Purpose:  This essay asks you to recall and describe an experience that significantly shaped your attitude toward reading and/or writing and discuss how that experience affected you. Your goal as a writer, then, can be divided into two parts: describing the experience/person effectively for your audience and discussing how the experience had an impact on your ability to read or write, and your attitudes toward literacy, so that your audience clearly understands the impact of the experience.  You are telling us something about yourself -- that is, developing an ethos for your audience -- as well as describing your experience.

Readings for this unit are here.

Process:  Examining yourself as a writer and reader, perhaps for the first time, permits you to reflect on the processes and approaches you have been using and to consider alternatives for the future.  At the beginning of your process, you should consider as many experiences as you can looking for those that seem most significant.  You should not restrict yourself to school experiences; research shows that literacy (and learning of all kinds) is fundamentally social and that people acquire literacy as the result of a wide range of interactions.  You will want to examine your past carefully and thoughtfully, discovering as much as you can about your "educational experiences" (broadly defined) and considering carefully how those experiences contributed to your becoming literate.

We’ll use this assignment to model the process of writing.  We will discuss and practice the writing process starting the first day of class, and we will walk through the process in class, starting with invention activities, going on to use organization tools, to drafting, responding to each other's work in progress, revising, all the way through final proofreading in class on the due date.

Audience:  You are writing to describe your experience to your peers in this class and to me, your teacher.  These people don't know you very well yet, and you will probably have to explain some aspects of your experience that people you know you better take for granted. 

Format:  Your final draft should be word-processed in a readable plain font like Times New Roman or Bookman Old Style, double-spaced, and at least 500 words (two pages long).  Your first and second drafts can be handwritten, but make sure they are legible and are close to the final length required.

Grading Criteria:  I will grade your project based on the criteria for the Comp Co-op. In terms of this particular assignment, I'll be looking for:

1. Accurate and interesting description of the experience you are discussing, using details to show the important influence of the experience. 
2. Interesting and full description of the attitude(s) toward literacy that resulted from the experience, and/or the change(s) in your literacy abilities that resulted.  Emphasize the change in attitude and/or abilities through contrast.  Describe why the change occurred. 
3. Clear organization of the material, so that the reader has sufficient information to understand your point and so the reader is not confused by the order in which you present the material.

4.  Grammar, spelling, and format display pride in your work and careful proofreading.

5.  Final draft demonstrates control of the writer's ethos.

 

1/30         Invention session 1.   HOMEWORK:  In the packet, read Alexie (23-24), Cofer (25-26), and Satrapi (43-47).  Write down ideas that these pieces give you for your own literacy autobiography, once you've broken them down into their elements.

 

Discussion of assignment.  Freewriting.  HOMEWORK:  In the packet, read Rodriguez (30-41) -- there will be a quiz on the all the reading so far on Monday. Swipe some ideas from Rodriguez like you did with Alexie, Cofer, Satrapi, and the sample papers, and write these ideas down. 

 

2/6          Stages in the Writing Process.  Quiz.  Discussion of sample papers.  Invention Work on Literacy Autobiography, Part 2.  Clustering.  HOMEWORK:  In the packet, read Tan and Malcolm X (48-53).  Swipe ideas.  Do a quick discovery draft of your paper and bring it in Wednesday. 

 

2/8          Planning Workshop.  HOMEWORK:  Using looping, develop further ideas for your paper.  Sample of "idea swiping" from readings:  1, 2.  You'll need your handbook for Wednesday; if you haven't already gotten one, now's the time.  Also:  bring in your first, in-class paper Monday -- we can go over my feedback to you on it and plan revisions.

 

2/13        Drafting/questioning/problem session.  HOMEWORK:  Bring your last paper (Project #1) and your Handbook to Wednesday's class.

 

2/15        Drafting/questioning/problem session.  Error logs.  Workshop group selection.

HOMEWORK:  Finish your draft for next Wednesday's workshop; bring in two copies for your group.  

2/22        DRAFT WORKSHOP -- Bring in 2 copies of your paper for your group.  Sample homework:  Looping 1, 2, 3; Brainstorming ideas from reading 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

2/27        Project 2 due.  Include the following in your folder: 1) final draft; 2) workshop draft; discovery draft; 4) all invention work/homework from this unit; 5) workshop responses you received from your peers.