LiteracyNarrative
BryantBourgeois
ProfessorMyNguyen
English124
12September2012
LiteracyNarrative
Canyourememberwhatyourteachertaughtyoubackinkindergarten?Chancesareshewas introducingyoutothebasicsofreadingandwritingLiteracyistheabilitytoreadandwrite,and becauseIdidnotthinkIwasverygoodateitherofthetwo,ithadneverbeenmyfavoritethingto do.Itwasn'tuntilmysenioryearofhighschoolthatIhadanEnglishclassthatIactuallyenjoyed. MyteacherwasMs.HollyEubanks.ThepastclasseshadboastedabouthowgoodofateacherMs. Eubankswasandhow,eventhoughshemaytakeawhiletogradeyourpapers,shewasalways tryingtohelpyouimproveineverypossiblewayshecouldOnthefirstdayshowmorecontent
ThenIbegantospillouttheemotionsofneverbeingabletocompeteincollegesports.My competitivenaturewillalwaysbeapartofme,andnowIwouldhavetofindsomethingtoreplace myparticipationinorganizedsports.AsIwaswritingthis,otherideasbegantoflow.Attending suchaclose–knitschoolforfouryears,thenextideasinevitablybeganeffortlesslypouringout: missingmypeersandteachers,being
...Getmorecontent...
Ihaveacquiredmanyliteracyopportunitiesthroughoutmyliteracylifemyparents,grandparents, andteachers,Iholdthemveryclosetomyheartbecauseifitwasn'tforthempushingand encouragingmetoreadandwriteIwouldn'tbetheliteratepersonIamtoday.Ibearahugefamily sotherearealwaysmanyvoicesgoingthroughmyheadsoitwasn'tlonguntilIstartedspeaking,as wellascomprehendingwhatallthesestrangewordsmeantrecognizingthewordswasverydifficult beforeIstartedpracticingthem.Myparentsalwaysencouragedmetoreadandwriteinawayno childcanresistwithtoysandcandywhocouldsaynotothat.Everychancetheygottohelpmeread theywouldreadwithmeIwasn'tforcedtoreadonmyownbecauseIdidn'tknowhowshow morecontent...
Ourteacherwouldsitinfrontrockingherchairawayshewouldreadtouswewouldreaditbackto hersosheknewwerefollowingalong.EverydayafterschoolIwouldgotomygrandparentsandI couldalreadysmellthedeliciousfoodcomingoffthebus,mygrandmawouldmakethebest homemadedishestheywouldhelpmefocusafteralongdayofschoolasalittlegirlWewoulddo myhomeworktogethermyworkwasn'tsohardbutasachildIjustwantedtofinish!WhenIwas doneIhadthelibertytogoplaywithmyfriends,Although,myfriendswereneveravailable becausetheyhadhomeworkIwasalwaysconfusedImeanIhadhomeworkbutIfinisheditwhy wouldittakethemsolong,littledidIknowmyfriendsdidn'thavethesameliteracysponsorsasI didtheirparentswerealwaysworkingtobeabletoprovideforthemtheywerewithanolder siblingsorgrandparentsthatdidn'tunderstandtheEnglishlanguage.Forachildinalowincome familycanaffectthereliteracynothavingtheirparentsaroundtohelpthemreadandwrite.Atthe ageofthreeiswhenthechild'sbrainisrapidlygrowingandwithparentsthatarelesseducated mightnotknowthatimportanceofusinglanguagewiththeir
...Getmorecontent...
PersonalNarrativeOfMyLiteracyLife
Throughoutmychildhood,theideaofhavingacollegeeducationwasgreatlystressed.Asaresult,it wasmydutyasthenextgenerationalchild,toexcelinmystudiesandachievealifeofprosperity andsuccess.Learningbecamethebasicfoundationofmygrowth.Therefore,myyouthwas overtakenbymanyhoursspentreadingandwritingwhatwasknowntobecorrect"Standard" EnglishIfirstfoundthistobeagreatshortcoming,butasIgrewolder,Ibegantorealizethemany rewardsacquiredbyhavingtheabilitytobeliterate.
Duringadolescence,Ibeganreadingandwritingthroughafundamentallearningprogramcalled, "HookedonPhonics"Thisprogramconsistedoflonghoursspentreadingshortnovelsand writing...showmorecontent...
Unlikereading,whenwriting,itisimportantthatgrammar,spellingandvocabularytermsareused correctly,thereforerestrictingmefromwritinginthewaythatIwouldprefer.Themoststressed phrasewhileinhighschoolwas,"Itisnotthecontentoftheessay,butratherthemechanicsof grammarandspeechthataremostprominent"Unfortunately,Ihaveneverbeenonetoenjoytheart ofwriting.Infact,Iwasrecentlygivenadiagnostictest,determiningatwhichlevelIwriteand whetherornotIshouldbeupgradedtoahigherachievingEnglishclass.Unfortunately,Ididnot passthetestwithflyingcolors.ThiswasnotduetothefactthatIamincapableofwritingagood paper,butratherthatIamunabletowriteinalimitedamountoftime,usingtheemphasized principlesofcorrect;grammar,vocabularyandspellingInthereading,ShittyFirstDrafts,byauthor AnneLamott,itisafactthatinordertowriteabrilliantpaper,afirstdraftmustbecreated. AccordingtoLamott,"TheOnlywayIcangetanythingwrittenatallistowritereally,reallyshitty firstdrafts,allwriterswritethem"(94)ThisisaquoteinwhichIcanrelatebeingthatinorderfor metobeginafinaldraft,Imustfirsthavewrittenafirstdraft,usuallyonethatisinabsolute ...Getmorecontent...
EssayonLiteracyNarrative
Whenpromptedbyteachers,Iworkedwithotherkids.Yet,Ididnotunderstandthem.Yet,teachers likedmygraspofthelanguageaswellasmyeaseinspeakingwithadults.Myfatherspokeabout howimpressedmygradeschoolprincipalwas.Withoutunderstandinghowtorelate,Iwasgoingto try,asIenteredmiddleschool,Iwasgoingtodobetter.Thatwasmyhope;however,thewriting wasonthewallormoreaptlyonthesidewalkasIenduredhumiliationonmyfirstdayofschoolat Marshall.Inthefifthgrade,Itooktheannualtests,withmultiple–choicescribbles.Ihadatwelfth–gradereadingskill,withthesocialskillsofasecondgrader.Ididnotunderstandwhatwas acceptablebehaviororwhatwassociallydesiredIstartedshowmorecontent
Thethreatofviolencethatabullymakeissubtle.Circuselephantswhentheyaretrainedwhile youngarewithchains.Oncetheyareaccustomedtowearingthechainandaftermanyattemptsto breakfree.Thechainismadesmallerandthinner,untilitisreplacedwitharope.Whenyouseean elephantwitharope,knowthattheelephantthinksrope.Bythetime,itisanadult,ithadgivenup allhopeThatisthesamewithlong–timetargetsofbulliesTheyarealsowearingafigurativerope aroundthem.Thchainforthemisthepossibilityofviolence,evenwheninasettingthatthebully couldnotactuallycarryouttheimplied
...Getmorecontent...
CriticalLiteracyNarrative
KyleCrifasi Richard EnglishIV,1B 31August2011
LiteracyNarrativeTypically,peoplethinkofreadingwhentheyseeanovelorashortstory,butI thinkofreadingwhenI'moutonthebaseballfield.WhenIheartheword"reading",unlikemost people,Ithinkofagreengrassybaseballdiamondatnight,withthelightslightingitup,filledwith fansinthestands.Believeitornot,Ireadallthetimeonthefield.Ireadtheballcomingoffthebat whenI'mplayinginthefield.WhenIhearthe"ding"ofthemetalbatandhard,rubberball colliding,IknowthatthereisachanceIcouldmakeagreatplay.Icanseetheballgettingbigger andbiggerasinapproachesme.Ireadtheballcomingoutofthepitcher'shand,...showmore content
IalwaysenjoyedreadingbackthenmorethanIdonow.ThebooksthatIreadnow,I'musually forcedtoreadandtheyusuallyaren'tinterestingtome.Tome,readingmeansmanythings,notonly thereadingoftextonapagebutactionsofothersandmyselfaswell.Mostotherpeoplemaynotsay thattheywillthinkofbaseballgameswhenthinkingofhowtheyreadinreallife,butIviewthe gameofbaseballthatwayandIliketoshareabouthowIcanreadinmanydifferentwaysinlife Readingbooksisdefinitelynotoneofmyfavoritehobbiestodo,buteveryonceinawhileIwill findagoodbookthatwillcatchmyinterestforthenextcoupleofmonths.Mylearningexperience fromreadingonthefieldhastaughtmeanothermeaningofliteracythatIwouldnothaverealizedif Ihadnotthoughtaboutwhatreadingreallymeanttome.IcannowunderstandhowIusereadingin alldifferentaspectsofmylifebetter,andnotjustintheclassroombutthroughoutmyeveryday activities,likebaseball.
Words:
...Getmorecontent...
LiteracyNarrativeEssayOnBaseball
LiteracyNarrativeIntroduction
KaileyFryTheBookofLife LiteracyNarrativeIntroduction
InSituatedLiteracies,DavidBarton,andMaryHamiltonsaid,"Literacypracticeoffersapowerful wayofconceptualizingthelinkbetweentheactivitiesofreadingandwritingandthesocial structuresinwhichtheyareembeddedandwhichtheyshape"Inotherwords,"Inthesimplestsense literacypracticesarewhatpeopledowithliteracy."Hereareafewthingsyoucanthinkabout.Have youeverthoughtaboutthethingyoulovethemosthassomesortofliteracypracticeinvolved? Whathasshapedyourliteracypractice?ThispaperhasmereallythinkingabouthowIuseliteracy inmyreligionandhowithasmademebecometheperson...showmorecontent...
Mymomwarnedmethatitwouldbetoomuchformetobalance.Iwasalreadyinvolvedin coloabash,seniorboard,studentcouncil,cheer,appliedleadership,andworkedatFrancesca's.Plus tryingtofindtherightcollegeandfilloutalltheapplications.ItturnedoutmymomwasrightandI startednotbeingabletogotothestudentleadermeetingsandsomeoftheeventIendeduphaving ameetingwithpastorAndrewandhiswifetotalkaboutwhyIhavebeenmissingsomuchand explainedhowbusyIwas,sotheytoldmeIneededtoworkontimemanagementskillsandhow theywantedmetobeontheirteam.Iendedupnotmakingittothenextfewmeetingsduetowork andcheer.WeendeduphavinganothermeetingandthistimewebothcametotheconclusionthatI neededtobetakenoffthestudentleaderteamsinceitwasnotfairforthepeoplethatwereshowing up.IdonotregretthetimeIspentbeingapartofthestudentleaderteam.Ihavestartedtoreadmore booksaboutbecomingaleaderandapplyingthemtomy
...Getmorecontent...
DivingintopastmemoriesissomethingIamneverfoundof.Thereisalotofpainhiddenbehind someofmypastexperiences,butalsoalotoftriumph.Itisalwaysinterestingtoforceyourselfto retrievesomeofthosehiddenmemories.Sometimesthethingsyouremembercanbevery surprising.Thingsthatseemedlongforgotten,canabruptlycomebackinaflash.Thefarthest memoryIcanrecallaboutmyownliteracyexperienceiswhenIbeganfirstgradeAtthisstage,I rememberfeelingveryconfusedaboutthewholepurposeofgoingtoschool.IfeltasifIwasthe onlyonenotbeingabletokeepupwiththeotherchildren.Ididn'tknowwhatwascool,howto makefriends,orevenknowhowtoplayboardgameslike"Candyland"Iwasjustnotexposedto certainthingsthattheotherchildreninmyclasswereawareofpriortobeginningfirstgrade.Most ofall,Ididnotlikelearning.Ilikeddoingthingsshowmorecontent Idobelievethatmyelementaryeducationfailedme.EachyearIfeltillpreparedtotakeonthenew challengesthatIwastocomplete.Iwasalwaysfeelinglikeafishoutofwater.Iwasstartingevery yearwithapessimisticoutlookMyunpreparednesswasevidentinmyreportcardsandduringthe teacher–parentevaluations.Mymotherinformedmethataftermeetingwithallmyteachers,thata commonthemeaboutmyacademicperformancewasthatIwasnotuptoparwithmyclassmates.I wasnotmeetingtheliteracycompetenciesthatmyotherclassmateswereachieving.WhatIfound interestingthoughwaswheneverIreluctantlyreflectedbackontheseexperiences,Ineverreally couldrecallanyofmyteacherspersonallyhelpingmetoovercomemydifficultiesMyteachershad plentyofnegativethingstosayaboutmyprogress,butfailedtoshowproofofhowtheirteaching washinderingoraffectingmy
PersonalNarrative:MyLiteracyExperience
...Getmorecontent...
Aliteracynarrativeisquiteoftenthoughtofasapersonalaccountastohowthewrittenwordhas affectedone'slife.Myliteracynarrative,however,embodiesmypassionofarttodefinewhoIam andhowithasdeterminedwhoIhavebecome.Photographyhasbeenadominantpartofmylife sinceIwasborn;mymomlovedtotakepicturesofmeplayingandshewouldgetinpictureswith mewhereverwetraveledShewouldbuythesecheap,disposablecamerasinbulkandjustletus kidsplaywiththemorshewouldtakeenoughpicturesofusthatwefeltlikeherlittlemodels. Sometimes,shewouldevendevelopthefilmshethoughtmightbepromisingandaddthephotosto ourbabyalbumsshecherishedsodeeplyMymomwasmybuddinginspirationforphotography, andsheisstillmybiggestsupportertoday.Ihavetothankthetwenty–first...showmorecontent... Iwas,ofcourse,tooyoungtounderstandtheattributesofagoodphotographyatagefourteen,butI wouldstillflipoutmyphoneatalltimesofthedayandsnappicturesofanythingthatseemed interesting.Astimewenton,Istartedtounderstandwhatmadeagoodphotoandwhatdidn't.I learnedtoshootpeopleintheshadeonsunnydaystoavoidstrongshadowing,toleave"breathing room"forobjectsnotfacingdirectlytowardsthecamera,tousegridlinesinordertobalancea photo,andsoon.PhotographybecamethefirstpassionIhadforlearningmoreoutsideofschool, andIlongedtolearnedasmuchasIcould.Isoonbecameevenmoreexcitedabouttravelling becauseIknewtherewouldbebrandnewlandscapesandcitiestocapture.Icametoseethatthere wasaspecificpatiencetotakingpicturesinnewplacesIwouldalwaysbetwelvestepsbehindmy familyasIwouldcontinuallypausetoraiseupmycameraandquicklysetupforaseeminglygood
...Getmorecontent...
HowLiteracyNarrativeHasAffectedMyLife
AStruggletoLearnFromthetimewhenIwasalittleboy,growingupinGravesCounty,Kentucky, Ihavehadproblemswithmyreadingandwriting.Thingsneverseemedtoclickforme,atraitthat theteachersattributedtoamildcaseofdyslexiamixedwithahealthydoseofattentiondeficit disorder.Iknew,however,thatnodisorderwasthecauseofmydistasteofreadingandwriting. Rather,therewasnothingreallyinterestingsurroundingmethatwouldgrabmyinterestinthe classroom.TheteachersIencounterednevertookanyinterestinwhattheirstudentswantedtoread orwrite;theydevelopedassignmentsbasedonwhatthecurriculum,acourseofstudydevelopedby somepoliticiansattheBoardofEducation,toldthemtoshowmorecontent Hishairwaspartedandsmoothed,almostlikeglasswasshimmeringonthesurface,but,amazingly, helookedeffortlessandateasewithintheconfinesofaclassroomfilledwiththedaughtersandsons ofplantoperators.WhileImayhavebeenenamoredofthisnewteacher,thequietinsultsstarted almostimmediately.Iheardsomeonesay,"Whatafruit,"fromthebackoftheroom,loudenough fortheclasstohear,butjustquietenoughfortheteachertobeunawareofthedeclarationagainsthis manhood.Itdidn'thelpthatMr.Duncanwaswearingalargetotebagtocarryhisbookswhich amountedtoalargehandbag.Somestudentssniggeredthattheywouldbetalkingtotheirparents andgettingoutoftheclassimmediatelybeforeDuncan'sgaynessrubbedoffonthem.However crueltheotherstudentswerebeing,itallstoppedwhenDuncanopenedhismouth."Yourcountyhas someoftheworstliteracyratesinthestateAccordingtoyourtestscores,mostofyoucanbarely evenreadorwrite.Iwillbehonestwithyou;Ithinkthatthecurrentcurriculumbreedsstupidityand isonlyappropriateforpeoplewhoaspiretocompletemediocrity.Imayonlylastoneyear,butIam, fromthispointforth,decidingnottofollowthecurriculumYoucanleaveyourbooksunderyour desk,becauseyouwillnotbeneedingthem.Inthisclass,wewilldwellonourabilitytothinkand
EssayaboutLiteracyNarrative
...Getmorecontent...
"Whatisaliteracynarrative?"Aliteracynarrativeexpressedinmanydifferenttypesofwriting, whetheryou'rewritingaboutalifechangingexperienceorevenareflectiononabookyouhavejust indulgedyourmindinto,inwhichnowyouhavetoexpresshowyouinterpreteditinyourownway. Wedon'trealizethatwhileweinthemistofwritingapaperoreveninajournalthatatfirstitmay seemlikewe'rejustputtingabunchofuselesswordsonapaperorevenascreen,butinsteadwe loseourselvesinourthoughtsthatweprobablydidn'trealizewehadinthefirstplace. Inhighschool,Ihadtoconstantlywriteresponsestothepromptstheteacherwouldassign.A commonconceptofapromptincluded"howasapersondoyoufaceshowmorecontent Forexample,I'velivedwithachronicillnesscalledDysautonomiasinceIwaselevenyearsold,so everychanceIgettoexpressmydailystrugglesIencounterandhowIhavelearnedtoovercome andexceptthem,hasmademeabetterwriterbecausewhenyouareabletowriteonanissuethatis notonlyverypersonalbutalsoinformativetothepersonwhoIsharingmywritingwith,itcanpush thewayyouthinksothatyouarewritingsomethingthatwillcatchthereader'sattentionIncontrast, ItendtostruggleinmywritingwhenIhaveverylittleinterestinthetopic,inwhichIdon'tputinall ofmyefforttograbthereader'sattentionorputasmanyideasIpossiblycantocreatesomething worthreading.ThewayIcompensateformylackofinterestisbyfirstclusteringtogetherallofmy ideas.ThenIpickthemapartthemainideasIhaveestablished,inwhichnowallthatislefttodois findsupportingideastoflowwiththemainonesI'velearnedovertheyears,thatthereaderneedsto knowwhyIhaveordonothaveastanceonan
LiteracyNarrativeAnalysis
...Getmorecontent...
AtthispointinmylifeIfindmyselfinaninterestingpredicamentregardingmyattitudestoward readingandwriting;moresotowardsreading.YearsagoIusedtolovereadingbooksforpleasure butnowadaysIfindmyselfreadingthingsthatlittletonoefforttodigest.Thisincludesthevery basicpostsonfacebookexpressingone'sopiniononsomethingorarticlesandthreadsonreddit discussingtopicsIfindintriguingPerhapsit'stheseveresenioritisthathasovercomemeasIenter mylastsemesteratChapmanUniversity.AsI'vegottenlazierIcanseeitstarttoreflectinmy everydaylife.DeepdownIstilllovetoreadbutIrarelyfindmyselfgettingtrulyinvestedintothe actionunlessitrelatestosomethingIamveryshowmorecontent
Youcanfeedthemindasmuchasyouwantanditwillnevergetfullofreading.Sadly,I'mnotthe samepersonthatIwas.Iguessyoucouldsayit'spartofgrowingup.Itneverreallywasintentional butit'sjustthewayhowitendedup.Ontheotherhandmyattitudestowardwritingarevery different.FirstletmesaythatdeepdownItrulydonotliketowrite.Imyselfdon'tpersonallyliketo writeforleisureorpleasurebutratherIwritebecauseIbelieveitisoneofthemostimportant aspectsofbeingabletocommunicatewiththosearoundyou,bothpersonallyandprofessionally.To putdifferently,myattitudetowardswritingisthatIwritebecauseIneedtowriteandsurviveinthe worldaroundme.IwritebecauseIhaveto,notbecauseIwantto.Hopefullythissomewhatmakes sense.Tobetterexplainletmemakeacomparison.WhenIamassignedawritingassignmentorI amwritingbecausetheactionisbeingforceduponmeIfindmyselfnotenjoyingtheprocessand overalltheendresultissubpar.Theperfectexampleofthiswouldbemyjunioryearinhighschool whenIwasenrolledinAPenglishliterature.Idreadedthemajorityoftheclasssimplybecause therewassomuchwritinginvolvedintheentirecourseandthereforeIwasconstantlywritingjustto getagrade.Beingforcedtowriteinsuchhighvolumeeveryweekforanentireschoolyearwasnot enjoyableformyselfandasaresultthe
LiteracyNarrativeEssayexample
...Getmorecontent...
DemetriasHenderson Eng.111
March28,2015
TheEarlyandlatterstagesofLiteracyDevelopment
Learningtoreadandwriteasachildisanexperiencethatallcanrelateto.Theaveragechildlearns toreadandwriteattheearlyagesofthreeandfour.Developingliteracyatanearlyageiscrucialto academicdevelopmentaswellastoperformanceinlifeEarlydevelopmentcanbejustwhatachild needstostimulatetheirminds,whichinturnisassistingintheevolutionoftheirfuture.Theearly andlatterstagesofdevelopmentinachild'sliteracyjourneyarethemakingsfortheirreadingand writingskills.Italsoplayspartintheiranalysisofobstaclesaswellastheirdevelopedor problematicliteracyfuture.Achild...showmorecontent...
IsoonbegantoexcelinwritingthealphabetaswellasshortwordsMymomwentontoteachme howtowritemyname,andIsoonmovedontolearnnumbers.Ienjoyedwritingandbeganto choosethatoverplayingoutside.Thefollowingyear,IstartedschoolandIenjoyedlearningmore thananything.Isucceededearlyinmyclassesduetomyeagernesstolearn.Myexperiencewiththe letterEwasbutamerespeedbumpinthefutureofmyliteracyanditdidnothingtostopme.
Secondly,Oneofthepeoplemostinterestedinmyliteracyperformanceotherthanmymomwasmy fifthgradeteacherMr.GregMonroe.Moststudentsdidn'tappreciatehisteachingstylebutIdid.Up untilthispointinmyliteracydevelopment,IhadexcelledeasilyItwasn'tuntilImetmyteacher thatyearthatIrealizedeverythingwasn'tgoingtobesoeasy.ForthefirsttimeIhadtoactually studyratherthantojustknowtheinformationlikenormal.Mr.MonroetaughtmethatIneededto pushmyselftobebetterthangood,evenifitfeelslikeIcan't.Teachingstudentstogobeyondthe normwasMonroe'sapproach,andIfeelasifhisapproachwasextremelyhelpfulaswellas encouragingHetaughtstudentstosetgoalsandtodevelopaspirationsThefifthgradeisthelast steppingstonetobecomingamiddleschoolstudentwhichwarrantsnewresponsibilitiesforthe students.MrMonroemadesurethatstudentsgraduatedfromhisclassnotonlywith
literacynarrativeEssay
...Getmorecontent...
Theliteracynarrativeswerenotonlyameanstobasewheremywritingskillsareat,buttakein informationaboutpeopleIbarelyknow.Amongstmygroup,Iwouldhavetosaythetwoforeign studentshadmyattentionindefinitelytheentiretime,becauseIwasintriguedtohearabouttheir journeytotheU.S.Thebothofthemhadsufferedgreatcultureshockandwentthroughthetedious processoflearningAmericanEnglishIcanonlyassumethatthedifficultywasastronomicalatfirst, duetothefactthatwedon'tspeakproperEnglishamajorityofthetime,whichconflictswiththe rigidlearningthatcomeswithlearningasecondarylanguage.It'ssomethingaboutthatcultureshock thatinterestsmeasitshowsacertaindetermination
...Getmorecontent...
TheLiteracyNarrative
Literacynarrative.
Iwasanacademicbrat.Althoughmymotherendeavoredtomakemyeducationasenjoyableand insightfulaslearningcanbeIregularlydismisseddoinganythingaboveandbeyondmy assignmentsVoidoftheimmenseknowledgeandblessingacompetentscholarpossessed,Iwent aboutmyyoungeryearsdoingmuchwithmyhands,satisfiedandfoolish.Jumpingoffourroof, dartingdowntheziplinedescendingourenormoushill,playing"war"atthedumpwithmybrothers ortryingtocapsizeeachother'sboatsintheriverratherthanreadathrillingtaleofBilboBaggins andhisenchantingquesttoregaintheLonelyMountain.Amazed,Iwouldpeerintotheskytocatch aglimpseofanairplanemajesticallyfloatingthroughtheheavensandIwouldsuddenlyfelta longingtosoartheskies.Whileflyinginmygrandfather'sultralightat3yearsofage,Ifirstfeltthe yearningtobeairborne.AsthelittleplanerolleddowntherunwayandIcriedout,"higher,faster, higher!"FromthenonIhavebeenfascinatedwitheveryaspectofaviationEventually,thisiswhat wouldspurmeontobecominganaccomplishedliteracy.AstheyearswentbyIrealizedthesimple needtobeabletostudyandcomprehendwhatIwantedtoaccomplish.Andcircumstanceplayeda factor.Once,ourpushmowerbrokedownandIwasassignedthetaskoffixingourdilemma. Despitemybestefforts,myrookieskillsweren'tenoughtobetteroursituation.EventhoughIfailed inreachingmygoal,Iendeavoredtolearntheinnerworkingsofagasolineenginemorethoroughly, andIwasshockedathowmuchIdidn'tknow,butespeciallyhowmuchIlearnedbysimplyreading abookforfiveminutes!FromthenonIaspiredtoreadbillboards,roadsigns,directionsandthe likestofurthermynewlyfosteredartIwasalmostmorethrilledthanmyparents!Somany unansweredquestionswerenowatthefocal
...Getmorecontent...
NarrativeOfLiteracyNarrative
WritinghasalwaysbeenmymostdifficultpartofEnglish.Reading,ontheotherhand,issomething Icoulddoallday;however,withwriting,Igrimacejustthinkingaboutit.ItwasnotthatIdidnot haveanythingtosay,becauseIactuallyhavequiteabittosay.Ijustcouldneverfigureouthowto phrasewhatIhadtosayinjustrightwayonthepage.Mymomtaughtmetoreadandwriteata youngageAfterthat,IwoulddevouranybookthatIcouldgetmyhandsonHowever,Ihavehad troublewithwritingsinceitbecamemorethanjustmyalphabetandnumbers.Inelementary,Igot throughassignmentsbymakingmyprojectsreadlikeaboringfactbook.Thiswaywasawesomefor ahighgrade,notsogreatforwritinginterestingshowmorecontent Mullinscommentsandsaid,"Nexttime,youwilljusthavetochangeitupabit."Iaskedherwhat shemeant.Mymomsaid,"Nexttimeyouwillmakeitmorefun,notsomuchlikeatimeline,and morelikeatruestoryaboutyoursubject."Thiswasmyfirstexperienceinwritingforagrade.I learnedalotandIimmediatelyappliedtomyfuturewrittenassignments.Iwasinhighschoolthe firsttimeIhadtowriteanarrativeIwasafreshmanThiswasMsBradley'sfirsttimeteachingat UnionChristianAcademy.Onherfirstday,shegaveusoursyllabusandsaid,"Idonotacceptlate work,especiallyonwritingassignments."We,literally,sattherestunned.Myfreshmanclasshadit veryeasyduringeighthgradeyear.Wewerenotexpectingthis.AsIlookedthroughthesyllabus,I sawthatourfirstassignmentwasdueinaweekanditwasanarrative.Atthistime,Ididnoteven knowwhatanarrativewasMsBradleyexplainedthatanarrativewasanaccountorstoryof events.Itcouldbeeithertrueorfalse.Ournarrativehadtobetrue.Ithadtobeatrueaccountof somethingthathappenedtousoverthesummer.Shewantedtogaugehowarewritingskillswere. OurnarrativehadtobeatleasttwototwoandahalfpageslongIchosetowritemyfirstever narrativeonmytriptoFortWorth,Texas.Onceagain,Iwasplaguedwithwriter'sblock.Ihadthe storyinmyhead,buteverythingI
...Getmorecontent...
MyWritingExperienceEssay
Ontheotherhand,writingontopicsthatfascinateandintrigueme,isratherenjoyablethanfeeling likeachore.Ideasstreamandwordsflownaturallywithouthavingtomimicandechoothersvoice. AliteracynarrativeisapieceoftextwrittenfrommyownperspectivefortheintermediateEnglish compositionclass.Aliteracynarrativeisanessayaboutmywritingandreadingliteracy,looking backtovariousincidentswithabrandnewoutlookWritingthisessayallowedmetorevisitand assesshighlightsthatcontributedtomywritingandreadingliteracy.Themaingoalofliteracy narrativeessayistodefineliteracy,discussmyownpersonalliteracyritualsleadingtohowmy literacyformalizedeverystepofthewayIngeneral,the
HowToWriteALiteracyNarrativeEssay
...Getmorecontent...
INFINITE FinalDraft
18/3/13
WordCount:777
Ineverunderstoodthepointofreading.MyparentsfirstintroducedmysiblingsandItoitsworldat theearlyageoftwo.Wewerefamiliarizedwithletters,taughttolinksoundthevisualandformed wordswithastutteringstartWebecameaccustomedtothequietofTuesdaynightswhenmyfather wouldsithuddledonthesofa–mymothercurledupinbed–hislongnoseburiedinanovel,a blackcurtaincascadingfromherheadtothepages,morphingintoonewiththeirrespectivebooks. Asthenightdrewclosethebrownsoftheireyeswouldlightup,whilemymother'sredlipswould quiverwithexcitementandmyfatherwouldflashalopsidedsmile."Readingisanadventure," they'dshowmorecontent
Hissunkissedskinwassprinkledwithgrubbymarksandoneofhistopteethwasabsentashe chuckled.Hisblackhairfloppeddownoverhiseyesashestaredintentlyintoabookheldtightlyin hishands,seeminglyignoringthechaosIsawaroundhim.Theblueofthecoverstoodoutamongst theneutraltones,andtheword"infinite"stoodouttome.
Thismoment,whichisforeverreplayedinslowmotion,iswhenthatareaofdarknessbeganto shine.
Myparentswereraisedinthethird–worldcountryofIndia,luckytoescapeextremepoverty,but livinginpovertynonetheless.Theygrewupontheprincipalthatliteracywastheironlyescapefrom thelifetheylived.Theyunderstoodwhatitwastohavenothingandrealisedthatmillionsofother peoplearoundtheworldwouldnevergetthesamechancetoescape–liketheboywiththebook. Thisiswhyweweretakenoverseas;tobeshownhowluckyweare,eventohavethesimplethings I'veneverlookedatabookthesame.Inowallowmyselftogetlostamongstthewords,the characters,thescenes;theyallbecomerealinmymindIhaveahungerforbooksandthestories thatcanremovemefrommysurroundings.Itcametomyattentionmuchlateron,thattheboyon theroadprobablydidn'tevenknowwhathewasreading–thetitlewasEnglishandhemostlikely spokeMandarin.Itwasjustawaytoescapehis
LiteracyNarrative
...Getmorecontent...
Thefirstchallengewastounderstandwhattheessaytopicisgoingtobeabout.WhenIbeganto writetheliteracynarrative,IthoughtaboutmyfirstbookthatIread.However,Ididn'tknowifI couldexpandthestoryandaddsomevividdetails.Idecidedtoswitchmytopicandwriteaboutthe TOEFLtestpreparation,sincethathadhappenedcoupleyearsagoanditwasstillfreshinmy memory
Themostdifficultpartofwritingtheliteracyessayformewasthestructuringthesentencesand usingthearticles.EverytimeIhavetotranslatemythoughtsfromRussiantoEnglishandsometime youcan'ttranslateitdirectlywordbywordEnglishgrammarhasitsownstableexpressionthatyou can'tchange.
ThesecondproblemthatIfacedin
...Getmorecontent...
AnalysisOfMyLiteracyNarrative
