WAD Design Revised

Heidi Hyde
24 April 2016
Dr. Hartman
Interdisciplinary Research Project
Overview: This writing assignment is a creative take on a traditional research project. In an
effort to jazz up a usually boring research paper and give students choice in selecting a culture,
time, and person interesting to them while practicing both the creative non-fiction narrative mode
of writing and correct MLA citation, my purpose is to help them weave head stuff (the
embodiment of their character) and book stuff (the cited research about the person, culture, and
time period) in a cohesive collection of diary entries written from the perspective of a famous
person in history or fiction, or a person created by the student. In preparation for our county
required Senior Project, this project will be a fun way for students to practice research skills
while writing creative non-fiction. Ultimately, they will use their journal entries to create and
give a presentation based on their research experience.
Rationale: One of the biggest challenges for students developing skills in research writing is
learning the difference between head stuff and book stuff and when to cite the information. My
theory is that if students enjoy doing something engaging then they will have more success
completing the project. Practicing the narrative mode of writing will help students with
sequencing events over a five day period in the life of their selected person. In addition, I
believe they will more clearly see how the fictionalization of their character (the head stuff) is
different from the integration of their research (the book stuff). By giving them opportunity to
peer edit and engage in the writing process, I want to mentor them along the way through
conferencing with them about their initial ideas and editing with them on the Google Docs after
their drafts have been evaluated by peers. Using Carol Ann Tomlinsons idea of mentorship as
the purpose of assessment through positive feedback, my hope is that by the time students have
their final drafts complete, they will have a more confident understanding of how to integrate
book stuff and head stuff in a cohesive narrative paper written with multiple sources in an MLA
format.
Context: This project is a part of an upper level World Literature class, and will be given after
the students had already completed a position paper on a controversial topic. The students will
have had MLA experience, but they would still be considered novices. I would do the more
traditional position paper first in an effort to give students a foundation for MLA citation, and the
more creative one would come next to work on style, integration of research and analysis, and
fine tune MLA internal citation and works cited formatting. These students would be working on
the project for three weeks on a block schedule. Although students would be in class ninety
minutes, whole periods would only be used for research and conferencing, with partial periods
being devoted to viewing the Queen Elizabeth model and peer editing.

Pre-AP World Literature Interdisciplinary Project

Objective: Using a narrative format and MLA formatting, we will continue to develop research
skills and practice MLA citation in crafting a creative non-fiction piece spanning five days in the
life of someone in history, literature, or of your own creation. These five days will encompass a
momentous event in the persons life, and will reflect the culture of the time in which the person
lives.
Standards: In compliance with the North Carolina Standard Course of Study and Common Core
Standards, our project will address the following standards:
ELA Writing Standards 9-10:
CCCSS.
ELA
Literacy
WHST 910.2

CCCSS. ELA Literacy

WHST 9-10.4

CCCSS.
ELA
Literacy
WHST 910.5

CCCSS. ELA CCCSS. ELA

Literacy
Literacy
WHST 9-10.6 WHST 9-10.7.

CCCSS. ELA
Literacy
WHST 9-10.8

B
Develop the
topic with
wellchosen,
relevant,
and
sufficient
facts, and
examples
appropriate
to the
audience's
knowledge
of the topic.

Produce clear coherent

writing; development,
organization, and style
are appropriate to task,
purpose, and audience.

Develop
and
strengthen
writing as
needed by
planning,
revising,
editing,
rewriting,
or trying a
new
approach,

Use
technology,
including the
Internet, to
produce,
publish, and
update
individual or
shared
writing
products; take
advantage of
technology's
capacity to
link to other
info and to
display info
flexibly and

Gather
relevant
information
from multiple
authoritative
print and
digital
sources, using
advanced
searches
effectively;
assess the
usefulness of
each source;
integrate
information
into the text
selectively to
maintain the
flow of ideas,
avoid
plagiarism and
follow a
standard
format for
citation.

D. Use
precise
language
and
vocabulary
to manage
the
complexity
of the topic
and style
appropriate
to context
and
expertise of
likely

dynamically.

Conduct short
as well as more
sustained
research
projects;
narrow or
broaden the
inquiry when
appropriate;
synthesize
multiple
sources on the
subject,
demonstrate

understanding
of the subject
under
investigation.

readers

Getting Started!
Use the following links to narrow down your options for becoming your person in history
rememberyou can chose the time, place (other than the United States), and person you want to
become. Your person can be literary, historical, or of your own creation. Be creative! Have fun!
Think outside the box and choose something original! We dont want to hear ten presentations
about World War II and Adolf Hitler.
Examples:
Be a slave in ancient Rome, the missionary Paul in the early Christian church, or a priestess in
the Temple of Aphrodite in Greece!
Be a knight in medieval England, a Caribbean pirate captain, or one of the Beatles!
Be Napoleon as an emperor, King Louis awaiting execution, or Marie Antoinette as a young
bride!
Be a tribal chief in 1800s Africa, a survivor of the Rwandan genocide in 1994, or a captured
princess bound for the Americas to be sold into slavery!
Be Cosette after the scope of the novel Les Miserables!
Be Leonardo Da Vinci, Claude Monet, or Vincent Van Gogh!
Be an ancient Egyptian princess or Pharaoh!
Be Anne Hathaway, Shakespeares wife!
The example Im going to use is Queen Elizabeth. Here are links to get you started in MLA
format (just a reminder!). You can click the hyperlink to the general source for whatever person
and year you would like!
"Best of History Web Sites." Best of History Web Sites. EdTechTeacher, Inc, 2015. Web. 29 Feb.
2016.
http://besthistorysites.net/
Gascoigne, Bamber. "Ten Calming Years 1558-1568." The History of England. History World.
Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/listhistories1.asp?gtrack=mtoph
Nothiger, Andreas. "World History : HyperHistory." World History : HyperHistory. World
History Online, 2012. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
http://www.hyperhistory.com/online_n2/History_n2/a.html
Use these as starting points to find something of interest. From there, you want to narrow your
scope and pick your culture and year. Ive included a .com site here because sometimes these are
good general places to get you started to narrow your focus to a person, time, and event. When
you actually start writing your journals, you will want to avoid .com sites and stick to .edu,
.gov, .net, or .org sites. You should be able to find plenty of historical information on .edu
sites. Only consult Wikipedia for a framework for further researchthis is not a good site to cite
in your paper. Once you have chosen your year, culture, and personplease let me know so we
can conference about it to make sure you have a clear direction for your project. If you decide to
pick an ordinary person in the world like a slave or pirate, you will get to create your person, but

you will still need to include facts from research about what life was like for those people. In
addition, you could be a slave in Julius Caesars home, a crew member on Blackbeards ship, or
a solider in Napoleons army. You can find specific events related to the famous person, but give
us an ordinary persons perspective on what is going on around him/her. If you have any
questions about how to create your ordinary person, please come see me about your ideas, and
we will discuss them.
Your MLA formatted research project will be a minimum of 7 pages and four sources, but not in
the traditional sense.
Page one will be the introduction of your charactergive us a background on your person and
introduce his/her culture and time period. Set up the context of your journals. If you are Queen
Elizabeth, are you a young monarch awaiting coronation or an elder queen reflecting on her
accomplishments? If you are Napoleon, are you the idealist of the French Revolution, the
controversial emperor, or defeated and disgraced exile on Elba?
After the introduction, each of your journal pages will represent one of at least five consecutive
days for your person. Each day will focus on a different topic, but should have a sense of flow or
continuity with the other days. You may choose at least five of the following topics:
Major historical events
politics
music
Religion
daily life
sports and games
Literature
crime and punishment
festivals and holidays
Science and technology
weapons and warfare
famous contemporaries
Health and medicine
women and family life
philosophy
Inventions
art
any topic of interest not listed here
Your final page should be a conclusion where you leave the world of your journal and tell what
happens next to your person. In addition, you can give a personal reflection on the person,
culture, and time period you researcheddid you find anything interesting, disturbing, or
disappointing? Since our minimum is seven pages, this would be a good place to add an extra
page if you wish. Dont feel limited by the minimum! Tell what you need to tell and dont
worry about the page length (unless it is below the minimum :) )
Remember you are putting yourself in the shoes of your person. The most effective writings are
always those where we feel that the lines between facts (from the research) and fiction (from
your head) are seamless and credible. In light of this, if you want to experiment with the
language by using words and phrases unique to this time period, feel free to take on the
challenge. I will be looking for correct usage of commas, end punctuation, and other grammar
conventions, but I encourage you to play with the language if you feel comfortable doing so, I
will show you a sample introduction, diary entry, and conclusion for Queen Elizabeth that we
will work through together as a model.
The Light at the End of the Tunnel
In addition to your paper, there will also be a presentation component which will be assessed
separately. You will receive more details about it when we are in the final stages of your paper,
but you might want to keep it in the back of your mind as you work. For your presentation

project, in any mode of your choice, you can present your research and diary to our class. You
can use music, drama, art, a PowerPoint, Prezi--the list is endless. Here is where you can let your
unique talents shine!
Dates to Keep in Mind
Week 1 (Feb. 29-March 4):
Monday-Wednesday--Background research, choose your person, year, and significant event.
Thursday-Friday--Continue to find sources and conference with me about your ideas, direction,
and progress. In addition, this is a great time if you have any individual questions.
Week 2 (March7-11):
Monday-Tuesday--Continue to explore sources and examine Queen Elizabeth example in class.
Wednesday-Thursday--Begin crafting your first draft and share with two buddies by Friday,
March 11.
Week 3 (March 14-18) Final is due by midnight 3/20
Monday--by midnight, make sure you have commented on each draft in your group. Begin
revising, adding, rethinking, and polishing your draft when the feedback starts rolling in.
Wednesday--I will have commented on all draft by midnight.
Thursday- Sunday March 20-Continue to work on your paper and have all corrections
finished by midnight 3/20.
Week 4 (March 21-24)
Tuesday--Thursday (Friday is Good Friday)--I will have papers graded and email you a copy of
your rubric when your draft is complete. From the date you receive feedback, you will have one
week to revise and rethink your paper if you choose to resubmit for a better grade. Regardless
of when you get your draft back during the week, everyone will have a one week window to
revise.
When we get back from Spring Break, we will start the presentation phase. I cant wait to see
what you can do!
Part II Assigning
Ilari Pass kindly agreed to be my student, and I agreed to be her student. After exchanging
handouts, we had one telephone conference and two video conferences to discuss our
assignments and answer any questions. Since my assignment is a creative non-fiction piece that
focuses on research skills, I told her that if she wanted, she could focus on the creative nonfiction part and not worry about the research part. I just hated asking her to do that, and since
most of the time, my own students struggle with putting the book stuff (research) in on the first
draft, I think her first draft is indicative of what a student might turn in. I think it is hard to get a
clear picture of the whole assignment though because in trying to make this painless on Ilari, Ive
shortchanged myself in showing the whole assignment. She does a nice job of capturing the
persona of Jimi Hendrix, and on her draft in blue letters, I give her suggestions for improvement.
In addition, I filled out the rubric for the first draft, but I normally wouldnt do that until the

final product. I just wanted to show you how I would assess this writing using the rubric. I dont
think I added my handouts for the Queen Elizabeth model on the assigning phase (although I did
send them to Ilari as a model), but Ill put them below to show you how I model this for my
students. Below is the introduction/conclusion and sample entry of a Queen Elizabeth entry.

Sample Introduction and Conclusion

Introduction:
Gloriana. The Virgin Queen. The Faerie Queen. These are a few of the titles given to
one of Englands best and most beloved monarchs, Queen Elizabeth I, yet for all the pomp and
circumstance surrounding her adulthood, of all of Henry VIIIs children, she was the least likely
to have assumed the throne. Because of her intelligence, wit, charm, and a little luck, the only
daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, became the successor to her elder sister, Mary, the
daughter of Henry and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Throughout her reign, Elizabeth
walked a tightrope balancing her personal and private life. She was married to her people, and
because she never accepted a marriage proposal, she was able to use cunning diplomacy to keep
suitors at bay and delicate diplomatic ties intact. Art, literature, and culture thrived; religious
tension healed between the Catholics and the Protestants; the country went from a financial
deficit to surplus. Ironically, the son that Henry so obsessed about having for fear of losing his
legacy was fated to be a daughter that led his kingdom into an age so glorious that it carried her
name, the Elizabethan Age. While her father is remembered for causing religious strife, debt,
and romantic scandal, Elizabeth is forever etched in history as the prince who loved her people
more than herself.
The following journals reflect Elizabeths thoughts and feelings leading up to her last
address to Parliament, appropriately named The Golden Speech, because it reflects her passion

for her people and her deeply abiding commitment to preserving their welfare. Her heart of gold
concerning her country is demonstrated in this last address, as she voluntarily gave up her own
power to give grants to her favorite subjects in an effort to improve economic policy and avoid
trade monopolies. Her journals delineate the bittersweet reflections of an aging queen whose
only regret is that she doesnt have more time to give to the people she loves and reflect the rich
artistic and literary culture that flourished in Englands Golden Age.
Conclusion:
In her last days, Elizabeth courageously battled against the inevitability of death, but in
spite of her enduring strength and heart, her frail body could not live forever. In The Golden
Speech to Parliament, both she and her government recognized that this would most likely be her
formal farewell to them, and with teary eyes, they accepted with gratitude the kindness of their
monarch, and resigned to the fact that that their Good Queen Bess would not be with them
much longer (Cavendish). When reading Elizabeths Golden Speech, we get a window into her
feelings about being a queen, reflecting on ones life accomplishments, and the acceptance of
ones own mortality. We can only speculate on the depth of those emotions, and how successful
she felt she had been in leading her people through the growing pains of progress into maturity
as a world superpower.

Sample Entry: The Twenty-ninth day of November, in the Year of Our Lord Sixteen Hundred and One.

My heart is so heavy as I pen my last address to Our Parliament. I have lost so many friends and worthy
advisors recently, and I feel as if the angel of death is slowly walking
toward my chamber to give me a cordial introduction to eternity. I will stand in strength
until that time comes and do what I can to give my very last breath to my people. They have served me
well, and my prayer is that they will only remember me with fondness and love when I pass from this life
unto the next. Only now do I realize how the frailty of my body is burdened with the weight of Our
Crown. I found it so difficult to even attend the opening ceremony of My Thirteenth Parliament, and was
so overcome with the weight of my garments and crown that I swooned as I ascended Our Throne (Sapet
153). How dreadful! My loyal subjects attended me, and I recovered, but I know now within my bones
and soul that this will be my last Parliament (Sapet 153). Since I have no issue, I want to leave my
people, my children born of my heart, a lasting legacy. I will give them an inheritance of goodness and
mercy, graciousness and provision that will last long after I am gone. I hope they will always hold me in
their hearts, because no prince has ever loved them better (Sapet 156). I rather like that, I think I should
use it in Our address. In fact, it should be the very theme on which We address them tomorrow. I know
they shall be in grumbled spirits because of the misunderstanding at the opening ceremony; some of the
members were excluded from the meeting in October; therefore, we are meeting again to give Our
proclamation on ending the practice of extending royal grants (Cavendish). We can identify with their
struggles as we face such weighty matters as behoves the estate of Our country. Our people have been
enumerated greatly in the past few years, and beggars and poverty are becoming such a dreadful problem
(Sapet 153). I cannot, in good faith, enjoy the delicacies of my own table when My countrymen starve;
therefore, I am going to suggest that the House of Commons create a law that will make the government
take up the yoke of helping the poor; we should have a workhouse in every town to provide employment,
and no one in our fair country of blessings should ever have to starve. (Sapet 154) Local churches should
be glad to take up the cross of ministering to the poor, and Our government should require such charity as
a demonstration of Christian kindness and Our love. I should think my subjects will rejoice at my
voluntary limiting of my power to extend grants and favors that are creating monopolies on goods in the
kingdom (Sapet 154). After hearing their arguments about how people have abused this power as a
corrupt path to monopolize trade, We see the value in stopping this practice immediately, and We should
like to think that the House members will be overjoyed that in voluntarily giving up Our power, We will
prevent any further consternation on the matter (Sapet 154). They were so kind to offer to come and give
their thanks, but We shall surprise them tomorrow with a speech to give them Our thanks for their loyalty
and love. As they come to Whitehall tomorrow, We shall receive them with all courtesy and kindness as
subjects to the crown, and friends to myself (Cavendish). Oh, but my heart is deeply weighted with
bittersweet joy at this meeting; How can a Prince give thanks for forty three years of loyalty?
(Cavendish) I think I shall not see another turning of the Parliament; and for all my attempts at
outrunning death, I think it will overpower my heart and resolve soon, yet I do not wish to live nor reign
longer than my life and reign shall be for my peoples good. (Sapet 156)
Eternally,

Elizabeth
Ilaris writing:
Ilari Pass
Journal Writing

Hyde
March 22, 2016
June 18, 1967
It is evident that they won the coin toss, and it is about an hour and a half before I go on
stage. This British band, the Who is now performing, and our once friendly conversation almost
became confrontationalin a bad way because Pete Townshend was trying to negotiate on who
should perform first. (Cite something that is not common knowledge) But I knew
what he was up to and so coin toss option was my idea. (Did you feel like
you won or lost the tossdid you want to go first? ) I dont know what I am going to do,
or what to expect but I am feeling a whole bunch of emotionsthe culture shock of coming back
to America in a strange time where I am not welcomed, and yet I
was on top of the world in Londonfeeling free and accepted. (Tell me a little more herewhat
made you feel accepted in London?) I never thought in a million years that I would have my own
giga black man leading two British musicians, Mitch Mitchell and Noel Redding. (Another
place to cite, the band members are not common knowledge) Looks like I made it, but Im not
there yetI feel so very lonely, but I am not playing for fame. I am playing because I love to
playmy music is my nourishment, and it is what keeps me alive.(I like this here!) The air is hot
but fragrant (what kind of fragrant?), and the audience is vibrant in full Technicolor. (Nice
imagery!you are making me feel a part of the scene!) I am thinking about my father and Im
thinking that I havent written him in three months. ( A jump herewhy are you thinking about
your dad in this particular moment?) I am also thinking about my childhoodmy mama and
why she left us the way she didI miss her so much. (Do you think this flows well here?) I was
thinking about the very first, second-hand acoustic guitar my father bought for me for only $5.00
when I was 16 years old, and a year later, an electric guitara Supro Ozark 1560 S. (This would
be a place where you would cite this information from a source) I know that my father is proud
of meI just know he is. I am still waiting to play. Right now it is a calm before the stormI
just hope the audience will be ready for me. They havent seen nothing yet!
This is a great draft! I get a good feel for what it must have been like for Jimi Hendrix to
be waiting for his big moment on stage. You will definitely want to work in more of your
researchset the stage (so to speak!) for the concert by describing more about it from a
historical perspective. Give your reader a stronger sense of context. Remember that any fact
that is not common knowledge to a generally educated public must be cited from a sourcehere
is where you can work in the research. I cant wait to see how you flesh this entry out!
Writing Rubric Assessment is on the next page. I only marked the topics that would apply to
Ilaris journal entry since I didnt see an introduction or conclusion. Im already seeing that my
topics are too busy in the rubric--Im trying to assess too many things in each box.
Paper Rubric
50
Integration of
research and

Author integrates
information from

40

30

20

Author integrates information

from multiple sources, some of

Some research and character

development; many stacked

Little or no research and/or

development of the character.

character
development

Citations

Word choice

Style

Works Cited

multiple, authoritative
print and digital
sources to maintain a
seamless flow of ideas
in a believable
characters voice..
Correctly cited with
no major errors; uses
more than the min.
number of sources
Awesome precise and
purposeful vocabulary
to manage the
complexity of the
topic for the context,
task and audience.

which may not be more head

or research; stacked facts

facts instead of a smooth

integration.

Correctly cited with 1 error;

uses at least the minimum

Mostly cited correctly with

2-3 errors; uses at least the
min.

More than three citation

errors; fewer than min sources
used

Purposeful vocabulary that

communicates the topic
somewhat effectively for the
context, task, and audience.
Author may need precise
vocabulary to adequately
capture the class and education
of the subject.

Poor word usage. Author

needs work on word variety
and choice in communicating
the task to the specific context
and audience. In addition,
this author may use words that
are anachronistic for the time
and place of the subject.

Uniquely and
thoughtfully written;
appropriate to the
task, purpose, and
audience;
Follows MLA format,
no errors in
parenthetical citations
and no evidence of
plagiarism

Well written and considerate

of audience; may lack a sense
of voice, but is appropriate to
the task, purpose, and
audience;
Follows MLA format, 1-2
errors in parenthetical citations
and no evidence of plagiarism

Fair vocabulary that could

use more variety to
effectively communicate the
context and task to the
audience. In addition to
vocabulary variety, the
author may need to use more
precise words to capture the
class and education of the
subject.
Lack of unique style, sounds
canned; appropriate to the
task, but shows weakness in
purpose or audience;
3 errors in MLA format, but
no evidence of plagiarism.

4 or more errors in MLA

format; at least one incident of
plagiarism.

Shows weakness in
understanding of task,
purpose, and audience;

_________/250

Part III: Reflection

I have a great success with this assignment in other classes, and really just wanted to see how I
could tweak it. I think I do a good job modeling the introduction, conclusion, and sample journal
entry with my Queen Elizabeth sample, but Im not sure if Ilari looked at it because she didnt
have to write all those parts (I know I wouldnt have if I were in her shoes). It is hard to evaluate
this assignment on a single journal entry, but she did what I had asked her and that is totally on
me. I think for the WAD, I chose an assignment that was too big, and Im not sure I made the
wisest choice on that. I did learn some important things through this process that I think will
help me in the future. I learned to be more mindful of how specific writing assignments meet
specific standards, and the value of tailoring assignments to more narrowly assess a few
standards as opposed to a broader range of standards. I went back and rethought the grammar,
spelling, intro/conclusion, and transition standards and decided that those were not the best
choice for the journal entry genre. Taking those out made rethinking Ilaris writing much easier
because the rubric distinctions were not as problematic. I like the idea of the short story, but part
of my focus on the assignment is to work in some of the culture and innovation of the time
period. It is hard to work that into journals, but even harder to work into short stories. If I used
the short story genre, I would lose the cultural information. I would also like to see students
improve in balancing book stuff and head stuff, and I dont know if a short story would work for
that as well. I think Im going to stick with the journal entries, but stop evaluating it like a
research paper. I hadnt thought about discussing it as creative non-fiction, but I think this would
help students see that they can use research skills in a variety of modes other than a traditional
research paper. In addition, you made me think about the amount of comments I put on writing
assignments. Im not sure I totally agree with you about my black to blue ratio because I think
that many things I wrote were encouraging and complementary. I could see that if I had written

more negative comments than the student had written in word count, how demoralizing that
would be. I went back and reduced my blue words to keep the intent but reduce the blue/black
words ratio. I have had students complain about not having enough comments on an essay, but
Ive never had them complain about my taking the time to write too many. Perhaps though I
could see how too much direction from the teacher makes the student just make the corrections
without really rethinking the comments. It also takes a great deal of time on my part (I know you
can empathize on that one). In practice, I would have only done the rubric for the last draft and
peer edited in small groups on the first draft--that would probably reduced my blue/black word
ratio as well.