Multi-Genre Research Project:
“A Life Worth Knowing”
English 9 – Mrs. Mace
Multi-Genre Research Project:
A Life Worth Knowing
OVERVIEW: You will create a research portfolio that includes a variety of genres, eachof which explores some aspect of the life of the person you have selected, and each of which demonstrates that this person’s life has been one of positive impact and significance, and hence, a “life worth knowing.”
PROCESS
1. SELECT A PERSON:. Look for a person whose life you wish to explore in depth. A list of possibilities will be provided. You may select a person not included on this list, so long as I approve him/her. The person you select must have made significant and documentablepositive impact on the world.
2. FIND INFORMATION. You need a MINIMUM OF FIVE SOURCES that will give you
specific, concrete details about the life of the person you have selected. Your work needs to show insight into the life of the person you have selected, and an understanding of his/her impact on the world. Keep your research/data (i.e. notes, pictures, quotation, artifacts, etc.) with appropriate notations about the sources in an organized folder. This documentation will be part of your grade. (We MAY use Noodle Tools.)
SOURCES REQUIRED:
- MINIMUM OF SEVEN SOURCES
- AT LEAST TWO PRINT SOURCES (i.e. - BOOKS)
- AT LEAST TWO DATABASE SOURCES (accessible from the library site)
- A variety of other SCHOLARLY SITES.
- YOU MAYNOT USE ANY GENERAL ENCYLOPEDIA TYPE BOOKS.
- UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES should you use Wikipedia.
- YOU MUST INCLUDE IMAGES; YOU MUST INCLUDE ONE “INFOGRAPHIC” (photo album, scrap book, chart. poster, etc, or other form of visual information) AS PART OF YOUR RESEARCH. Hence, images are necessary. WikiMEDIA is fine for this.
3. DETERMINE THESIS. You can only formulate a good thesis after you have completed a fair amount of research, so that you have some idea of the impact of your selected individual’s life experience. Eventually, you will need a statement that gives focus to your subject. This thesis statement should represent the focus of the person’s life, as you intend to present it in your research. The genres that you select should support and reveal this thesis. The thesis will connect your selected genres: a thread that ties everything together and demonstrates the point of your paper. (NOTE: You may begin with a preliminary thesis to guide your research, and then revise it as you continue to discover the impact your individual has had on the world.)
4. SELECT GENRE. Your paper will include seven (7) pieces - EACH A DIFFERENT GENRE FROM A DIFFERENT GROUP, as well as FINAL PERSUASIVE ESSAY demonstrating the positive significance of the person you have chosen. Your thesis should be clearly reflected in each piece. No matter what genre you select, the writing must be YOUR ORIGINAL WORK based on ideas gleaned from your research.
GROUP AGROUP BGROUP CGROUP D
postercommentarytimelineletter
brochureeditorialresumeadvice column
advertisementletter to the editornews articlediary or journal
“graphic novel”obituary
GROUP EGROUP FGROUP G
photo essay/albuminterviewsong
scrap bookpress conferencepoem
dialogue
script
horoscope
recipe
YOU MUST EXPLAIN YOUR INFOGRAPHIC (Group E)INFORMATION. (i.e.– captions) Please remember that information included in captions – as well as all of your images - must be cited – indicating the source for each.
There are numerous other forms of writing that can also be used, with my approval.
5. WRITE ROUGH DRAFTS. Each piece must have a title. Each piece must be completed on a separate page. Each piece mustbe a full page of text, while other pieces may be longer. All must be typed.
You must use at least TWO sources (documented) in each piece. Your pieces should be proofread by at least two people.
6. REVISE AND EDIT PAPERS. Make all necessary corrections in clarity, sentence structure, mechanics, etc. Your paper should present a CONCRETE foundation of evidence (FACTS AND DETAILS) to support your thesis. Your pieces should be easy to read and understand as well as be free of mechanical errors.
Be sure to give credit to your sources with in text citations as well as a Works Cited page. PLEASE DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. Remember that WORDS, IDEAS, and IMAGES belong to others. Please give appropriate credit.
7. PREPARE FINAL PRODUCT:
Title page
Thesis page
Table of Contents: includes title of each genre, type of genre, and page number.
Persuasive Essay
Genre pieces presented in an effective order.
Works Cited page. List all sources THAT HAVE BEEN USED in alphabetical order
DUE DATE: ______
Research Days: 24-26 February AND 2 and 3 March
Interim Due Dates:19 March
26 March
9 April
16 April
23 April
30 April
7 May – ROUGH DRAFT COMPLETE and ready for review!