Rethinking the Research Paper:

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Rethinking the Research Paper a Multigenre
Approach

• Heather Adkins
• Gallatin High School
• Middle TN Writing Project

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When faced with teaching the research paper, what
thoughts come to mind?

• take a sticker and place it under the response
  that best matches your answer to the above
  question
•  explain your answer in your notebook

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What elements are typically present in a research
paper?
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I do not think I am alone when I admit to fellow
English teachers that I do not look forward to
teaching the research paper to my freshman high
school students. Each year I taught the required
research unitI was frustrated with the outcome.
Plagiarism, the use of random facts,
disorganization of the paper, and student apathy
topped the list of problems. Cindy
Heckenlaible
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Two Main Problems with Traditional Research Papers

• Topics are often uninteresting to the writer
• 2. The product is generally inauthentic

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•  
• "Commonly...research papers are farces because
  the writers haven't genuinely searched anything
  and the materials they've worked with are
  entirely foreign to them. "
•                     Ken Macrorie, The I-Search
  Paper

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•  
•  
• Look at a two-year-old grabbing books off a
  shelf, seeing how they open, ripping pages,
  finding out how they taste. Not much different
  than a kitten first time out of his box.
  Apparently were all born curious.
• Ken Macrorie, The I-Search Paper

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• What topics do you want to know more about?
• What questions do you want answers to?
• What problems would you like to find solutions to?

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TN ELA Research Standards

• Define and narrow a research question appropriate
  to grade level and ability.

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• How would you go about researching one of these
  topics?

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TN ELA Research Standards

• Gather relevant information to answer a research
  question.
• Gather information from a variety of sources to
  support a research topic.
• Collect, organize, and determine the reliability
  of researched information.
• Gather relevant information from a variety of
  print and electronic sources, as well as from
  direct observation, interviews, and surveys.
• Make distinctions about the credibility,
  reliability, consistency, strengths, and
  limitations of resources, including information
  gathered from websites.

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• What would be the resultthe product--of your
  research?

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Genre Possibilities

• Make a list of as many genres of writing as you
  can. Think outside the box, and consider sub
  genres as well.

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• The point of a research paper should be the
  PROCESS not the product. Given that, it is
  entirely possible to teach research skills and
  have students communicate their ideas and
  findings to the teacher without writing pages and
  pages of boring prose.

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Two Main Problems with Traditional Research Papers

• Topics are often uninteresting to the writer
• 2. The product is generally inauthentic

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Blending Genre, Altering Style Writing
Mulitgenre Papers by Tom Romano
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What is a Multigenre Essay?

• "A multigenre paper arises from research,
  experience, and imagination. It is not an
  uninterrupted, expository monolog nor a seamless
  narrative nor a collection of poems. A multigenre
  paper is composed of many genres and subgenres,
  each piece self-contained, making a point on its
  own, yet connected by theme or topic..."
•  
• Tom Romano, Blending Genre, Altering Style

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TN ELA Research Standards

• Deliver an oral report on a research question.
• Write a simple research report.
• Present the research results in a written report,
  citing the resources used
• Write an extended research paper, using primary
  and secondary sources and technology and
  graphics, as appropriate.
• Use a standard format to arrange text, to cite
  sources correctly, and to document quotations,
  paraphrases, and other information.

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What I Hoped to Accomplish

• incorporate more American Literature into my
  course (provide a context)
• have students come to a true understanding of one
  aspect of their chosen topic
• give students an opportunity to explore creative
  writing in a content-driven course
• teach research skills
• have students understand that research is a skill
  that transcends the traditional research paper

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Story of a Decade

• students chose a decade to research decided on
  an overarching statement they could make about
  the decade (thesis)
• reviewed researching strategies, spent time in
  library researching, MLA review
• students took information gathered and used it to
  inspire original pieces of creative writing that
  fit the decade, thesis and tone of their project
• in class workshops on different genres (poetry,
  etc.)
• deadlines throughout

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A Teacher's Guide to the Multigenre Research
Project by Melinda Putz
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51 Wacky We-search Reports by Barry Lane
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Story of a Decade

• product was multigenre and sometimes multi media
• students were forced to become immersed in the
  topic
• students had to make genre decisions based on a
  number of criteria
• students took ownership of the process and
  product--they wanted to keep them after grading,
  were invested in revision and editing
• returning students still talk about it as their
  favorite assignment of high school

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Your Turn

• Form groups of 4 or 5
• Choose a topic that each group member has some
  knowledge of
• Brainstorm 8-10 (specific) genres that could help
  present ideas on this topic
• Each member should choose one piece to write as
  part of the final multigenre essay

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My Next Steps

• Students still struggle with the idea of truly
  proving a thesis/theme. Maybe focus on questions
  instead?
• What does this look like in my Standard classes?
  Smaller? As a group project?
• A multigenre memoir for my Creative Writing class

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•  
•  
• Heather Adkins
• Gallatin High School
• heather.adkins_at_sumnerschools.org