Name: _______________________________________________

American Lit Unit 9 . . .

Multigenre
A Study in composition

Unit 9 Performance Task:

Sophomore Multigenre Project
Task:
For this assignment, you will choose a topic (a question, a concept, a person, a theme, etc.) of personal interest and create a project that
combines multiple writing genres to create one final product . . .

So, what is multigenre? Here’s a helpful definition from J. Anderson:

“A multigenre research project is a collection of pieces—a cohesive series of written pieces in a variety of genres that look at
different angles on the same question, topic, or theme. A multi-genre project is personal, creative, and can’t be copied from some
other source. It involves you, the writer, making conscious decisions about what information or ideas are important, and how it
should be presented to the reader.”

Your project will include:

1. Cover Page
a. Come up with a creative title for your project
b. Make it visually appealing
c. Include your name
2. Table of Contents
a. List the components of your project in order
b. State the title of each item and the page number
3. Dear Reader Letter (100+ words)
a. A letter to anyone reading your project that introduces them to your project. You can share any necessary background
information, reason for choosing the topic, what you hope they take away from your project, etc.
4. 3+ genre pieces (800+ words for all genres combined)
a. You will need at least three different pieces of writing in three different genres. You can revisit genres we’ve already
studied in class or try out new genres. See the provided list of possibilities!
b. Since you are now an experienced playwright, one of your three genres should be some type of SCRIPT. This could
include:
i. Standard stage script iv. Podcast transcript
ii. Screenplay for movie or television v. Personal narrative in script form
iii. Script for a radio show vi. Prose-script blend
 5. Thank You page
a. Identify people, groups, or other resources that helped you in the process of creating this project.
6. Reference Page
a. Use MLA style (can change font/color to match theme, but include all required parts of citations)
b. List any sources you cited
c. List any sources you looked at for inspiration, general information, etc.
7. Repetend (small repeated element/theme throughout)
a. The purpose of a repetend is to create unity and coherence. It also allows the reader to hear the writer’s voice and
connects the pieces together. It acts like glue, connecting the different parts.
b. Ideas for creating a repetend:
i. Include the same phrase, sentence or passage in each genre (“and the beat goes on” for music)
ii. Tie together with lyrics, photos with captions, recipes, quotes etc.
iii. Use a description or design (written or graphic) that is placed strategically
iv. Can be placed on separate pages between major pieces or in other spots throughout the project

An excellent project will:

● Meet specific guidelines for length and formatting
● Use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation throughout
● Use mature, engaging style (wide ranging, precise word choice, variety of sentence structures/length, etc.)
● Demonstrate strong writing skills specific to each genre chosen by the student
● Exhibit cohesion: all pieces of writing fit together to create a clear focus on one topic
● Show creativity and depth of thought

Timeline:
● Thurs 4/27-Fri 4/28: Submit three topic ideas
● Mon 5/1-Tues 5/2: Submit final topic choice and five genre piece ideas
● Tues 5/9-Tues 5/16: Teacher feedback conferences
● Friday 5/19-Mon 5/22: Draft due for peer feedback. (Requirements: 900+ words total in document, all 3 genre pieces at least
partially drafted; draft of letter to reader; at least 2 references included in reference list.)
● Thurs 5/25-Fri 5/26: Final draft due

HONORS
Each honors student will read an excerpt from a published text about writing. A variety of selections related to different genres will be
provided. You will select something related to one of the genres in your project, read and annotate it, then present what you’ve learned to
your peers.