Name________________________________________
English 10 Honors
Multi-Genre Research Project
Historical/Cultural Perspectives from 1984 or Lord of the Flies
The Multi-Genre Research Project (MGRP) you will be completing this quarter is a “twist” on the
research paper, for it requires you to research a topic and present your information in a “nontraditional” way. You will be selecting from various genres (or types of writing) to demonstrate
the knowledge you’ve gained on your topic. This project requires that you blend narrative and
transactional (or expository) writing in order to convey details and research in a creative way.
According to Dr. Tony Roma of the University of Miami, credited as founder of the multi-genre
research paper (MGRP),“Follow your curiosity and think outside the box. . . [this type of project]
recognizes that there are many ways to see the world, many ways to show others what we
see.”
For your topic---consider the historical and cultural background that undoubtedly influenced
the author of the novel you are reading. Again, Roma acknowledges that the MGRP is a great
way to illustrate how…
“…Literature is not imagined in a vacuum, neither when it is imagined and created by a writer
nor when it is imagined and recreated by a reader. [The Lit-based MGRP calls for] you to capture
some of the historical flavor and ideas afoot during the time the literature you choose was
written. . . .
An example of one such historical influence on the writing of literature: There is a
strong quality of feminism in the character of Hester Prynne of The Scarlet Letter, which is set in
Massachusetts in the 1600s. That isn’t unexpected when we realize that Nathanial Hawthorne
wrote The Scarlet Letter in the late 1840s, during a time of significant activity for women’s
social, economic, and political rights led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. The
Declaration of Sentiments, patterned after the Declaration of Independence, was drafted in
1848 at the first women’s rights conference at Seneca Falls, NY.
Your research might take other avenues. One student wrote her MGRP on The
Notebook. She did extensive research to learn more about Alzheimer’s Disease. Another student
read a science fiction novel about environmental abuse. He researched specific forms of
environmental abuse taking place when the novel was written in the early 1970s. The lesson
these two students provide is to not limit yourself to one predetermined slant in terms of
research.
If I’m just researching and writing about a topic from the past, how is this any different from
a research paper?
Simply put—your MGRP will be about a topic that has been researched before, but that is still
quite RELEVANT---a topic that SHOULD matter to people today---something that made a
difference (good or bad) in the lives of Orwell and Golding 70 years ago and that still influences
our lives today. (It’s up to you to be creative enough to demonstrate this!)
To communicate to others just how relevant---you are tasked with taking this potentially overresearched, banal topic, and presenting it in several, different, creative forms rather than the
standard 5-7 pp research paper in five paragraph format ---so that YOU and your friends,
relatives, peers --(not just your English teacher) ---can appreciate and understand its
significance in their lives.
How do I begin?
1. First, read your chosen novel---either Orwell’s 1984 or Golding’s Lord of the Flies
2. Don’t forget to keep recording quotations and analyses in your 20 dialectical journal
entries—due in June. This assignment takes time, but it WILL help you to be a more
reflective, active, and critical reader.
3. Next, formulate a research question. (do this even before you finish reading if
necessary)
a. What might we have in common today with that of 1984 or LOF? How have we
learned from the past? Consider the political, historical, and cultural background,
as well as any pertinent biographical information that may have influenced
Orwell or Golding in the writing of this novel.
b. Choose a person, event, or issue from the 1930s, 40s, and/or early 50s* and
research his/her/its impact on the world in which the author lived and on his
writing, as well as on our world today.
4. After you have chosen a topic to research (see below)---prepare a research proposal
following the guidelines on pg.3 of this packet
5. Research your topic* for relevant information and prepare a MLA page of sources
consulted and at least 15 notecards
6. Develop a repetend/unifying element that you will use to connect the various genres
7. Begin working on your individual genre pieces—think OUTSIDE the box! (no pun
intended)
* See topic chart on next page.
*Orwell wrote 1984 in 1948, and Golding’s LOF was published in 1953-- Lists that follow are by no
means exhaustive; if you would like to research another event, person, or issue of relevance, please let
me know.
Historical and political events of the 1930s and 1940s (and early 50s)—For example: World War II,
Great Depression, Holocaust, Hindenburg Disaster, Invasion of Normandy, atomic bombing of Japan,
Cold War, New London School explosion, collapse of the League of Nations, establishment of United
Nations and NATO, attack on Pearl Harbor, beginnings of Arab-Israeli conflict , Nazism, communism,
socialism, Hitler Youth, Gestapo, Battle of Britain, India’s Independence, Japanese internment camps,
British evacuation of children during WWII
People-- Leon Trotsky, Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Mohandas Gandhi, Franklin D.
Roosevelt , Harry Truman, Chiang Kai-shek, Neville Chamberlain, Hirohito, Mao Zedong, Charles de
Gaulle, Benito Mussolini, Hore-Belisha, Rommel, Victor Emmanuel, Albert Einstein , Alfred Kinsey,
George Orwell, William Golding, Aldous Huxley, Anne Frank, GJoe Louis, Jesse Owens, Charlie Chaplin ,
Frank Sinatra, Jackie Robinson, Royal Navy, British Imperial Policemen of Burma, woman in the
workforce, WACS, WAVES, Uncle Sam
Inventions, social and cultural issues (science, art, literary)-- jet propulsion, first computer ENIAC,
radar, nuclear power, microwave oven, Manhattan Project, inventions such as Frisbee, Velcro, plastic;
quantum theory, nuclear physics, first hydrogen bomb , Hindenburg, penicillin, , television, Rh factor,
plasma, disillusionment of the twenties, cynicism of the thirties, questioning of the forties, Citizen Kane,
Hollywood war films, , film noir, the swing, Roller Derby, boxing, , “baby boomers,” desegregation in
military, propaganda, media influences, privacy issues, sexual freedoms, religious freedom, government
control, economics, aging, war, crime, psychology
Your Research Proposal
A research design, or proposal, is essentially an “I-search” report that “jump-starts” your paper
and forces you to think about your topic in a concentrated way. It requires that you do some
initial, detailed writing and consider things you would not have, had you only briefly mused
about your topic. It also requires that you get to the library early so you find out the information
and resources available.
The research proposal must be TYPED and double-spaced in TNR 12 pt. Follow the format as
given in the sample on the next page. (Use the Roman Numeral Subheadings as shown and make
sure each section is substantial in detail.) This assignment is worth 15% of your project grade.
The elements of the research design include the following (see handout for sample):
I. Name your topic.
II. Describe what you know about your topic already. (Without consulting
anything, go to the keyboard and free write what you already know. Let it sit a
day or so, then come back and edit for redundancies and refine for
specificity). You can do this as bullets, if you wish.
III. Tell what you want to learn about—what are you curious about?
IV. Describe the origins of your research. What sparked your interest in the topic?
Why do you want to know more about it? (what personal relevance does this
topic have to you---why now, why this?)
V. List at least a dozen questions you have about your topic (or twenty, or fifty).
VI. Describe your plan for collecting information about your topic.
VII. Provide a preliminary bibliography (Don’t bail out here. Get a sense of what is
out there. I expect this to be thorough). See Sample Research Proposal Handout
How will the final product look—and what procedures should I follow?
1. Sign-up for a topic from the boxes above--or come up with an alternative that is inspired
by the choices.
2. Use your research time efficiently. We will be in the computer lab for two full blocks.
You will be required to write up your research proposal (see handout) and show me 10
completed note-cards based on your research by the end of the second block. Be sure
to keep track of your sources for your MLA style Works Cited page. (Even though some
of this, including the resources may change in the final weeks, a proposal lays the
foundation for your project.)
3. Once you have completed the research, use the information to create a Multi-Genre
booklet about your topic.
4. Booklets (projects) must include:
a. Front and Back Cover: include a visual representation of the content that
reflects the unique aspects of the time period from which your novel was based.
b. Title Page: Identify your topic, name, and date.
c. An Introduction/Preface/Dear Reader page. An introduction that will greet the
readers, introduce the subject, and provide any other information you think the
readers should know.
d. Table of Contents: list all pieces included in the booklet in the order they
appear.
e. Five multi-genre pieces: See genre handout for more details. The five (or more)
genres can be presented in any format you choose, but must come from five
different categories, representing varying types of writing. At least ONE of your
pieces must be an expository one from Group 6: Structured , and should reveal
your thesis. All genre assignments are to be done as neatly and thoroughly as
possible. All written components should be typed. Creativity is encouraged and
you may mix written and visual pieces, but make sure it is well-organized. If you
choose to do more than five, you can repeat categories, pick from the last
category, or use a genre not listed.***
f. Unifying Element (s)- or “repetend”: repeated images, genres answered,
fragmented narrative, a detail just mentioned in one piece but exploded and
illustrated in a later piece)
g. Epilogue /End Note Page (more on this in class): This is a short summary to
identify each piece that you wrote and what inspired it, and/or what you were
trying to convey.
h. MLA style Works Cited page: You must use at least two print sources and two
electronic sources. Only one encyclopedia entry is allowed. Use only MLA
format for your Works Cited page.
5. Please note: this project requires original thought and creativity. Any work that is found to not
be your own will result in you staying after school to redo the project.
***You can present each of your genre pieces separately or interweave them into a larger framework,
however they should be connected by unifying themes, repeated motifs, genres that speak to each
other, or topics that are mentioned in some genres and expanded in others. Do not simply cut and
paste five genres and call it a paper. Use your own professional discretion as to the margins and font
you wish to use for each genre. You are free to merge the non-fictional research you do with fictional
context, a la the film Titanic.
You must create at least FIVE different genres (one of which MUST be from Category 6).
Remember that each creation will ultimately tie into the others to make one unified product
that thoroughly represents your topic inspired by your reading.
Group 1: Print Media
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Advice Column
Application-job, school, etc.
Dictionary of specific language
Editorial
Headlines/Front Page
Letter to the Editor
Magazine Article
Magazine Article
Mission Statement
Newspaper Article
Obituary
Recipe
Wanted Poster
Group 2: Visual with Words
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Ad
Bumper Sticker
Business Cards
Cartoon
Greeting Card
Invitation
Invitation
Neighborhood Flyers
Poster
PowerPoint
Response to Art
Travel Brochure
Group 3: Visual Display
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Certificate
Collage Storyboard
Graph
Magazine Cover
Mandala
Map
Menu
Picture/Photograph
Postcard
PowerPoint
Recipe
Scrapbook Page
Group 4: Informational
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Assignment Sheet
Calendar/Agenda
Campaign Speech
Directions
Directions
Encyclopedia Entry
Idea Web
Interview
Interview
Lab Report
Membership Cards
Memo
Police Report
Pro/con List
Resume
Survey
Timeline
Timeline
Group 6: Structured
Group 5: Creative Writing
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Conversation
Eulogy
Letter
Personal Narrative
Pledge
Poem
Prayers/Meditations
Report Card
Short Story
Skit
Song
Telegram
Top Ten List
Travel Journal
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Book Review
Contract
Critical Analysis
Descriptive Paragraph
Descriptive Writing
Essay
Letter
Manifesto
Persuasive Essay
Report
Report
Speech
Grading:
Structure (20%): Paper includes: decorated front and back cover, title page, table of contents, dear
reader page (introduction), at least 5 genres (one from each category—one must be from Category 6),
epilogue/endnotes page, works cited page; dialectical journal is attached (graded separately)
Quality of Content & Style (40%): Each of the required elements is strong in its language, clarity,
meaning, and information. The writing meets the intended purpose and matches needs of the
audience.
Creativity/Appropriateness of Genres (20%): The paper shows thought, effort, and creativity on the
part of the writer. The genres included are varied and appropriate for the content presented and
specific genre conventions are met.
Research (20%): Research was thoroughly performed and documented and at least 5 sources were used
and cited.
Final Rubric
_____/10 Cover—front and back—professional looking/visually appealing
_____/5
Title page---Name, Date, Title—12 pt TNR D.S.
_____/15
Dear Reader/Preface page---12 pt TNR D.S.—briefly summarize your novel and
explain what inspired your selection of the topic; describe what your intentions
were in preparing the project and what you hope to convey to the reader/audience.
Letter format with signature or report-style
_____/10
Table of Contents---identify each item by a title and assign each a page number
_____/75
Five genres---one per page (more than likely)---creativity applies---some may be
longer, more visual, etc, than others---do NOT label the genres (the table of
contents should do that)-use titles where appropriate, ex. Poem title or masthead
for newspaper---each item should “feel” as if it is connected and belongs –see next
item…
_____/10
Unifying element---provide a theme, quotation, visual symbol, etc. that carries
throughout and is woven through each genre---for example ---“big brother…”
_____/15
Epilogue page—Handout provided—type up answers 12 pt TNR (Selfassessment/Reflection)
_____/15
Works Cited Page
______/30
Rationale/Notecards (3 pts per card)---number flexible -----10 (Minimum)
_________/ GRAND TOTAL 185
______/ X
bonus genre pieces (extra credit) up to 10 pts per
______maximum allowable extra credit
166-205 A to A
148 - 165 B to B+
129- 147 C to C+
Other Items Connected to the Reading that Are Graded Separately
_______/15
Your Research Proposal Typed
______/160 (8 pts per entry) Dialectical Journal
______Any Reading Check Quizzes/Other Class Assignments Related To Novels
Laura Strandberg
EDT 427 Sec. A
Multigenre Research Design
I.
My Multi-Genre Research Paper Topic
My topic for the multi-genre research paper is motivation in reading. I want to explore
why students so often do not read the materials teacher assign for them to read, what factors
influence students who do read verses students who don’t read, and what a teacher can do to
motivate students to read.
II.
What I Already Know
I do not know very much about this topic, but I do have some knowledge from personal
experience. I know that I am unmotivated to read when I feel I have no purpose for reading,
when I do not think that I will gain anything from the text, when I will not be held accountable
for the material, when I am bored or uninterested in the topic of the text, and when I am overtired
or extremely busy. I imagine most of these, as well as many other factors, influence all readers
at some point. I also know some of the factors that influence students who do the assigned
reading, because I am one such student. Some of these factors are self-motivation and discipline,
a desire not to disappoint teachers, a high level of interest in the topic of the text, and a positive
attitude towards reading.
Besides what I know from personal experience, I have gained some knowledge of the
topic of motivation in reading through my education at Miami University and through research I
have done previously. I know that some of the key elements of motivating students under any
circumstances are getting students attention, giving them a purpose for completing the assigned
task, and making the topic relevant and applicable to the students’ lives. I also know of a few
strategies that teachers can use to try to motivate students. These include reading portions of a
high-interest text aloud, providing reading incentives, setting goals, and letting students select
reading materials that they are excited about.
III.
What I Want to Learn
There are several key areas involved with motivation in reading that I want to learn more
about. First, I would like to learn about characteristics of students who are unmotivated to read.
I want to know if there are common characteristics among unmotivated students that either
contribute to or indicate apathy towards reading. I think that students’ abilities to comprehend
texts probably highly influence their motivation to read. I would like to find out more about this
connection. I would also like to learn about some of the ways that students are able to get by
without reading assigned texts. I am interested in finding out how to eliminate this problem in
the classroom and get students not only to do the assigned reading, but also get excited about
reading. I want my future students to think of reading as something they enjoy and something
from which they can gain valuable insights and knowledge. I want to find out how to motivate
students to read, so that they will become successful lifelong readers, and hopefully come to this
conclusion.
IV.
The Origins of My Research
There is not one incident or experience that sparked my interest in this topic. I have been
interested in the role of motivation in achievement in any domain, since I first started competing
in swimming. Motivation always was a very prominent topic in all of the sports I participated in
throughout my grade school and high school experience. Since this topic was introduced to me, I
have been interested in how motivation works, where it comes from, and how it can be fostered.
I have always been a very motivated person, but even in myself, I often wonder where my
motivation comes from. I have also observed many of my peers throughout my schooling, in
high school especially, who have expressed a lack of motivation. I remember feeling that I was
unusual for completing all of the reading assignments, because most of my friends and many of
my peers acted as if it were absurd to think that they would actually read the assigned novels or
texts. I wonder why people are unmotivated. The problem of students lacking motivation has
always been a concern of mine when I think about teaching. This was the first thing that came to
mind when I started to think about a research topic for my multi-genre paper.
V.
Some Questions I Have About Motivation in Reading
1. Where does motivation come from?
2. Can all students be motivated to read, and enjoy reading?
3. What factors or student characteristics influence motivation?
4. What are some motivational strategies for getting students to read?
5. Are there wrong ways to motivate students to read and what are they?
6. How is reading comprehension ability related to motivation?
7. How can a teacher turn a student into a life-long reader?
8. How can a teacher get students to take responsibility for motivating themselves?
9. How can motivational factors be incorporated into everyday lessons in the classroom?
10. How can a teacher get unmotivated students to think of reading as fun?
11. What are characteristics of teachers who are successful at motivating their students to
read?
12. How do students get away with not reading assigned texts and still get average to good
grades?
13. How can teachers prevent students from getting away with not reading?
VI.
My Research Plan
My plan for collecting information about my topic is to start by researching motivation
and reading in magazines, journals, and books. I think that reading through a lot of different
material in the beginning will give me more ideas about how I want to focus the rest of my
research. I think that most of my research will be from written sources, but I also want to
conduct interviews during my field experience to get personal perspectives from students and
teachers. During my research I will keep a notebook with facts that I collect, ideas for genres,
individual perspectives, ideas for characters, and any other pieces of information that I come
across and think might be useful.
VII. Preliminary Working Bibliography
Bauer, Denise S.; Lupo, Jennifer L. Improving Attitudes in Reading through Multiple
Instructional Strategies in an At-Risk Environment. Illinois: Clearinghouse, 2001.
Ford, Kim. “Bonding with Books.” Voices from the Middle. May 2001: 76-79.
Guthrie, John T.; Wigfield, Allan; VonSecker, Claire. “Effects of Integrated Instruction
on Motivation and Strategy Use in Reading.” Journal of Educational Psychology.
Jun 2000: 331-341.
Hurst, Beth. “ABCs of Content Area Lesson Planning: Attention, Basics, and
Comprehension.” Journal of Adolescent & Adult Literacy. May 2001: 692-693.
Jago, Carol. Beyond Standards: Excellence in the High School English Classroom. New
Hampshire: Clearinghouse, 2001.
Kramarski, Bracha; Feldman, Yael. “Internet in the Classroom: Effects on Reading
Comprehension, Motivation and Metacognitive Awareness.” Educational Media
International. Sep 2000: 149-155.