Consider your own literacy story, and to share that story in an autobiographical paper about your own experiences learning to read or write. Specifically, you are asked to respond to the following:
- Describe how you think you learned to read and write. What do you recall about the initial instruction, successes or difficulties, and how you managed to “crack the code?” Solicit help from parents, older siblings or anyone else who can help you reconstruct your early literacy experiences.
- Talk about books you read as a child that you still remember. What books did you read in high school by your own choosing? Why were these books special to you?
- Describe how you see yourself as a reader/writer today. What do you like to read/write? What are the purposes for which you read/write? Is reading/writing an activity that you enjoy? Why or why not?
- Why would thinking about how you learned to read/write and about your attitude towards reading/writing as an adult be important as you prepare to teach? What about in your content area?
Submit a paper which is 2-3 pages in length, exclusive of the reference page, double-spaced using 12 point, Times New Roman font. The paper must cite at least 2 outside sources in APA format. Check all content for grammar, spelling and to be sure that you have properly cited all resources (in APA format) used.
Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL) is a free website that provides excellent information and resources for understanding and using the APA format and style. The OWL website can be accessed here: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/
References
1. Education – Literacy data. (2019, November). unicef. https://data.unicef.org/topic/education/literacy/#.
- Consider the data from this site, which explores literacy statistics around the world.
2. Improving adolescent literacy: Effective classroom and intervention practices. (2008). Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/adlit_pg_082608.pdf.
- Read pages 11-36 of this document to better understand literacy best practices. To effectively teach literature and writing at the secondary level, we must first know what research says about best practice, as well as the process learners have been taught for reading before they enter our classroom.
3. Teaching secondary students to write effectively. (2016). Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance. https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/Docs/PracticeGuide/wwc_secondary_writing_110116.pdf.
- Read pages 1-42 in this document to gain a better understanding of best practices in secondary classrooms, as well as today’s definitions of literacy. These studies will guide your understanding of an appropriate selection of texts and strategies in secondary educational contexts.
