I just love this idea of creating a research project and not having students write typical research papers. I actually remember in Middle School doing a Multi-Genre project. The teacher cleverly disguised it though as a “Historical Scrapbook.” We chose a historical figure, preferably an author or illustrator or poet. When we had a subject I remember researching for a few weeks the figure in the library and then creating artifacts that would be included in their scrapbook. I remember writing a letter in Mark Twain’s voice, a program from a theater production, one of his Primary grade report cards, and I think I even included his obituary.
From the information that I read in the book about a Multi-Genre text, this is essentially the same thing. We were required to research all parts of the subjects life and then include them in an album that would look like a scrapbook that they would have kept. I really enjoyed this project and I remember researching Mark Twain to the point that I could recall most of the information many years later.
I think this is a great idea for students to research a topic of their interest. It is a great way to learn about text of different genres while incorporating research on a topic of the students choosing. I hope to be able to include this in my classroom in the future.
i completely agree with you about using multigenre projects in the classroom! it reminds me of a project i had to do in elementary school. i had to research teddy roosevelt and dress up like him. it is definitely a project i’ll never forget because i had fun doing it! i plan on using it in my classroom and i think it can be used in just about every subject.