Our first unit is centered on the personal literacy narrative. This essay asks you to peer into your past and ponder who or what has influenced your reading and writing practices (either positively or negatively). In essence, the personal literacy narrative is a retrospective look at your literacy development and experiences Hopefully, through reflection on your literacy experiences, this exercise will provide both you (the writer) and me (the audience) with a deeper understanding of who you are as a writer and reader now. There are two ways in which you can approach this essay:

Option 1-Identify up to three literacy sponsors (people, books, institutions, etc.) that have had a positive or negative influence on your growth as a reader and/or writer. In a well-developed essay, explain the influence each of these things has had on your development as a literate person. Analyze how your interaction with the literacy sponsor is significant to you now.

Option 2-Choose one scene from your past which accurately represents an important part of your literacy experience. In a story-like fashion recreate this scene for your audience and then analyze why and how this experience influenced your personality as a reader and writer. If you choose this option, remember that character development, setting, and plot are all important parts of a story.

For this paper, your audience is me. Your job is to inform me about these influences and use enough information and detail to be convincing.

Using examples and clear explanations will make your writing more believable. If you are going to examine a negative impact someone had on your literacy experience, step back and examine the situation from another perspective in order to understand the person's motivation

Since this is a reflective piece of writing, you may use the first person "I." Be careful, though, to avoid using clauses like "I think" or "I feel" or "I believe." These are vague clauses that weaken any point or argument you are trying to make. Also, you should avoid using second person.

Questions to Think About:

• How did I learn to write/read?

• Where do I think my attitudes toward writing/reading originated?

• How did I get to where I am as a writer/reader?

• What kinds of writing/reading did I enjoy/dislike in the past?

• What kind of writing/reading do I enjoy/dislike now?

• Who in my past has helped and/or hindered my literacy development?

• What in my past has made me the kind of literate person I am today?

Essay Format

• 3-4 pages
• Double-spaced
• 1" margins
• Interesting Title
• Times New Roman, 12 pt.