Quick Write

What is literacy?

  1. The ability to read and write.
  2. Competence or knowledge in a specified area.

The second definition is the one we will be focusing on in this class.

What is something that you have had to learn recently? How did you begin to learn it? Did someone help you?

Intro to Literacy Narrative

A Literacy Narrative tells a story about something you have learned. Write a literacy narrative of your own, perhaps recalling how you learned to read or write. The focus of this paper is on the learning. How did you learn? How did your sponsor help you to learn? How does learning this literacy relate to learning other literacies?

Remember that there are many kinds of literacy. The narrative you compose may be about your encounters with paintings, films, music, fashion, architecture, or video games. Or it may explore any intellectual passion you have. From Graphic Design, to Mathematics, to a Foreign Language.

Requirements

  • 1,000+ words
  • Tells a story about a literacy or a sponsor of literacy
  • MLA Format
  • Works Cited
  • 1+ relevant Image(s)
  • Appropriate Structure
  • Rough Draft
  • Revised Draft
  • Final Draft posted on class blog

Here is a sample literacy narrative from a previous class that you can use as a model as well. The BFG and A Little Me.

thebfg

If you want to read more about literacy narratives, here are two great sources to check out.

  1. College Writing Tips: Write a Good Literacy Narrative
  2. Writing a Literacy Narrative

Literacies

Let’s come up with a big list of literacies that we can write about. Take two minutes and write down two or three literacies you have learned. Share with a partner.

  • Read/Write
  • Drive a car
  • ?

Literacy Sponsors

A literacy sponsor is someone or something that helps you or hurts you when learning a literacy. Who are some possible sponsors?

  • Teachers/Professors
  • Parents
  • ?

Four Defining Traits of a Game

  1. Goal. The outcome that the players will work to achieve. It focuses attention and gives you a sense of purpose.
  2. Rules. Limitations on how to achieve the goal. It will unleash creativity and foster strategic thinking.
  3. Feedback System. Tells players how close they are to achieving their goal. Provides motivation to keep playing.
  4. Voluntary Participation. Requires that you knowingly accept the goal, rules, and the feedback. You have the freedom to enter and leave the game at will.

With these four ideas in mind, how can we apply this to college?