Reading Autobiography

Joe Kolousek Reading Autobiography North Carolina State University

Reading Autobiography

As I think back over

y li!e and ho" reading has played a part in it#

y thoughts turn to

y parents !or a variety o! reasons$ %oth are "ell educated and avid readers the selves$ &hey taught e !ro a young age the value o! reading$ Also# they encouraged e to read by li iting

the a ount o! ti e I "as allo"ed to spend in !ront o! the television "atching &' and playing video ga es$ &here "ere ti es "hen I "as younger "hen I( but no" I see the "isdo in their decisions$ any o! the books and authors that I sure I "asn(t so grate!ul !or that

I struggled to re e ber actual years and ages "ith

"ill discuss# so the order in "hich I discuss the !ollo"ing is a rough guess at best$ )hen I "as *ust beginning to read# I re e ber that y parents had al ost every +r$ Seuss book available$ y ind$ I re e ber

,reen -ggs and .a # &he Cat in the .at# and .op on /op stick out in reading .op on /op "ith I( y dad# and then thinking ho"

uch !un it "as to literally hop on /op$ y older ele entary years# a book

not sure /op !ound it 0uite as a using$ As I gre" into

that I !ondly re e ber is Ani alia# by ,rae e %ase$ &his is an illustrated book that contains 21 illustrations# one !or each letter o! the alphabet$ Also# !or each letter# there is a sentence that uses alliteration !or any o! the "ords$ &he pictures illustrate "hat the sentence says$ I love this book

not only because the illustrations are highly detailed and !un to look at# but also because o! the "ay that the alliteration in each sentence rolls o!! the tongue$ It "as !un to see ho" you can play "ith "ords$ &"o other books that "ere !un to read because o! their clever use o! "ords and also because they "ere *ust plain !un and silly "ere Shel Silverstein(s )here the Side"alk -nds and A 2ight in the Attic$ &he poe s and stories in those books "ere so entertaining to and still are to e as a child

e to this day$ Another silly book that I thoroughly en*oyed gro"ing up "as &he

Stinky Cheese 3an and 4ther 5airly Stupid &ales# by Jon Scieska$ I "as very !a iliar "ith the

Reading Autobiography

traditional !airy tales by the ti e I read this book# and it "as 0uite !un to see a ne" t"ist on those stories$ Another book that I loved gro"ing up "as the ,uinness %ook o! )orld Records$ I love lists$ I love aking the and I love reading the $ -very year# "hen the ne" ,uinness %ook

ca e out# I "ould grab it and devour the pages# taking in all the in!or ation that I could get$ 3y !ather and I share a love o! languages and gra ar and "ord pu77les as "ell as a

sense o! hu or$ +ad al"ays had books o! "ords laying around$ .e "ould read the dictionary !or entertain ent and then !re0uently share "ith !or e because it helped to e8pand e ne" "ords and their de!initions$ &his "as good any

y vocabulary$ .e "ould al"ays say# 9&here are so

"ords in the -nglish language::"hy not use the ;< +ad also introduced

e to +ave %arry$

%arry is a hu or "riter "ho has "ritten nu erous books and used to "rite a "eekly hu or colu n in the 4regonian ne"spaper$ I have !ro any !ond e ories o! +ad and I reading e8cerpts y !ather sharing "ith e "hen

%arry(s book to each other$ Another book that I re e ber

I "as gro"ing up "as titled 9.o" to Raise a %oy<$ -ach chapter in the book "as "ritten !or each age o! a boy(s li!e# up to age 1=$ -ach year on y birthday# y dad "ould sit do"n "ith e

and "e "ould read the ne" chapter !or the upco ing year# so that "e "ould both kno" "hat to e8pect$ I "as the !irst child# and so I think right$ I don(t recall any books that I "as re0uired to read !or school# but one that I do y !ather really "anted to ake sure he "as doing it

re e ber reading "as &he Indian in the Cupboard# by 2ynne Reid %anks$ I re e ber being very intrigued by the "onder ent o! ho" a a7ing it "ould be to have a cupboard that could ake toys co e alive$ &hat "as probably y !irst real !oray into !antasy# even though it is not

!antasy in the sense o! science !iction !antasy# it is !antasy in the sense that it clearly could never

Reading Autobiography

>

happen$ Another book that I recall reading in school "as &he %orro"ers# by 3ary Norton$ &his story is about a tiny !a ily that lives underneath the kitchen !loor o! an old -nglish house$ I liked this book !or si ilar reasons "hy I liked &he Indian in the Cupboard# and that is because I think I "as !ascinated by the possibility o! those stories being reality$ /art o! !iction# but I believe another part o! As I ca e into e secretly "anted the to be real$ e kne" that they "ere

y teenage years# I "ent through a phase "here I "as really into the any o! his

supernatural# and it "as during that ti e that I discovered +ean Koont7$ I read novels and !ound the any nights staying up

highly entertaining# as "ell as very suspense!ul and scary$ I re e ber uch later than I should have because I "as at a terri!ying point in the

book and couldn(t put it do"n because I "as too scared and had to get to a sa!er spot$ And yet# so ething kept dra"ing e back to those types o! books$ I kne" that they "ere scary but I also

kne" that# in the end# everything "ould "ork out alright$ I don(t kno"# but I "onder i! I have internali7ed that belie! as a because things "ill "ork out$ 4ne o! y great passions in li!e is geography and travel$ I could read a ap or an atlas etaphor !or li!e$ I ust keep pushing through the di!!icult parts

!or hours$ I love learning about di!!erent places in the "orld and di!!erent peoples and cultures$ 3y other shares these loves "ith e and she got e hooked on novels by Clive Cussler$ I have

read al ost all o! his novels to date$ .is stories take his characters all over the globe# and he(s so descriptive in his "riting that I !eel like I have traveled to so having ever le!t any a a7ing places "ithout

y living roo $ I used to love to pull out the atlas as I "ould read and !ind the ap so that I could get a thorough understanding o! "here e$ Another thing I love about his stories is that all o!

places that I "as reading about on the I "as ?so to speak@ and "hat all around the contain the sa e

ain characters# so you really get to kno" the characters in depth as you

Reading Autobiography

read his stories$ 3uch like Anna Auindlen# I !elt that

y relationships "ith +irk /itt# Al uch ore authentic that

,iordino# Ad iral Sandecker# and the rest o! Cussler(s characters "ere any o! y real:li!e relationships$

Another author "hose "ritings I en*oyed in books co bined

y teenage years "as 3ichael Crichton$ .is

y love !or geography# travel# suspense# and adventure$ .e is an a a7ing any o! his books have been ade into a*or otion

storyteller# as evidenced by the !act that

pictures$ -ach o! his books that I have read have transported Sphere took

e a "orld a"ay !ro

reality$

e to the depths o! the ocean# "hich is a place I "ill probably never go in real li!e# e deep into the rain !orests o! A!rica# y !avorite

since I have a gripping !ear o! deep "ater# Congo took Jurassic /ark brought

e !ace to !ace "ith prehistoric beings# and /rey# probably

Crichton novel# introduced

e to nanotechnology# and the kno"ledge that despite all the blessing any bad things it can do too$ uch o!

that technology brings into our lives# there are so Aside !ro books# there are so e

aga7ines that I have been very !ond o! !or

y li!e$ I "as in the %oy Scouts gro"ing up and I subscribed to %oy(s 2i!e# "hich is the o!!icial youth aga7ine o! the %oy Scouts o! A erica$ I loved it because it contained stories and kids and about kids *ust like e$ I also subscribed to Boobooks$ I have al"ays

e8cerpts !ro

loved ani als and !or

any years "hen I "as a teenager I volunteered at the 4regon Boo$ 3y

parents have subscribed to National ,eographic and Reader(s +igest since be!ore I "as born# so I gre" up "ith both o! those publications and have gro"n to love the the to this day$ 5inally# another passion o! both and still subscribe to

ine is cars# and I(ve been a gear:head since I "as a y all:ti e ail each

toddler$ I have subscribed to 3otor &rend since I "as probably 11 or 12 and it is !avorite onth$ aga7ine$ I still get giddy "ith e8cite ent "hen

y ne" edition arrives in the

Reading Autobiography

I haven(t read !or en*oy ent in a long ti e aside !ro receive each

the couple periodicals that I y childhood

onth# but "riting this paper and having the opportunity to re!lect on y passion !or reading !or entertain ent$ I

reading has reignited

iss the dra a and the

suspense and the !eeling o! "anting to hurry ho e a!ter a long day so that I can escape back into a !ictional "orld !ull o! people that don(t see 0uite so !ictional$ Additionally# as y love o! very

3otor &rend and Boo%ooks sho"# I love to read non!iction "hen it(s a sub*ect that I( interested in$ As I prepare !or en*oy ent$ y teaching career# I plan to rekindle

y passion !or reading !or

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-CI 6E1 F 3oran F Spring 2E16

Reading Autobiography Rubric

Student -valuation -valuation Criteria Instructor -valuation

Reading Autobiography

Use detailed and specific examples from your reading life, your teaching and learning experiences, and any other relevant source material to write your reading autobiography$ DDDDDDDH>= )hat has and "ho has in!luenced your reading li!e; ?=@ )hy have you developed in certain "ays as a reader; ?=@ .o" have e erging technologies like the Internet a!!ected you as a reader; ?=@ +iscuss the key ideas that intrigue you about using readingHliteracy to support the teaching and learning o! content aterial# as "ell as any deep and real concerns you have about doing so$ ?=@ .o" "ould you de!ine yoursel! as a reader; ?=@

DDDDDDDDH=

Conventions o! good "ritingC clarity# 3echanics# usage# gra ar# spelling ?=@ DDDDDDDDH= )riting is clear# logical# e!!ective# and !lo"s "ell$ /aragraphing is appropriate &ransitions are s ooth &opic is e8plored in depth )riting re!lects proper echanics )riting re!lects correct spelling and conventions o! !or al -nglish

&otalC DDDDDDH=E

&otalC >=H=E DDDDDDDDDH>= Paper answers the following questions: Student -valuation DDDDDH1E

Reading Autobiography

video is clear and ani ated$ 2istener can easily understand "ords$ DDDDDH1E

1EH1E

Pacing/%iming !"#$: /ictures and voice are ti ed together$ /ictures ake sense "ith spoken "ords$ /ace is !ast enough that vie"er does not get 1EH1E bored$ 3ini u o! 1E pictures$ DDDDDH1E %echnical &fficiency !"#$: Story !lo"s "ell and is put together in a pro!essional anner$ &i e li it o! video is bet"een 2 and 2C6E inutes$ DDDDDH1E 'rgani(ation !"#$: 'ideo is "ell:organi7ed and akes sense$ Includes a title and credits$ DDDDDH1E )esources !"#$: 'ideo uses appropriate citations and gives credit !or i ages andHor &otalC DDDDDH=E usic$ &otalC >IH=E 1EH1E

1EH1E

-valuation Categories Voice/ larity !"#$ C 'oice on IH1E

Instructor -valuation