How has the history of your understanding of literacy and your present social actions involving literacy shape your identity?

“… literacy means joining a specific community through understanding the issues it considers important and developing the capacity to participate in conversations about those issues” –Anne Ruggles Gere, Writing Groups

Outline and First Draft Due: Wednesday 9/6 by 11:59 pm

Final Due: Sunday 9/10 by 11:59 pm

Other Requirements:

· 800-word minimum

· 1-inch margins; Must include a title

· MLA Format

· Submit final copy as Word document or PDF

· Writing should be about your own literacy journey and the people/communities involved (you don’t have to use real names, use pseudonyms)

Description of Assignment:

Reflecting on reading and learning comprehension represent the ways that literacies (like reading, writing, communication) are culturally influenced and shaped by several factors. For this project, you will write an autobiographical literacy narrative essay describing the factors that have shaped your communicative practices. Write a narrative that describes your development as a reader, writer, performer and/or communicator (written, spoken, visual) and analyzes the influences of a key people (literacy sponsors), events, or factors (institutional, academic, technological, social/cultural) have influenced this development.

Main thematic topic of your essay should cover:

· How has the history of your understanding of literacy and your present social actions involving literacy shape your identity?

Use these prompts to structure your literacy narrative:

· Begin the essay with a hook, or an interesting fact about your literacy journey to draw in your reader.

· Be sure to use “thick description” when balancing your personal narrative with your revelations about literacy.

· How would you define literacy?

· What is an early memory you have about writing or reading that you recall vividly? Why is this experience so vivid and/or significant?

· Who are the people you associate with your experiences of learning to read and write, and why? These people are called your “literacy sponsors.”

· What are some past and/or present-day examples of media, books, magazines, songs, films, comics, etc. that are meaningful to your identity? Why?

· Describe a specific event that served as a memorable or culminating point in your understanding of literacy.

· What have your experiences of literacy taught you about being a part of a larger culture, identity, politics, and/or history?

Rubric for Grading Checklist:

· Length: Your final draft should meet the minimum length requirements and be turned in on-time.

· Thesis/main point: While it isn’t necessary that you have an explicit thesis statement, it should be clear that your essay has a clear central focus and scope.

· Critical exploration of literacy: Your essay should interrogate not only issues related to literacy, but also questions of literacy sponsors, identity, culture, politics, and/or history in ways that relate to our class discussions and readings.

· “Thick description”: thick description involves writing detailed narratives explaining situations and their background 'context'. What is this? The goal is not just to describe a situation, but also add details so that readers understand the significant and complex cultural meanings (in this case, your literacy journey) underpinning any observable scenario. Appeal to the five human senses as you write your narrative to affect sensory aspects of description.

· Connecting story to understanding of literacy: Your essay should be crafted in the form of a personal essay and should be about you and your own experiences of learning, witnessing, and experiencing literacy.

Rubric for feedback:

(most important)