Genre Scavenger Hunt
Purpose: This exercise is a great way to get students actively thinking outside of their understanding of genre in music and movies. It is meant to get them outside of the classroom and up and moving around. More importantly, it is great exercise to show students how writing is public and that writing can take many forms including everyday use. The exercise helps students begin to make connections between the writing they do in the classroom and the writing they do outside the classroom.
Description: Have students in groups of two or three and give them a list of things they must “find” relating to genre within the Williams Building.
Suggested Time: 30-40 minutes; plus 20 min reflection to bring it all together
Procedure: Put students into groups of two or three. Let them know they will be working in these groups and can’t expand to include two groups in one. Tell them they will be doing a “genre scavenger hunt” and in order to complete it they must venture into the halls of Williams. Anywhere in Williams is fair game but they can’t leave the building. The first two teams back wins. You'll want to make sure they have a clear understanding of genre as a form of writing/communication before you send them out.
**Note: you don’t have to have a “prize” but you can if you would like. Candy works or bonus points on homework on in-class assignments.
The Hunt:
**Note: the hunt works best if students use their cell phones to take pictures and videos, but a pen and paper works just as well. So if one group doesn’t have a phone that has these functions they can still participate.
Students need to come back with the following items—
5 different examples of genres—they must document them by taking pictures (they could Tweet if you use Twitter) with one of the group members phones. Note: Some examples they could find—someone on a laptop, someone texting, a professor teaching, a literature book, a poster, etc.
Find one person in the Williams building to define genre theory (they have to get a name of the person)—they must document this by video recording them with their phone or jotting notes while the person talks
Find an example of an “old” genre and “new” genre—they must document them by taking pictures and jotting down on a piece of notebook paper why they represent old and new genres (these must be different than the 5 examples of genre they found in #1) **Note: newer genres can include digital genres, so for example a picture of a text message
Find two examples of genres in action in other words find two examples of people working in genres (you can give them a hint: could be someone typing up a note)—they must document them by taking pictures
Predict a new genre based on your understanding of genre theory
The Reflection: In a quick reflection, respond to the following questions:
What did you learn about genre in the scavenger hunt? Why might the scavenger hunt have been useful? Redefine genre. How, if at all, does your definition of genre keep expanding?