Project: Literary Expeditions: Navigating the Continents of Narrative

Contextualization

Narrative typology is an essential topic in the study of Portuguese language because it provides students with the opportunity to understand how different types of texts are structured and what their distinctive characteristics are. The diary and the travelogue are examples of textual genres that have specific structures and objectives. The diary is a text of a personal nature, in which the author narrates his/her daily experiences, reflects on events, and expresses feelings and thoughts. The travelogue, on the other hand, is a narrative where the author describes places he/she has visited, people he/she has met, experiences, and learnings obtained during a trip.

Learning about these textual genres will provide students with skills that go beyond test scores. They will be able to analyze texts, understand their structure and intention, and also create their own narratives. In addition, this competence also extends to recognition and critical analysis in everyday situations, such as discerning sensationalism from investigative journalism.

We live in a world where writing is increasingly present in our routine. Whether through texts on social networks, professional emails, instant messages, among others, knowing how to express oneself well through writing is a valuable skill. By understanding the structure and characteristics of diaries and travelogues, students can use these techniques in their day-to-day communication, improving the clarity and effectiveness of their writing.

In addition, by working on narrative typology within a group project, students will have the opportunity to develop important socioemotional skills, such as communication, teamwork, problem solving, and time management, which are essential for the job market and for life.

There are several reliable sources that you can use to delve deeper into the subject:

1. Book "Portuguese Grammar", by Maria Helena de Moura Neves. This book contains a chapter dedicated to narrative typology.
2. Book "The speech genres", by Mikhail Bakhtin. The work is a reference in the study of textual genres.
3. "Escola Kids" website has a section on a personal diary.
4. "Brasil Escola" website has articles on travelogues.
5. The "Portuguese with Prof. Noslen" channel on YouTube provides videos on textual typology, including diary and travelogue.

Practical Activity

Title of the activity

A Narrative Journey: Diary and Travelogue

Objective of the project

To develop narrative skills in students, allowing them to distinguish and produce two types of narratives: the diary and the travelogue.

Detailed description of the project

Students will be divided into groups of 3 to 5 people and each group will be assigned to a different continent on the planet (South America, North America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Antarctica). The objective is for each group to create a fictitious itinerary for a travel vlog that would be carried out on this continent and then write a diary based on this itinerary and a travelogue based on the intended experience.

Students should research the continent assigned to them, including details on culture, language, cuisine, tourist attractions, folklore, among others, to present a travelogue and a diary that is rich and with plausible details. In addition, students should plan and script a short travel vlog (5-7 minutes).

Materials needed

• Internet access for research;
• Pencils, pens, and paper for notation and drafting;
• Computer or mobile device with a camera for recording the vlog;
• Simple video editing program.

Detailed step by step to carry out the activity

1. Divide into groups of 3 to 5 students.
2. Each group must choose the continent they will research and create an itinerary for the fictitious trip.
3. Research the culture, history, landscapes, cuisine, etc. of that continent, noting information that may be of interest for the vlog and the texts.
4. Plan and script the travel vlog, thinking about the places that will be visited, the experiences that will be lived, the interaction with the culture and local people, etc.
5. Record the travel vlog, including scenes of the group discussing and planning the trip, describing the places that would be visited, talking about the experiences, etc. Remember that it is a fictitious travel vlog, so use your creativity!
6. After recording the vlog, use the scenes and the script to write the diary and the travelogue. The diary should be a personal and subjective description of the trip, including feelings, experiences, and reflections. The travelogue, on the other hand, should be an objective description of the trip, highlighting the places visited, the culture, the history, among others.
7. Review the diary, the report, and the vlog, ensuring that they are all coherent and complement each other.

Project deliverables

At the end of the project, the groups must deliver:

1. The itinerary of the fictitious trip;
2. The diary based on the itinerary;
3. The travelogue based on the itinerary;
4. The fictitious travel vlog;
5. The project report.

The project report must be aligned with the activities carried out and must follow the following format:

Introduction

In this section, students should present the purpose of this project, the relevance of understanding narrative typology and how it applies to their reality, and what they expect to achieve with this work.

Development

Here, students should explain in detail what narrative typology is, its characteristics, and its importance. They should also describe the process of carrying out the project, including how they researched and elaborated the fictitious itinerary, the difficulties encountered, the decisions made during the recording of the vlog, and how they wrote the diary and the travelogue. The information obtained, as well as the analysis and interpretation of the results, should be discussed in this section.

Conclusion

In this section, students should highlight the main learnings during the project, how they improved their writing skills, what they discovered about narrative typology, their impressions of the experience, and how they plan to apply this knowledge in the future.

Bibliography

Students should list all sources of information used during the research, including books, websites, videos, among others.