Before class on Tuesday, students will…
Write:
- Write a short reflection (approx. 150-200 words) on the research process of U2 and what you learned. Consider the following questions: What did you find difficult about doing this type of research? In doing this type of research, what did you learn that you can take to future classes?
- Title this reflection Full Name, U2 Reflection, and save it under the category U2 Work.
Read/Listen/Watch:
- There are audio/text/visual elements to these assignments (a transcript of the NPR video is embedded in the page):
- Read & listen to āLouise Erdrich On Her Personal Connection To Native Peoplesā āFight For Survivalāā (NPR interview).
- Read & watch āNative American elder Nathan Phillips, in his own wordsā (CNN interview clip) by Sara Sidner.
During class, we will…
Discuss:
- What are the traits of the interview genre?
- Reflect on the purpose of the NPR interview with Louise Erdrich vs. the purpose of the CNN interview with Nathan Phillips, and discuss what you think the reasons are for airing these pieces.
- Who do you think would be interested in listening, watching, and/or reading each of these pieces? Why?
- We’ve now covered three genres: Twitter thread, radio interview, and television interview. What are the traits of each genre? What are the positives of each genre? What are the problems of each genre?
Play a Genre Scavenger Hunt:
We’ve covered a few genres. Clearly, there are many more! To investigate the others, you and a partner will be assigned one of the following genres:
- script for a TED Talk
- podcast script and (optional) recording of the podcast
- an infographic or academic poster presentation
- a graphic short story
- a poem or song
- a childrenās book
- open letter
- listicle
- op-ed
- infographic
- brochure
- photo essay
- street art
- public service announcement (PSA)
You will find two examples of the genre. After a specified amount of time, you’ll join another pair of students and share the following:
- A short definition of the genre. Tell the other pair all the things you know about this genre.
- What audience would pay attention to this genre–avoid saying “Everybody!”
- For example, think about how you get news versus how an elementary school student gets news.
- Be ready to share your findings with the class!
Homework:
- Think of a specific audience to whom you would like to share your research. Explain why. What do you think your audience knows and thinks about the subject? And what might their concerns or assumptions be about this particular topic?
- Create a post titled Full Name, Audience for U3 and save it under the category U3 Work. In your post, answer the above questions by class time on Thursday.
- This is one of those low-stakes writing assignments (worth 30% of your overall grade).
- Create a post titled Full Name, Audience for U3 and save it under the category U3 Work. In your post, answer the above questions by class time on Thursday.
During class on Thursday, we will…
Discuss:
- Now that we’ve discussed several different genres and you’ve written a bit about your audience for your project, in which genres are you considering repurposing your U2 research?
- Remember your target audience, not just what you’re interested in doing: age, education, primary residence, etc.
- For example, a children’s book will obviously reach kids (and their parents/grandparents), but if your intended audience is college-age folks, it won’t really speak to them, unless they’re babysitting their siblings or cousins!
- If you’re unsure, that’s okay! Bring this up in your discussion group and ask for advice.
Write:
- Freewrite about at least four of the genres and how they each might/might not appeal to your audience:
- script for a TED Talk
- script for a radio or television interview
- Twitter thread (at least 10 Tweets for the thread)
- podcast script and (optional) recording of the podcast
- a radio/television script/interview
- an infographic or academic poster presentation
- a graphic short story
- a poem or song
- a childrenās book
- open letter
- listicle
- op-ed
- infographic
- brochure
- photo essay
- street art
- public service announcement (PSA)
Conference:
- During the freewrite session, I’ll be conferencing with each student about which genres they are considering.
Homework:
- Choose the genre you will use for Unit 3 and find a mentor text (a sample of what you want to use as a model for your own project) for the genre you will work in. Read, annotate and bring it to class.
- Note several traits (at least six) that seem specific to this genre and list them. Here are some examples of what you might look for:
- Are the paragraphs long or short? How long is the overall piece?
- Is imagery used?
- From what point of view is the piece written?
- Is there dialogue or is just one person talking?
- What is the tone and purpose?
- How is it organized?
- Where is your genre found? What kind of place/publication?
- Consider who created the piece (a scholar? a reporter? a creative writer? a child? etc.)
- Quote one sentence from your sample that you think is effective, and explain why you chose it.
- Create a post titled Full Name, U3 Genre and save it under the category U3 Work. In the post, share your notes about what you’ve found in your mentor text. Be sure to post this by class time on Tuesday, since we’ll be discussing it!
- This is a low-stakes writing assignment (worth 30% of your overall grade)!
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