Language and Literacy Narrative

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As people tell literacy stories, they also formulate their own sense of self; with each telling, this self changes slightly according to a constellation of social and cultural factors, personal aspirations and understandings, the audiences being addressed, and the rhetorical circumstances of the telling itself, among many other factors. —Cynthia Selfe

Language and Literacy Narrative: page count: 3-4

Cover Letter: page count: 1-1.5

Both Due: Wednesday, February 27

Oral Presentation: 2-3 minutes

Grade Weight: 20% of Course Grade

There is much that informs our perspectives on language and literacy. How and why we learned and presently “do” speaking, reading, and writing depends just as much on our individual backgrounds, experiences, and motivations (e.g., where and how we grew up and what we want out of life and literacy) as it depends on societal realities (including dominant beliefs that deem some language “good” and others not). We never speak, read, or write in isolation—there is always some issue, person, structure, institution, standard, history, or belief system affecting our language and literacy practices.

Assignment Description

A literacy narrative enables us to reflect on reading, writing, and language experiences that shape a part of who we are today. Your story might include someone who taught you to read or write or a book or other text that has been significant for you in some way. You might also draw from a family, cultural, or social event related to reading or writing that you found enlightening and entertaining. An object or artifact might also serve as a memory of a place, activity, or person connected to your literacy development. The event you write about establishes a purpose that forms the basis of your literacy narrative. It should be a subject matter that you are comfortable sharing.

Your 3-4-page written narrative should contain the following key elements: a thoughtfully crafted story of a specific moment, event, or experience (or two); vivid details; and a discussion of the larger social significance of the event chosen—after all, a compelling narrative reveals a shaping occurrence in a person’s life and so demands consideration and reflection. As all of your major assignments will be placed on your CUNY Academic Commons site, you are asked to create multimodal texts. As support for your narrative, then, you will gather and integrate into various (3+) materials and media (such as artifacts, images, links, video clips, quotes, sound bites, etc.). With your examples and other data, you will advance your interpretation, your story, about your language and literacy experience(s), highlighting the larger implications of your experience (in your life, family, generation, gender, race, culture, nation, geographic location, historical moment, etc.).

For the cover letter that will accompany your language and literacy narrative, refer to the cover letter assignment sheet, to be distributed and posted on the course site.

Oral Presentation

I would like you to present your language and literacy narrative to the class, as a way to practice getting comfortable speaking to a group and to get to know each other a little better. The presentation can take one of many forms but should be no longer than 3 minutes. You might decide to reenact a moment from your literacy past, read a poem that you or someone else wrote that captures something about your literacy identity. You can bring in photos, play music, show a powerpoint, create a video, or simply read your favorite lines from your language and literacy narrative and explain their significance. If you choose to show a video or powerpoint, please email your presentation to me in advance of class. Remember who your audience is (your classmates and instructor!) and tailor your presentation to fit the audience and context of the assignment. Feel free to present in your “native” or “home” language!

Assessment Rubric for the Language & Literacy Narrative Assignment

Assignment Criteria	Points Possible
1. Appropriate Focus and Rhetorical Effectiveness of the Language and Literacy Narrative). How effectively does the language and literacy narrative provide specific details and 1-2 concrete examples of the writer’s language/literacy experiences? How effectively does the language and literacy narrative attend to applying rhetorical strategies to appeal to audiences?	5
2. Explicit Commentary on Significance and Implications. How effectively does the narrative highlight some central idea about a larger social significance? That is, how well does the narrative explicitly comment on the larger implications of the narrative, making connections to the writer’s life, family, generation, gender, race, culture, nation, geographic location, historical moment, etc.?	5
3. Appropriate Focus and Rhetorical Effectiveness of the Oral Presentation. How effectively does the oral presentation and literacy narrative draw audiences into the writer’s language/literacy experiences? How effectively are the 3 minutes utilized?	5
4. Cover Letter. How effectively does the cover letter address the rhetorical choices the writer made and the course learning outcomes achieved by this assignment.	5
5. General Requirements. Were all requirements for length and due date met?
TOTAL POINTS	20