1000-1250 words
MLA format (1 inch margins, double-spaced, Times New Roman 12 pt. type, correct class information, and page numbers, etc.)
Instructions:
Write an organized literacy narrative examining your own literacy history, habits, and processes. The purpose of this inquiry is to get to know yourself better as a reader and writer. Start your literacy narrative by considering your history as a reader and writer. Try to get at what your memories and feelings about writing/reading are and how you actually write/read now. Do not make bland generalizations such as “I really love to write,” “I hate reading,” etc. Instead, go into detail about how you learned to write/read. Mine your memory, thinking carefully about where you’ve been and where you are as a reader and writer.
Keep in mind that you should be looking for an overall “so what?”—a main theme, a central “finding,” an overall conclusion that your consideration leads you to draw. It might be an insight about why you read and write as you do today based on your past experiences. It might be an argument about what works or what doesn’t work in literacy education, on the basis of your experience. It might be a resolution to do something differently, or to keep doing something that’s been working. It might be a description of an ongoing conflict or tension you experience when you read and write—or the story of how you resolved such a conflict earlier in your literacy history.
Tips:
The audience is your instructor and classmates. Your audience will expect correct usage of grammar and style conventions, appropriate language and tone, well-organized thoughts, and detailed explanations.
Avoid trying to cover too many events or scenes. Illustrate one or two key events that influenced you. Keep the discussion focused on your precise purpose.
As this is a narrative, use details, descriptions, and dialogue to flesh out scenes so the reader can see what influenced you and why.
Make sure your essay has a clear goal or thesis. Show your reader who you are as a writer today and how you got to be the writer you are today.
Questions and prompts for brainstorming: (your paper does not have to explore all of these; this list can help you think of possible topics.)
How did you learn to read and write?
What kinds of writing/reading have you done in the past?
How much have you enjoyed writing /reading? Think of specific events.
What are some vivid memories you have of reading/writing or activities involving them?
What is your earliest memory of reading/writing?
What sense did you get, as you were learning to read and write, of the value of reading/writing, and where did that sense come from?
What frustrated or pleased you about reading and/or writing in school?
What types of reading and writing do you do most commonly? (could be digital media)
What is your favorite kind of reading or writing?
What are your current attitudes or feelings about reading or writing? Where do these attitudes come from?
Who are some people in your life who have influenced your views on reading/writing?
What technologies impact you as a writer?
