Writing about Writing, Reading, and Language
An essay about how literacy—in the broadest sense of the word–has impacted some part of your identity. This assignment is 2-3 pages double spaced in MLA formatting and will cover the writing skills points.
Introduction to Literacy Narratives: The Genre
| Reading | Guiding Questions |
| “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie Chapter 7 in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan “A Letter to My Mother That She Will Never Read” by Ocean Vuong | What does literacy mean to these authors? How do they discuss language, writing, and reading? Does literacy impact their identities? Why or why not? |
| Videos/Podcasts | Guiding Questions |
| “3 Ways to Speak English” by Jamila Lyiscott “Santa Claus vs the Easter Bunny” by David Sedaris “The Enchanting Music of Sign Language” by Christine Sun Kim | What does literacy mean to these authors? How do they discuss language, writing, and reading? Does literacy impact their identities? Why or why not? Does the video or podcast format change how you think about what counts as a literacy narrative? Why or why not? |
Literacy Narrative: Crafting Strong Points
| Reading | Guiding Questions |
| “Dragon Slayers” by Jerald Walker | Identify sentences that you think capture Walker’s main point or idea. Explain why and how you made your choices. |
Writing your own literacy narrative
In “Dragon Slayers,” Jerald Walker describes “an awakening” during his time at the Iowa Writers’ Workshop that shifted how he writes, teaches, and thinks about Black literature. For this assignment, please write a narrative that describes your own awakening related to reading, writing, language, and/or literature.
Like Walker’s essay, your own literacy narrative should include:
- A clear and easily identifiable main point that connects literacy with an aspect of your identity
- A clear and identifiable “so-what” that explains why your story matters to a reader interested in awakenings related to literacy
- A specific event that caused your awakening
A strong literacy narrative will also show notable and meaningful revisions between each draft, demonstrating your ability to take feedback from our writing workshops and implement the comments that help you best communicate your story to your readers. Please make sure that you proofread your final draft for grammar and spelling mistakes.
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