Overview: Essay 1: The Literacy Narrative Prompt
A literacy narrative is quite simply that: it is a story of how you became literate and how it has affected your life.
Today’s Literacy Definitions:
Literacy is defined as competence or knowledge in a specified area.
According to the National Council of Teachers of English, literacy is “a collection of cultural and communicative practices shared among members of a particular group. As society and technology change, so does literacy.”
With this in mind, today, literacy can include reading, writing, technology, mathematics, and information as well as literacy in political, cultural, digital, and visual arenas.
You are considering your own life experiences; use what you know. Consider your literacy in different parts of your life: reading and writing, of course, but what about music, sports, hobbies, or jobs? Each of us has literacy in multiple areas that have affected us in multiple ways, so your “Literacy Narrative” essay will be unique to you based on your own literacies. There is not a specific tone that this piece needs to take, and you can elicit any emotion you choose through your writing, but it should be you.
By the time you finish this module, you will be expected to incorporate the knowledge you are gaining through the readings, lessons, and assignments about pre-writing, drafting, revising, and editing as you complete the final draft of this essay.
What is a literacy narrative?
A literacy narrative is an essay that tells the story of how you became literate (how you learned: to read, write, play a musical instrument, read music, speak a second language, understand culture, use technology). The essay should highlight both the struggles and positive outcomes of this journey to become literate.
Rhetorical Decisions
Audience: Who are other possible audiences besides your instructor and classmates? Are your readers likely to have had similar experiences? Would they tell similar stories? How much explaining will you have to do to help them understand your narrative? Can you assume that they will share your attitudes toward your story, or will you have to work at making them see your perspective? How much about your life are you willing to share with this audience?
Purpose: Why do you want to tell this story? To share a memory with others? To teach a lesson? To explore your past learning? Think about the reasons for your choice and how they will shape what you write. This will help you create the thesis statement.
Voice, tone, and point of view: This topic is personal. Therefore, you will be using more friendly language while maintaining an appropriate, respectful tone. You can have fun with this assignment, and you will be using.However, you still want to avoid cursing.
Assignment Details
Do’s:Use a positive critical perspective
Use the first person
Make this essay about you
Provide your own voice
Read it out loud. Does it sound like you? It should. Reading it out loud will help to ensure that it is in your voice, and it will help you revise and edit before you submit it.Include the 3 rhetorical styles
The topic statement and outline as well as the final draft require that you integrate the 3 rhetorical styles that you will read about in Unit 1.3 Rhetorical Styles Part I, which includes Narration: Tell Me a Story, Description: The Details Matter, and Exemplification: Provide the Reader with Examples.
Make sure that your story has a purpose. You are not just telling a story; you are telling your audience what you learned and how you grew from your experience.
Don’ts:
Do not use outside sources
Since we have not properly reviewed how to use MLA formatting, you should not be using any outside sources for this assignment.
Do not use second-person point of view.