Writing Assignment # 1 Literacy Narrative Literacy is defined as the quality or state of being literate, especially the ability to read and write. Narrative is defined as a story or account of events, experiences, or the like, whether true or fictitious. So, in a literacy narrative, you need to:

•   Identify one or more major moments or experiences in your life concerning writing and/or reading. Think about your own definition of literacy, and then think about the events that you have experienced which created your literacy definition. Be creative. Do not be boring [i.e. “In first grade, I learned to read. In second grade, I learned to write. In third grade, I read lots of books, etc.”]. Chronology is NOT important; rather, it is more important that you select literacy events from your past that were meaningful to you.

•   After you have selected a few monumental literacy experiences, use invention techniques to create a plan for your story [narrative]. I do not expect you all to be creative writers, but I do expect you all to try your best to be interesting and organized. Keep in mind that your narrative must be coherent and cohesive; tie all the literacy events you choose to include together with a common theme [i.e. You want to write about your favorite English teacher, the fact that your great-grandpa can’t read, and the blogs you write. You need to tie all these things together. So, your guiding theme could be how literacy has worked for you (and in what ways) and how it hasn’t worked for your great-grandpa (and in what ways).].

Invention/Prewriting: For this assignment, you'll need to prepare by reflecting on your past. Try to go back as far as you can to the first time you actually remember reading and writing . . . anything. You might use questions like the following to prompt your memories:

§   How did you learn to read? How old were you? Where were you and who were you with?

§   What is your first memory of using language with a purpose (to make someone laugh, to get something you wanted, to convince someone that you were right or that they should see it as you did)?

§   What sort of writing did you do in elementary, middle, high school? What did you read?

§   What did you read or write before you went to school? §   Are there special places where you have written, or special times? How did/do

those make you feel? §   What purposes did your writing have and who were your audiences? §   Have you ever felt bad or embarrassed about the way you talk, read, or write?

Why? Who made you feel that way? §   How did people react to your writing? §   Has your view of writing changed since you were younger?

§   Identify one or two major and significant writing/reading events in your personal life and one or two in your academic life . . . what are the intersections between those?

§   How would you define literacy? §   What role(s) did teachers/mentors play in your literacy development?

Your essay should include the following parts:

•   Introduction: This is where you introduce the subject, or theme, of your essay. After reading your introduction, your readers should know exactly what your paper is going to be about. Do not treat your introduction as just another paragraph in your essay; instead, treat it as a way to write briefly and interestingly about what you will write in the body of your paper. Your introduction should include a thesis and should introduce the literacy experiences you will write about in more detail in the rest of your paper. An introduction should be the first paragraph of your paper and should consist of at least 5 sentences.

•   Thesis: Make sure to include a clear thesis in or near the introduction, in which you make some claim about literacy and list the reasons why you believe that claim [I believe, feel, think, know, have learned X because A, B, and C]. The thesis of this paper should show what literacy is to you. Be as specific as possible.

•   Body: The body of your paper should explore the literacy events from your past that you find meaningful. Remember to be detailed and ask and answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how questions. Your paper should be organized: Do not skip from event to event without a transition and make sure to only include one main idea in each paragraph. Remember: This is a narrative, so be personal.

•   Conclusion: In the conclusion, you need to wrap up your paper and comment on the importance of your literacy experiences. This is where you explore the social impact/value/result of your opinion of literacy on yourself and society. Come to a conclusion about the importance of this idea. Why is this idea important for all readers?

Length: 2 full pages minimum 100 pts. possible