Your Multigenre Web
Everything you need to know to succeed.

Purpose: 

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.

Questions:

What 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. 

Creating a central theme:

We want to encourage our students to choose themes/subjects/ideas/concepts from across the curriculum. What this means is that you may want to write about an idea that you studied in history or in science or in health, and not just in English. All topics must be researchable. Therefore, a very personal topic, such as your dog, would not be a good choice. While you could research information about a breed of dog, there would be little else you could research.

Also, a good topic will be one that has a human element: humanity in conflict with society, science, itself.

All topics must be approved! Do not begin work until you have verified your topic with your teacher.

Click here for some specific topic choices for Sheboygan Falls students.

Questions to ask about your topic:
1. Am I truly interested in this topic?
2. Do I have access to enough information?
3. Is the subject limited enough?
4. Is there a human element to the topic? Can I personalize it? Could I create a character who would represent the main problems, struggles, or ideas of this topic?

Limiting the topic: 
We begin with the general idea and move to the specific.  See an example of the selecting process below.

General Subject Area Holocaust		Specific Subject Concentration Camps		Focus or Special Interest How concentration camps affected people's lives.
		Auschwitz		People sent to Auschwitz often lost family members, lost faith in God, and lost a sense of self.

Choose your topic from the list of SFHS topics or from one of the links below:

Links to lists of topics: from Old Dominion University

More topics links:

Types of Genres:
The genres here are linked to examples or descriptions. Use real life examples as models whenever you can.

Before you select a genre from this list, ask yourself, why am I choosing it? What do I want to be able to say or express through this genre? If you can't answer that question, you are not ready to work on it.

Gathering information:

Getting ready to research: 

• make a list of what you already know about this topic

• make a list of what you need to know or want to find out

• use a KWHL chart to help you plan

• create a concept map of related ideas or use a brainstorming web

• make a list of ideas you have about where to find the information you need

Types of sources: 

Choose a variety of sources.  You must have at least four different sources from the following list. 

Taking notes:

• Taking notes is important, and many people have found success with 3 x 5 note cards. A system for using note cards is detailed in your Falcon Skills & Style Handbook. The main thing to remember about note cards is that you have to have the following information on each card: 1. the title of the source, 2. the page or other marker for identifying just where the information has come from, 3. the context of the note (what the discussion or paragraph or situation is about), and 4. one note only: either a direct quote, a summary, or a paraphrase.

• Use a dialectic approach where you take notes and comment about each note.

• Another note taking option is to open a Word document and transcribe your thoughts there as you read from print or online sources. Be sure that you keep track of everything you get from sources, so you won't accidentally pass off borrowed information as your own writing. This is plagiarism, and it's stealing.

Preparing information for your annotated bibliography:

• Make a note card for each source, or keep a log of sources in a Word document. For each source, consult the MLA guide to see what information you need. For example, what you need for an Internet site is different from what you will need for a magazine article. Your Falcon Skills & Style Handbook has an abbreviated MLA guide for your convenience. For a book, you will need to record the author, the title, the date of publication, and the publishing company. Be sure you know exactly what you need and keep a complete record of each source that you consult. Later on, you will use this information in your annotated bibliography.

Use of repetend: 

Repetend is something added to your multigenre web project that repeats or continues. The purpose of repetend is to create unity among the various genre pieces and to give the writer an editorial voice that the reader can easily relate to.

Because multi-genre essays are unique and non-linear, they require a lot of work from a reader.  You, as a conscientious writer, do not want to let your reader get confused as they move from genre to genre. If you provide your reader with reoccurring images or phrases, or a running commentary or even a narrative or story, you will create unity that will help your reader better understand your central theme. This can be much like making sure to weave your thesis throughout a traditional essay paper.  The multi-genre web, however, offers a lot more creative possibilities.

Repetend options are given below. Each student must find some way to incorporate repetend.

Ways to incorporate repetend in your multi-genre web:

• include the same phrase, sentence, or passage in each genre page as a heading or somewhere else in the text

• include a description or design in each piece (written or graphic), placed strategically for easy recognition

• include a running commentary from you, the writer, following or preceding each genre piece

• create a character and follow his/her reactions to pieces

• create a character involved somehow in each piece of writing--an ongoing little story

• create a cartoon strip at the top or bottom of each genre page that comments on the ideas presented

How do I decide what works for my paper?

Think about your specific topic.  What is the strongest image associated with that topic?  What words could powerfully express that image?  You could use those words to help you decide what should be emphasized and repeated throughout your web.  You might want to just start writing.  After you begin to read through your writing, circle or highlight language and images that might serve as strong repetitions. 

Avoiding plagiarism:

If you're not sure if what you're doing is stealing someone else's ideas, check out this site listed below.

• Purdue's OWL

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