Coming up with the different
genres that would appeal to older and younger audiences was not the difficult
part, per say. I had more difficulty trying to choose a topic that would appeal
to both age groups, nothing too controversial but also nothing too “dumbed
down”. In the end, I settled on a scholarly article that focused on the space
race between the United States and Russia.
Space is one of those universal
topics that can appeal to all ages. Children are fascinated with looking up at
the night and seeing stars burning bright, as well as with big machines, like
rockets. Adults are mesmerized and intrigued by the vastness that is space and
all that it encompasses as well the politics behind the “space race”.
For the younger audience, I want
to focus on a much younger age group than the typical seven to twelve year
olds. My main focus will be toddlers between the ages of three and five. Thus,
the first genre translation will be from scholarly article to bedtime story.
There will a lot of pictures, big writing, and some possible rhymes here and
there. At the moment, I am still unsure as to whether I will have a set
storyline for this story or if it will the informative type that gives small
children “fun facts” while still being mildly entertaining.
As for the older audience, my
main focus will be those cute old people who read the newspaper while they’re
having their morning cup of coffee. A convention of newspapers is the small
“mind-games” like Sudoku, “Spot-the-Difference”, and my other choice of genre, crossword
puzzles. My crossword puzzle will have a small blurb at the beginning filled
with facts and general background information regarding the space race. It will
also serve as a reference for the person who is completing the crossword
puzzle. In addition to that, there will obviously be “fill-in-the-blank” and
factual questions that are typical of newspaper crossword puzzles.
ReplyDeleteAs a young girl, the stars and night sky were always so entertaining to stare at. (although it seemed so plain and simple) The wonder of what actually goes on in space always catches children’s attention. Old people are generally more entertained with short pieces of text and factual direct information, so your choice of a crossword puzzle is really good. The conventions of both bedtime stories and crossword puzzles will give you a chance to analyze and elaborate enough to unfold a paper with excess amount of detail and insight. Overall, your ideas seem solid and it seems the prompt will be answered without a doubt.
Hey Maria. Now I’m going to start by saying that your idea for the crossword puzzle is beyond amazing. Definitely outside the box. Solid. What I find fascinating is that many of these crazy genres that we come up with during class are very difficult genres to convert into, yet translating into a crossword puzzle is very achievable. Honestly wish I thought of that. I think you will easily benefit from Z’s comments (as well as the readings) about framing and zoning in on what’s important and what should be included. Next is the genre tailored for the younger audience – the bedtime story. Another solid idea. I believe that you know sooo many conventions of bedtime stories, so you have a lot of versatility in what you want to do in your WP3. Coming up with the genres sure was the easy part, because these selections are already leaning towards not only a great grade, but also an enjoyable writing assignment. Amazing ideas, Maria! Cheers.
ReplyDeleteHi Maria. First off, I liked the way you explained your thought process behind choosing the article topic. I agree that space is a subject that connects emotionally to generations both young and old. Whether you want to write a story that has lots of interesting facts or have an actual plot, I think it would be a good idea to incorporate the information given from the article. I really like your idea of a translation for an older audience. Will it be a large crossword with many entries as seen in most popular newspapers? Both of your genres seem appeal visually, as opposed to full walls of text. They sound like they will require plenty of time and effort, but also seem pretty fun. Good luck!
ReplyDeleteMaria,
ReplyDeleteThe space race as a bedtime story?! You need to run for president. (SO cool.)
I'm glad you gave the topic a lot of thought before committing to any genres. That was a smart move. (<~~ a *thinking* "move"!)
Good luck, sister.
Z