ENG 110: Literacy Snapshot Analysis
Your goal in this project is to recall and analyze your mindset and experiences as you became literate (able to read and write). Literacy is often explored through the form of literacy narrative, but this essay will be a variation of that form. A literacy narrative is a story that reflects a person’s journey to becoming a reader and writer, such as “Superman and Me” or “The Editor.”
You will write a literacy snapshot analysis that will include an element of literacy narrative as well as an analysis of your experience through the lens of Carol Dweck’s concepts of fixed and/or growth mindset. The literacy snapshot analysis should include your recollection of one shaping moment, person, or place that defined or influenced your reading or writing habits of today AND an application of the Carol Dweck’s concepts of fixed and/or growth mindset to that situation. Since this is just a snapshot, you do not have to consider your whole experience of literacy, just one representative element of that experience. You will also create a digital audio or visual representation of your literacy narrative with an application of Dweck’s concepts. You may use the form of a video or podcast. The presentation should encapsulate your literacy narrative and highlight the most important theme or image.
A literacy analysis is not just an interesting story about you as a younger reader or writer. As the author, you must interpret (analyze) and craft the essay to help the reader understand the importance of the person or situation in your narrative as well as the part your mindset played. You will likely have a few moments or people who stand out as being influential not only in that instance but to this day. Make a thoughtful choice and help the reader understand that choice.
Through this process, you will reflect on your experience as a reader and writer, experiment with exercises to develop your writing process, compose multiple drafts, practice your peer review skills, begin developing your revision skills, and create a presentation. You will also integrate your ideas with others’ when you make multiple references to Dweck and at least one more source from class.
Class Readings and Sources
- “The Power of Yet” TED Talk by Carol Dweck (Required source)
AND - “On Writing” by Stephen King
- “Superman and Me” by Sherman Alexie
- “The Editor” Podcast or article from Criminal series
Resources
- Excerpt of Deborah Brandt’s “The Sponsors of Literacy”
- Little Seagull for guidance on MLA format and other
- Tutorials or assistance at the DigiSpace
Due Dates and Expectations
- First draft (about 2 pages + 1 page Works Cited) due Wednesday, February 7 (via Google Docs and two paper copies)
- Peer review in class on February 7
- Final draft should be in MLA format (see Little Seagull for sample) and should be 1000-1200 words (about 4-5 pages), including a works cited page.
- Final draft due Friday, February 16 at 6:00 p.m. (via Google Docs and one paper copy due Monday 2/19) [updated 2/12]
- Audio/visual presentation (in form of video or podcast) upload due Sunday 2/18
Process
You will begin by revisiting memories of your reading and/or writing past. As you reflect on your journey as a reader and writer, consider your early moments of success and failure.
Perhaps no strong memory emerges. Places or people may have been the most influential factors in shaping your views of yourself as a reader or writer, rather than one situation. Professor and researcher Deborah Brandt presents the idea that literacy sponsors are those who are instrumental as a person becomes literate.The literacy sponsor may be either a positive influence who encourages, models, or invites someone to fully engage in literacy or a more negative influence who discourages or withholds opportunity. You may find that a literacy sponsor was most influential to you as a learner. This might be a parent, family member, friend, or teacher.
Step 1. Freewriting or Brainstorming
These questions are meant to get you thinking about early literacy experiences. You do not have to answer them in your essay, nor do you have answer all in your brainstorm.
- When did you first read? When did you first write?
- Who or what influenced you as a young reader or writer?
- What was your proudest reading or writing moment in grade school, middle school, or high school?
- What was your worst literacy moment?
- Did you have a literacy sponsor? Have you ever been a literacy sponsor?
- How did a sponsor or experience impact your current feelings or mindset about reading or writing? Looking back, would you say you had a growth or fixed mindset about reading and writing in that moment/frame of time?
Step 2. Organized Pre-writing
Complete Two of These Pre-Writing Strategies (20 minutes per activity)
- Colored sticky notes: one color for places, one color for people, one color for specific memories, one color for ___ (Do you have another category to explore?)
- Timelines: On top of the timeline, outline some of your most memorable reading experiences (books, newspapers, assigned novels or texts, magazines, favorite websites or blogs); under the timeline, outline some of your most memorable writing experiences (school reports, letters, journals, short stories, poems).
- Webbing: in the center write a key person’s name, in a spider-like fashion build a web of memories, feelings, thoughts that connect to that person
- Cluster: in the center, choose an important place (your local library, a classroom space, your favorite reading chair, your favorite teacher’s classroom, your favorite writing spot). Make bubbles off the side that include descriptions and memories of the place: books you read there or writing you composed, smells or sound associated with the area, struggles or achievements, people who shared the space, other memorable detail.
- Little Seagull suggestions, p. 58-60
Step 3. Drafting the Essay/Drafting the Presentation
- Using your pre-writing activities, develop a first draft. Include a focal literacy narrative and incorporate Dweck as well as one other source.
- Your draft should be about 2 pages PLUS your Works Cited page. Your first draft should include a Works Cited; otherwise, source information is technically plagiarized.
- Do not fall in love with your first draft! This is a first try; you should expect to make significant changes.
- Begin thinking of your presentation. Decide on a format: either podcast or video. Your goal is tell your literacy narrative with connection to Dweck’s concepts in two to four minutes. You may choose to include the connection with other sources but are not required to do so. What is most memorable about your story? How will you use pictures, sounds, and words to set the tone of your story? If you think visuals with a voice overlay would work best, learn more about iMovie. If you think a podcast-style would work best, learn more about Audacity. Start by viewing a tutorial for either on uneportfolio.org or visit the DigiSpace.
Step 4. Peer Review
- Peer review is an opportunity to gain feedback about your work. Revision without input is more challenging, so make the most of your peer reviews.
- Ultimately, you are the author. You do not need to make all suggested changes, but seriously consider the suggestions. Start with an expectation to follow all suggestions and then eliminate those where you have a definite reason for NOT making the change.
Step 5. Revision
- Revision is an opportunity to make global changes. Adding a few sentences is not global; it is local change. Wording is local change. Fixing punctuation is local change. Be ready to revise the order of paragraphs or rewrite sections of the essay to clarify your meaning and add (or delete) detail to better help your reader understand your purpose for writing.
- At this stage, sketch your presentation. What image is most powerful in your narrative? How will you build your presentation around it? Dedicate 30-60 minutes developing your presentation (ex. writing your podcast, finding/taking pictures or selecting music and thinking about how to edit your text to this new format, creating a first draft of the presentation).
Step 6. Polishing
- On the day that your final draft is due, we will spend some time in class working on local issues. This may include some sentence structure work to eliminate fragmented sentences or other sentence issues. Polishing also includes proofreading. At this point in the writing process, you should be making local changes, such as wording or punctuation fixes.
- Revisit the draft of your presentation. Make a timeline and list of tasks that still need to be completed before submitting your presentation. Identify resources and schedule time to complete the presentation (either at DigiSpace or on your own).
Step 7. Final Draft Submission by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, February 14 via Google Docs.
Audio or Video Presentation link is due in your ePortfolio by 6 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 18.
Grading Rubric
| Essay Content and Integration of Sources |
Point Range: |
| Writing as a Recursive Process: Essay |
Point Range: |
| Documentation and Sentence-level Error |
Point Range: |
| Digital Representation |
Point Range: |
