Townsend 1 Briona Townsend English 1101 Professor Rieman Feb. 18, 2014 Im positive that this paper is choppy.

I was really trying to capture the experiences that led me to the level of literacy I am on now. Because of that, I was writing as my thoughts changed and remembered something else. Also I separated my experiences with reading and writing because I couldnt figure out a real way to connect them. I think that is more so because I possess different feelings about each of them. Also I have a habit of being too wordy. Overall, I hope that my audience feels like they can understand and connect with my own experiences. Also, I added quotes about both reading and writing that I thought accurately summed up my thoughts on each one. Revisions: I took the advice of one of my peers because the other didnt really give me any constructive criticism. What I did get, was a few expansion suggestions and I took them to the heart. Mostly, I received grammar corrections. The Evolution of Literacy Literacy: noun . 1. the quality or state of being literate, especially the ability to read and write. 2. possession of education (Merriam Webster) In its simplest form, I think its safe to say that literacy boils down to whether a person can read or write. Though most of us can do both, not all of us are great at both. I am a great example of this. My love of reading and the positive influences I have had has turned me into an educated reader. My writing skills are on the other side of the spectrum. Ive learned that the different influences we receive has a lot to do with our literacy; The

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people around us, the schools we go to, and the teachers we get can make all the difference in the world. Reading

Ive been around books my whole life. My mother was always big on education. When I was younger, shed teach me to count with jelly beans, Id learn my ABCs while watching Sesame Street, and she herself would read to me. I remember a few random titles: If you give a mouse a cookie, Nappy Hair, and various stories about Elmo. He was my best friend back then; Even now I keep an Elmo doll. Anyway, I grew up being read to, and because of this I developed a love for books quickly. Ive had a lot of positive influences when it comes to expressing literacy through reading. My mother and school played a very important role in my developmental stage. My mom has shelves and shelves of books that she has read and collected over the years. I have a few boxes of my own. Her favorite pastime is engaging in a love story by Zane or Nicholas Sparks. Because of her love for books, she was big on passing the trait down. Aside from reading to me, I remember her making me and my sister pick out a book one summer. We were to read the book and write a report that she could look at. My sister hated the task at hand; I didnt too much mind, though. Though I resented having to

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do a report, the reading was fun. I like to be engaged and lost in another world. Thats the affect books have always had on me. Knowing this, my parents were always buying me books for Christmas and on my birthday. My mom would take my siblings and I to the library every weekend over the summer to browse around and check out books. I went faithfully Until I lost one of their books. It was back to buying my own after that. Sometimes, after Id read everything given to me, Id sneak a book off my mothers shelf and read it at night. All of this reading increased my love for books and stories. I didnt have to be forced to read, and because of this I was willingly learning and expanding my vocabulary and it all stuck with me. Back in elementary school, reading was a big thing. I remember having to read a five page book to and adult for homework in kindergarten. See Dick run. See Jane run. The books were simple and were supposed to prepare us for a harder level of reading. And then came the AR program. The Accelerated Reading program is something I very fondly remember. In my opinion, it was the best part of the school work we were given back in elementary school. If you did well, youd be eligible for a prize. Maybe the class would be given an ice cream or pizza party. Every child was assigned a level of reading that would gradually increase. I remember desperately wanting to be put on level six. Im not sure how far I got. I always did well though, because we were allowed to pick books that were interesting to us. I was a fan of the Junie B. Jones series and the The Boxcar Children. Id read the books quickly and ace the test. The AR program only built upon the reading skills I had already developed at home. Unlike me, there were many that disliked the AR program and its purpose. Looking back on it, I think the AR program was a great program. Sometimes kids need to

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be pushed into something that they would otherwise never show interest in. It surely enhanced my reading skills, and I never stopped reading. My reading habits and competency is the product of my mothers influence and a schools force. Im thankful for them both. My experience of reading has increased my knowledge on various topics and has helped my vocabulary as well. Even with the busy schedule I have now, I make time to learn something new from a book. Writing

Writing. It is not my favorite thing to do. Never has been. Never will be. Writing and I have been forced to reach some kind of understanding over the years. Seems like the older you get, the more writing you have to do. Teachers demand papers 10 pages long. E-mail is the proper communication form, ..and please, make sure it is written professionally and with regard to the person it is meant for. There are too many aspects of writing. Who is the targeted audience? How do you want the piece of writing to work? Arial font or Times New Roman? Blah blah blah. Needless to say, I havent had too many good experiences or feedback in the past. It has shaped my feelings for all types of writing (excluding texting and Facebook posts). I dont feel like my writing skills have been encouraged like they should have

Townsend 5 been in the past. English class has always been a strong suit of mine in the past. Knowing this I went into Honors English in high school. My teacher was the head of the English department, and she was tough. Shed frequently assign papers, and I always dreaded this kind of homework. I dreaded the grade even more. Id spend time on a difficult topic trying to make sense of the assignment. Id try to give my teacher whatever it was she was looking for. Shed give me an F. There would be no explanation, no feedback. Just an F. It would frustrate me so bad because I didnt know what I was missing as a writer. Sometimes I think teachers want students to write like them. In reality we all have different styles though, and they should be appreciated. With that being said though, how can you really grade a piece of writing? Is there an efficient way of doing so? Im not sure if there is a standard of grading that is merciful a writers creativity. Though she was head of the English department, my teacher wasnt very helpful to me and played a strong part in disliking writing. I never really overcame my dislike of writing. I had some bad experiences when it comes to feedback, but Ive had some good ones too. I was apart of my high school debate team for three years, and it required quite a bit of research and writing. Every two months, I had to prepare both a case supporting and disapproving of a given topic. The paper (known as a case in debate) was supposed to long enough to be recited in six minutes. This is about 1000 words, depending on how fast someone talks. My teammates and coaches were great at giving feedback. Theyd try to understand the points I tried to make in my case. From there on they would tell me what did and did not work. They would also suggest different sources and theories that could possibly be helpful to me. I loved the way this operated; I was never made to feel

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stupid. I felt like they helped me become a better writer, think more logically, and I was taught to adequately present in front of others. I loved debate; I loved presenting something I worked so hard on and defending it. But as much as I loved the sport, I hated preparing for it. I hated writing the cases. Having to do something I disliked so much caused me to quit. I still feel like I missed out on a lot of opportunities because of my hatred of writingI wish I would have continued. What do I think about writing now this class has actually helped me not to fret so much when a writing assignment is given. I think its because we have to do the assignments. I have to write to pass, and failing is not an option. Ive actually started writing random feelings and thoughts in my phone whenever I feel the need. Im learning to use writing as a means of expression and I hadnt really learned that until now. Its refreshing also to know that I have a teacher that more so tries to relate and help than critique. My writing isnt graded; it is constructively examined in hopes to know and understand me and my writing style. My perspective on writing is slowly starting to change. I am even coming up with ideas and writing faster! I have never been made to sit and really think about what has shaped my literacy until now. It is interesting The things that shape us, how we learn to like things, and how we acquire distaste for others. I know that my literacy isnt yet fully grown. As long as you live; youll be introduced to different perspectives through reading. The different forms of writing will continue to evolve. Literacy will continue to change.

Briona, I think the two sections work well enough here. Im sure you could find ways to weave them together moreby thinking about what you learn about writing from readingthis structure works fine if you want to keep it like this. I agree that this is choppy in places,

Townsend 7 but I attribute that to you figuring out what you want to say and thinking through your writing. A good thing. Revision is where you can start to figure out what you want to do with these initial thoughts. Revision suggestions: You start to get to this in places, but I think it might be helpful if you did some more in-depth examination of sponsorship. You have so many great examples hereyour mom, debate team, the English teacher who didnt give you helpful feedback, your own access to books. While its helpful to think about why we may or many not feel particularly proficient in things (like you feel about writing), it can be helpful to look at the bigger picture, too. Your point about how writing is assessed is especially interesting. What were you ever told in school about writing assessment? How did you know what was expected of you as a writer in different situations? Did you read mentor texts to see what the kind of writing you were being asked to do looked like? Just some ideas to explore. So, my suggestion: revisit this with an aim to complicate this a bit more and delve more into the factors that have shaped the writer / reader you are and the forces behind even those. Im happy to talk through this with you in person, if you like. Meanwhile, please write a talk back.