Language & Literacy Narrative Brainstorms Worksheet

Your name:

Michael Torres

Instructions: Please respond to the questions that follow with as much detail and description that you can. The more you put into reflecting now on the complexities of your language and literacy development, the better off you’ll be in completing our major assignment for our first phase of this course. Take as much space as you need.

When it comes to your experiences with language (speaking and listening) and literacy (reading and writing), what specific moments in your life can you recall that are particularly vivid or that emerge as being significant to you? Yes, it could be an example from your earliest memories of learning to speak, read, and write (in school or elsewhere), but it doesn’t have to be. It could be a memorable encounter—a moment of tension, confusion, or triumph. It could be about experiences developing additional dialects/languages and advanced literacies (i.e., learning to speak/write in different peer groups, at school, at work, with family, online, in different locations across the nation or world, etc. Please select 3 moments to describe. Then, explain why each is interesting or significant.

1. When I was writing a paper for my APUSH class I was going through my essay with my teacher, and he was praising me for my writing. I find this significant because I never usually get praised for my writing, I feel like I’m not the best writer, but I try my best

2. Senior Year in Ap Lang we had to write a paper on any argument of our choosing it had to be 8-12 pages long, I was excited because we got to choose our own topic. This was significant to me because it helped me gain the experience of writing a long paper. I do appreciate my AP lang teacher for everything.

3. During elementary and middle school I would regularly go to speech to work on my speech, reading and writing skills. During these times I didn’t take the speech sessions seriously and now I think of it I kind of regret it.  This is significant because I remember getting pulled out of class to work on my struggle wit writing.

What specific materials or artifacts (i.e., objects, writing, learning materials, pictures, video recordings, etc.) from your past can you locate/recall and that in some way represent a meaningful moment in your reading/writing development? This can be something like a journal or book, but also anything at all (e.g., a toy, piece of furniture, cereal box, art supplies, etc.) What memories and feelings can you extract from these examples you’ve gathered/recalled? Explain.

The time I got back the grade for my APush essay I really didn’t expect a good grade because I did think I didn’t write good enough for the argument. But I did that made me happy.

For better or worse, who and what impacted how, when, and why you developed your languages and literacies? Who in your family, at school, among your peer group, or in your community played a part? How did your particular situation or experience shape your literacy? That is, what sorts of issues, experiences, organizations, or life circumstances played a part? What kinds of languages and literacies did you gain from those people and your particular situation? How? Why? Explain.

I would say My speech teacher, my English teacher and my close friends. They all pushed and help me with my writing when I asked. I truly wouldn’t be here without there help.

In what ways do you see your language, reading, and writing capabilities as having social consequences or impacting your life circumstances—that is, what advantages did/do you have and what disadvantages did/do you face as a result of your language and literacy learning?

I see my writing impacting life circumstances by determining how good or well written a resume, paper or job application is. Some disadvantages for me was not able to write enough off 1 piece of evidence, another is not being able to write without going off topic I tend to do that when I don’t decide to ask for help.

How might your experience with language and literacy connect to larger social realities (e.g., of your life, family, generation, gender, race, culture, nation, geographic location, historical moment, etc.)?

With my experience of language and literacy I was able to help my parents with writing and reading thing out for them when they didn’t understand.