Make a list of ways you could focus a memoir, starting with certain defined periods of time, such as "first grade," the year my mother died," the year I moved to this country."
• Read your list. Which life event seems to be most important to you? Write down everything you can remember about the event.
• Make a list of themes you could use to focus a memoir;
• Focus on your relationship with one family member or longtime friend and:
• Make a list of stories connected to that person to that person (the trip you took together to...; the argument over...; the time when...; etc.)  OR
• Make a list of stories connected to yourself pertaining to a specific incident
• Make a chronological list of dates when significant things happened to you and that person –or- you. and the incident
• Draw a line like a graph showing the " ups and downs" of the relationship over time, with notes on the peaks and valleys denoting times of closeness, fun, difficulties, etc.
• Write all of the ideas, feelings, experiences, times, places and/or people that you connect with your story.

Resource: http://www.geocities.com/lorimayo_99/memoirassignments.html

2. Theme:

• Make a list of themes you could use to focus a memoir, such as your relationship to food, a sibling, school, houses you have lived in, etc.
• Make notes about it and decide what the theme of the story is.

For Example:

• The story about the time when we played hide and seek on our block... I used to think the story was about the game, the winning, etc., but now I really think it's about the feeling of being part of a community.
• The story about when I wanted my mother to straighten my hair... I used to think the story was about my hating curly hair, but now I really think it's about wanting to fit in and look like everyone else.

4. Genres-- There are many ways to tell a story

• Make a list of at least six genres that you would like to experiment with.
  Now look over your 'brainstorm' material and match up your ideas to each genre (you may change your mind if the genre doesn't fit). A booklet of genre examples is available for you.

• Start writing! Work on one genre at a time. Write a rough draft. Read it to a friend and peer-edit it. Read it to another friend and peer-edit it some more! Make at least three drafts of each genre.

• Add any other genre and/or find or make appropriate illustrations to include in your project. Find an appropriate title for your project.

• Be sure to link you pieces together. We will discuss various ways in class, including the answer back method and the use of a common symbol, metaphor, or words.

5. Writer’s Journal: Using information; experimenting with genres

I will be checking your writing journal throughout the time period of the project.

• Evidence of genre experiments attempted 
• Evidence of revision
• Evidence of unifying strategies (this should be in your end notes)
• Evidence of synthesis of imagination and information
• Evidence of reflective thinking about what works and what doesn’t. (This should be in your author’s notes).
• Evidence of IN-class work and OUT OF CLASS writing—this will include your brainstorming and theme list.

A writer’s journal is a work in progress and is a source for revised work.

In your writer’s journal, you should have:

• Brainstorming list,
• Brainstorming notes,
• Notes pertaining to theme,
• Genre list that you think you might try in writing your memoir
• All the genres you have attempted in and out of class for your project—this should include pieces that you experimented with and chose not to include in the mutligenre memoir.
• Author’s notes, revisions, and endnotes, *each piece of literature should have at the VERY least one rough copy and one revision.  All pieces of literature can be improved upon. If you fail to make major revisions, your grade will suffer. If you really believe that your piece is wonderful and needs no revision, I suggest you bring it to me and allow me to make the judgment pertaining to revision.
• Explain what is fact and what has been created or assumed about a situation or information. You may find you will want to use some of these notes later in your end note page. (Look at my short story end notes. The basis of my short story is true, but I was young and do not remember much of the conversation pertaining to my parents deciding to leave WV; therefore, I fictionalized much of the short story. I inform the reader of this in my endnotes concerning this piece of literature.
• Any reflection that you may need as a resource when revising. This should be written during your writer’s workshop when you are receiving feedback from your writing buddies. Your writing buddies will write on your paper what to revise, but many times when the group begins interacting much of their critique goes unwritten. It is up to you to jot down what they say if it is something that you think you can use in revision. You do not have to use your writing buddies’ suggestions, but I found my writing buddies’ suggestions invaluable. Their comments helped to make my writing much better. (Look at the first draft of the letter that I wrote my father and compare it to the third and last draft of the letter. This letter evolved and became much more personalized because of the suggestions they made).

Resources: http://www.b-g.k12.ky.us/schools/bghs/TEACHERS/Simmons/web%20page/MultigenreResearchPaperDS.pdf 

http://www.qesnrecit.qc.ca/ela/profiles/genproj4.htm

6. Form—Your final paper must include and be in the following order:

·        An eye catching BINDING with a clever metaphor that symbolizes the theme of the project.

·        TITLE PAGE: A neatly typed title page with your name as author

·        TABLE of CONTENTS that lists preface, genres and titles, reflection, endnotes, and work cited page IF you did outside research. Make sure all pages in the binder are numbered.

·        A PREFACE that tells your reader why the genres you chose enables you to tell your story. For example, I chose a newspaper article about my father being on a mine rescue team because it was the best genre that I could have chosen to explain how my father went into mines to rescue men or bring out the dead caught in a cave in. In your preface tell the reader how to read the paper; introduce the reader to your topic or theme of the paper.

·        MULTIGENRE SECTION: Minimum of six different genres from different categories (look at the genre handout) Typed as perfectly written as possible. Include any pictures that help illustrate your writing.

·        REFLECTION:: 1 page typed paper that must include:

·        Who is your intended audience?  e.g. parents, friends, general audience, teacher, yourself, etc.

·        What is the purpose of your project? e.g. to inform, to entertain, to persuade, etc.  Why is this purpose appropriate pertaining to the genres you used?

·        Analyze then explain how each genre expresses the theme or topic of your memoir

·        In you opinion, have you been able to synthesize all the different genres to create a single cohesive unit by combining all the genres to reflect a short span in your life? Explain how you were or were not able to do this.

• Any information that you would like to share concerning the writing process of compiling your multigenre binder or writer’s journal would be appropriate in you reflection.

·        END NOTES: Reflective in nature, end notes describe the inspiration for each of the pieces of the project. Your writer’s journal will be helpful in preparing your end notes. You may also use end notes to unify parts of the paper and explain the context of a writing or source.

·        A Work Cited page if you have referred to outside sources in writing your memoir. Look at my memoir. I used the Library of Congress in telling a story about my father.

Resources:http://www.b-g.k12.ky.us/schools/bghs/TEACHERS/Simmons/web%20page/MultigenreResearchPaperDS.pdf

 http://158.91.55.1/~jeanar/Rock_files/multi.gen.htm

Genre Ideas

 Academic: Your project must have a minimum of six DIFFERENT genres from six DIFFERENT categories. General: Your project must have a minimum of five DIFFERENT genres from five DIFFERENT categories.If you decide you want to write two poems, it will only count as one genre from the creative writing category. If you decide to include a skit and a song, you have chosen two genres from one category; you will still have to choose five more genres from five different categories.

 Resource:

http://www.b-g.k12.ky.us/schools/bghs/TEACHERS/Simmons/web%20page/multigenreprojects.htm

Overall Project Rubric:

Overall Project Rubric:

 Students will use various computer programs to assist with the writing of the project. Suggestions are but not limited to: Microsoft Publisher, Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint or Movie Maker.

 Differentiation

Modifications for general students:

“A” Project: Minimum of 5 genres – Consistently achieves 4’s; Preface and Reflection: 200 words; End Notes: 450 words

“B” Project: Minimum of 4 genres – Consistently achieves 3’s; Preface and Reflection: 150 words; End Notes 400 words.

Academic students are not given the option to differentiate their projects. They adhere to the following rubric: 

 ** NOTE: Your works cited page will list sources pertaining to your genres AND the sources of your graphics, quotes, or slogans.

 Resources: http://www.fcps.k12.va.us/DeerParkES/kids/multigenre/guidelines.htm

http://www.sheboyganfalls.k12.wi.us/cyberenglish9/multi_genre/mg_rubric.htm

 To complete this assignment, go to the following web site: http://urbachc.org/urb_multigenre.htm

-- 12^th grade Ohio Academic Standards

Writing Processes

1. Generate writing ideas through discussions with others and from printed material, and keep a list of writing ideas.

2.  Determine the usefulness of and apply appropriate pre-writing tasks (e.g., background reading, interviews or surveys).

3. Establish and develop a clear thesis statement for informational writing or a clear plan or outline for narrative writing.

4.  Determine a purpose and audience and plan strategies (e.g., adapting formality of style, including explanations or definitions as appropriate to audience needs) to address purpose and audience.

5.  Use organizational strategies (e.g., notes and outlines) to plan writing.

6.  Organize writing to create a coherent whole with an effective and engaging introduction, body and conclusion and a closing sentence that summarizes, extends or elaborates on points or ideas in the writing.

7. Use a variety of sentence structures and lengths (e.g., simple, compound and complex sentences; parallel or repetitive sentence structure).

8.  Use paragraph form in writing, including topic sentences that arrange paragraphs in a logical sequence, using   effective transitions and closing sentences and maintaining coherence across the whole through the use of parallel structures.

9.  Use precise language, action verbs, sensory details, colorful modifiers and style as appropriate to audience and purpose, and use techniques to convey a personal style and voice.

10.  Use available technology to compose text.

11.   Reread and analyze clarity of writing, consistency of point of view and effectiveness of organizational structure.

12.  Add and delete examples and details to better elaborate on a stated central idea, to develop more precise analysis or persuasive argument or to enhance plot, setting and character in narrative texts.

13.  Rearrange words, sentences and paragraphs and add transitional words and phrases to clarify meaning and achieve specific aesthetic and rhetorical purposes.

14.   Use resources and reference materials (e.g., dictionaries and thesauruses) to select effective and precise vocabulary that maintains consistent style, tone and voice.

15.  Proofread writing, edit to improve conventions (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation and capitalization), identify and correct fragments and run-ons and eliminate inappropriate slang or informal language.

16.   Apply tools (e.g., rubric, checklist and feedback) to judge the quality of writing.

17. Prepare for publication (e.g., for display or for sharing with others) writing that follows a manuscript form appropriate for the purpose, which could include such techniques as electronic resources, principles of design (e.g., margins, tabs, spacing and columns) and graphics (e.g., drawings, charts and graphs) to enhance the final product.

Writing Applications

#1 Write reflective compositions that

·         use personal experiences as a basis for reflection on some aspect of life;

·         draw abstract comparisons between specific incidents and abstract concepts;

·         maintain a balance between describing incidents and relating them to more general, abstract ideas that illustrate personal beliefs; and

·         move from specific examples to generalizations about life.

#3 Write functional documents (e.g., requests for information, resumes, letters of complaint, memos, proposals) that:

·         report, organize and convey information accurately;

·         use formatting techniques that make a document user-friendly; and

·         anticipate readers’ problems, mistakes and misunderstandings.

#4 Write informational essays or reports, including research, that:

·         develop a controlling ideas that conveys a perspective on the subject;

·         create an organizing structure appropriate to purpose, audience and context,

·         include information on all relevant perspectives, considering the validity and reliability of primary and secondary sources

·         make distinctions about the relative value and significance of specific data, facts and ideas

·         anticipate and address a reader’s potential biases, misunderstandings and expectations, and

·         provide a sense of closure to the writing

# 6 Produce informal writings (e.g., journals, notes and poems) for various purposes.

Writing Conventions

1.       Use correct spelling conventions.

2.       Use correct capitalization and punctuation 

3.       Use correct grammar (e.g., verb tenses, parallel structure, indefinite and relative pronouns).