Literacy Autobiography (100
points)
Students will compose a reflective literacy autobiography that
includes the following components:
(please use these as
headings in your paper
for the paragraphs)
 | Your first recollections of
reading/writing/literacy experiences; interview family members, etc.,
to refresh your memory, if necessary. Include titles and impressions
of the first books you remember reading. Include any samples of your
early writing (some people save these things) or descriptions of
stories you remember having written at a young age. You may include
photographs, writing samples, images of book covers, etc.
|
| Elementary, middle and secondary
school literacy experiences (be reflective and "dig deep"). Do
you remember reading groups? Describe any books you remember
reading in school, your own progress (above grade level, at grade
level, below grade level). Do you remember any exciting events
at your school or in specific classrooms that involved or were planned
around books? Did you have "speech" contests or other types of
performance-based literacy events at your school?
|
| Personal introduction and
description of your previous and current home literacy environment,
culture, attitudes and daily oral and written literacy practices.
Do you read for pleasure? What types of books? How often?
Who are your favorite authors? What do you write, when do you
write, what are the purposes for which you write? What types of
reading materials do you have in your home? What are the
literacy habits of others who live in your home?
|
| How previous and current oral and
written literacy experiences impact your current attitudes, practices,
uses and literacy instruction (reading, writing, oral language use) in
the classroom (be SPECIFIC using real life examples and application).
We "are" what we have experienced as far as literacy is concerned.
Bad experiences often leave negative feelings toward reading/writing.
Positive reinforcements help us learn what to value. What is the
current BIG picture for where you are in your own literacy development
and what factors do you feel account for your present behaviors?
|
| If you had to take your past
experiences, reflect on your present literacy practices and develop a
"philosophy" describing your own personal views regarding literacy,
what would you say? Take this opportunity to synthesize and
verbalize your "gut" literacy philosophy. Wax poetic if needed
(smile). |
Your literacy vignette may be
submitted in one of the following formats:
| PowerPoint Presentation
|
| Book (see
bookmaking ideas) |
| Webpage (with images)
|
| Scrapbook (with text on each
page) |
| Video production
|
|