Literacy

1. Literacy What is it? First, let’s clear up some misconceptions…

2. “In years past, not everyone knew how to read and write. Now, though, everyone does.” You are here. Florida Literacy Coalition http://www.floridaliteracy.org/about_literacy__facts_and_statistics__estimates.html

3. In the context of your writing Monday, literacy was... • learning to read • learning to write This is a beginning understanding of what literacy means in the writing profession.

4. Expanding the definition of Literacy • I also want to add to your understanding of what literacy is today. We’ve said that it is about reading and writing. One person said it was about comprehension.

5. lit·er·a·cyNoun/ˈlitə)rəsē/ 1. The ability to read and write. 2. Competence or knowledge in a specified area: "wine literacy can't be taught in three hours".  (google, define: literacy)

6. According to the National Institute for Literacy (http://novel.nifl.gov/nifl/faqs.html): "The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 defines literacy as 'an individual's ability to read, write, speak in English, compute and solve problems at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual and in society.' This is a broader view of literacy than just an individual's ability to read, the more traditional concept of literacy. As information and technology have become increasingly shaped our society [sic], the skills we need to function successfully have gone beyond reading, and literacy has come to include the skills listed in the current definition." This definition is important as is looks at literacy, at least to some extend, from a more contextualized perspective. The definition of 'literate', then, depends on the skills needed within a particular environment. Of note, also, is the emphasis on English. .These definitions courtesy of Julia Scherba de Valenzuela, Ph.D. UMN Professor of Special Education (not rhetoric, not composition) 

7. Langer (1991) takes this notion of interaction of reader with text a step further, contrasting "literacy as the act of reading and writing and literacy as ways of thinking" (p. 13). This author brings up the notion, alluded to in the Workforce Investment Act definition provided above that the standards for literacy depend on the context within which one functions: "...literacy can be viewed in a broader and educationally more productive way, as the ability to think and reason like a literate person, within a particular society" (p. 11). The author argues that: It is the culturally appropriate way of thinking, not the act of reading or writing, that is most important in the development of literacy. Literacy thinking manifests itself in different ways in oral and written language in different societies, and educators need to understand these ways of thinking if they are to build bridges and facilitate transitions among ways of thinking. (p. 13) .These definitions courtesy of Julia Scherba de Valenzuela, Ph.D. UMN Professor of Special Education (not rhetoric, not composition) 

8. Today you’re going to also think about • literacy sponsors that helped you read and write • These could be people or institutions • reading experiences that you remember, good or bad

9. Materiality and Literacy In addition, I want you to think about the material aspects of your literacy. Remember, materials= things you can touch. What were some of the material aspects of Malcolm X’s literacy?

10. Materiality and Your Literacy What are some of the materials that were involved in your own literacy acquisition? Think about things. Think small (books, pencils), but also big (school buildings; air conditioned classrooms; buses).

11. Institutions and literacy • What institutions were involved in your literacy acquisition? • What goals did those institutions have for you? • What did they expect from you as a now-literate person? Are there consequences of your literacy acquisition being linked to those institutions?

12. For the purpose of this essay Literacy is The appropriate behaviors around reading and writing in a specific knowledge area toward some goal. A literacy must be teachable, and have artifacts--things that can be used to teach someone the literacy (artifacts—sounds like materiality, right?).  

13. I’m using this definition The appropriate behaviors around reading and writing in a specific knowledge area toward some goal.A literacy must be teachable, and have artifacts--things that can be used to teach someone the literacy (artifacts—sounds like materiality, right?). because it is one that will carry forward to your next assignments as well.

14. As you read tonight… • Think about Malcolm X’s story as a literacy narrative. • What were the material goods available to him? • What were the values inherent in the things he read? • What was the exigence (remember that term?) for his learning to read? • Did he have literacy sponsors? Who (or what) were they?

15. Wolcott ENC 1102 Literacy Narrative Assignment This class begins by thinking about reading, writing, and literacy in general, then moving to literacy and writing in the professions later in the semester. Before we get to that, though, I want you to carefully consider your literacy background. For this essay you will consider and then analyze your own history as a reader, writer, and literate person. Some questions to get you started thinking about your literacy history are below. However, simply answering these questions will not make an essay. It will make a list of answers. Don't do that. Use these questions and thoughts and observations you might have about your literacy history to develop an essay-- a piece of writing that supports a central thesis, even if it is written as a narrative, about you as a literate person. How did you learn to read? To write? Do you think you ever had a “Literacy Sponsor?” What were some significant milestones in your time as a reader/ writer? What kinds of materials were involved in your literacy acquisition and growth, and what do you think were the effects of those materials? This might include books, other reading materials, hardware/software, furniture, or other “things.” What kind of reading or writing do you do the most? When has writing or reading been important to you? How does your literacy relate to that of your parents, family, siblings, friends?

16. Once you have gathered details about your literacy, whether by simply collecting memories or by interviewing members of your family, you should look for patterns or overarching themes that you might be able to draw from your literacy history. Where are you now? How have these details about your literacy history made you into the type of reader and writer that you are today? Note: An all-inclusive list of all the parts of your reading and writing history will not make a good literacy narrative. Instead, try to find and focus on a theme or central idea that carries through several experiences. Create, from all the information you have about your literacy, a story or argument about it. We’ll work on this in the workshop, so don’t worry if that seems hard right now. Evaluation: I am not going assign a particular format for this essay (though I will ask that you avoid the five-paragraph essay you may have focused on in high school). Whatever format you chose, you should include the following: a thesis or central claim about your literacy clear organization evidence—specific details from your life, from interviews, materials… support claims with specific evidence, even if that evidence is just your own memories and analysis of those memories. evidence and MLA or APA style internal and end citations from the readings when you refer to concepts that are new (like literacy, sponsors, institutional sponsorship, etc).  some kind of conclusion or analysis drawn from that past some connection to who you are today as a reader and writer.  Though a typed formal essay is what many of you may turn in for this assignment, I am not limiting you to that format. If you have an idea for another format that you think would best tell your story, ask me about it well before the assignment is due, and you may well present your project in an alternate format. Due Date: An online draft of your paper is due in canvas at the beginning of class 8/30/2013 (after you workshop your piece with the class, a revised draft will be due again on 9/4/2013) .  Points100