If I had to chose the most important moment of my literacy development I would easily say it was my sophomore year of high school. I was in Honors World Literature class taught by high school teacher Amy Shaw. The second semester of the year we spent reading and discussing The Iliad. The way Mrs.Shaw taught this book and made us think about it combined with my love of Greek mythology gave me an immediate interest in this unit. However the many epics and epithets took away most of my enthusiasm. Later in the semester, we were each assigned a chapter, or “books” as they were called, to teach to the class. Our teachings had to include a summary of the events of the chapter as well as a list of literary devices used in the literature. So I summarized and annotated my chapter, and I found that I was looking forward to presenting in front of my class, which has definitely never happened before. I realized that because I genuinely …show more content…
I knew I wasn’t bad at writing but I never thought I was great at it either. I think one of these reasons is because I had never really cared about and/or related to the subjects I was writing about. But because of Mrs. Shaw’s class I was taught that I couldn’t just write, I could take joy in it. This argument is supported in Lenhart et. al.’s article, “Writing, Technology, and Teens,” stating:
In our focus groups, teens said they are motivated to write when they can select topics that are relevant to their lives and interests, and report greater enjoyment of school writing when they have the opportunity to write creatively. Having teachers or other adults who challenge them, present them with interesting curricula and give them detailed feedback also serves as a motivator for teens. Teens also report writing for an audience motivates them to write and write well. (Lenhart et. al.
What about writing and the writing process makes it so disliked and, in some cases, even feared? “Fun?” by Lex Runciman, an English teacher at the Linfield College in Oregon, is an insightful article that explores why many people don’t enjoy writing. He is a very credible author because he has taught college English classes for many years and has written and published several books. His main claim throughout the article is that many people dislike writing and feel that it is frustrating because it is not perceived as or made out to be fun, enjoyable, or rewarding. Runciman wrote this article because, at the time, he felt that there was not enough being done to reverse the negative image that surrounds writing. He wants his readers to realize through his article that writing and the writing process can actually be an enjoyable and rewarding experience. Runciman uses evidence, assumptions, and language and tone as a basis for his argument.
The very first chapter we read of Mindful Writing changed my perspective to see that anyone and everyone can be a writer. Brian Jackson, the author of Mindful Writing, wrote, “In this book I want to convince you that anyone writing anything for any reason is a writer…Writing is not something we do just in school. It is a vital means of influence in all facets of life.” It was through that very first reading that I began to think about writing as more than just a dreaded part of school, and I began to think of myself as more than just a student forced to write. Our very first assignment, My Writing Story, helped me to reflect on my identity as a writer. I realized that I was a writer every time I wrote in my journal or captioned an Instagram post. Throughout the semester, as I came to love writing more with each paper I wrote, I was able to create my identity as a writer. I learned that I loved research and analyzing others’ thoughts and ideas, but that writing simply on my own opinions, wasn’t my favorite past time. Through the countless readings this semester, I saw which writing styles I loved and which didn’t speak to me. Each day of class, I chipped away at creating my identity as a writer, and I’m grateful for the lessons that helped me shape and realize that
Several people have trouble writing college level essays and believe that they are unable to improve their writing skills. In “the Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer,” Sarah Allen argues how no one is born naturally good at writing. Sarah Allen also states how even professional writers have trouble with the task of writing. Others, such as Lennie Irvin, agree. In Irvin’s article “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?” states how there are misconceptions about writing. Furthermore, Mike Bunn’s article “How to Read Like a Writer” shows ways on how one can improve their writing skills. Allen, Bunn, and Irvin are correct to say how no one is born naturally good writers. Now that we know this, we should find ways to help improve our writing skills, and
One quote that stood out to me was “I was struggling to express increasingly complex ideas, and I couldn’t get the language straight: words, as in my second sentence on tragedy, piled up like cars in a serial wreck” (2). This reminds me of when my parents would always tell me to keep writing during my younger stages. Sometimes, through my essays I would give up because the words that are in my head wouldn’t spill out. So, I would become stuck and would consistently ask for help. I literally felt like I was stuck behind traffic, and couldn’t get out until an hour later. However, one good point brought up by Bailey was “I believe that school writing and personal writing are completely different, where school writing can be right or wrong but person writing can be anything without any consequence.” I feel like school writing can play a big role in how one may decided to use their words. If there’s a big essay due; there is a high chance that expressing high complexed ideas would be a lot more harder; than through personal writing because the ‘A’ is a lot more important than actually understanding the context. Another quote I agreed with was, “developing writes will grow… if they are able to write for people who are willing to sit with them and help them as they struggle to write about difficult things” (2). This goes along with my
After reading the essays in Ways of Reading this semester I find validity in the old cliché I still have much to learn. In particular, I thought I knew what major philosophical arguments grounded the field of education however I never realized how many diverse debates are occurring in the field of literacy education. In concluding a theme from the essays, I would suggest a common theme of contextualization and its importance to both writing and education. In Authority and American Usage, David Foster Wallace writes, “you need more than one dialect to get along in school” ( ). Wallace’s quote represents a conclusion of an argument about the role context plays in regards to efficiency with language. In this case Wallace uses the example of a boy who is excellent at rapport with his teachers
When trying to think of a positive writing experience I have had in my lifetime, particularly as a small child, I could not think of any. So I began to ask myself why is it that I do not like writing, what happened in my life for me to have such animosity towards the act. I was finally able to think of an event and realized that it had all begun in the 3rd grade. One day, as a punishment for talking during class, I was kept inside during recess and was forced to write Wise Old Owls until my hands began to cramp. For 45 minutes, I was only allowed to write the same old phrase over and over again; “The wise old owl sat on an oak, the more he heard, the less he spoke, the less he spoke the more he heard, why can’t I be like that wise old bird”. To this day I can still remember that little rhyme and to this day I can remember that same feeling I felt as a elementary school student. From that point on I have always had an aversion for writing, it always seemed like a punishment. I still do not understand how people can journal. I don’t see how someone can sit down and write an entry or a novel just for the hell of it. It seems unnatural to me, but I guess that all of these feelings are just because I see writing as a punishment, an
In “Writing to Learn: Writing across the Disciplines,” Anne J. Herrington finds different sources stating that writing is to be taken serious. Janet Emig says, "writing represents a unique mode of learning-not merely valuable, not merely special, but unique” (1) meaning that writing is far more essential than we ought to make it seem. Anne Herrington wants educators teaching in economics, history, chemistry or any other subject to guide their students into understanding why progressing their writing skills will be more helpful to them. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the educator; whether he/she wants their students to use writing as a way for students to adapt to different disciplines.
Thinking about a topic to write about is not always easy, and sometimes the process of writing can end up being difficult. Jennifer Jacobson discusses strategies to overcome the struggles that young writers can encounter while writing. I was interested in her book No More “I’m Done!” Fostering Independent Writers in the Primary Grades because I feel like as a future teacher this could be a frequent problem among students. From reading this book, I hoped that I would learn useful strategies that I could use to help students overcome their problems with writing. After reading this book, I do believe that Jacobson has provided me with plenty of methods to use. I was surprised at the depth that she goes into in her text. There is a vast amount
I used to have to take these tests about all the books I would read in school and I would always ace them all. I knew that reading was something I liked because I was always very intrigued by it. Also in middle school I found my true writing voice. I remember taking a creative writing class in six grade and I was always the student who wrote more than what was expected for my writing assignments. I would write stories about things such as my friends and the experiences that I had in school. Sometimes I would even write my own plays and in my plays the characters would be people in family and people from school. I would always try to make the plot super interesting in my plays. One time I wrote a play about my brothers and me traveling to space and finding aliens. Overall, I really fell in love with literacy throughout my middle school years because I was able to read books more at an advance level and I also was able to write more intense stories. Literacy has been a positive influence in my life all throughout my school
Another thing that motivates teenagers to write is the audience (Lenhart et al., 713). Educators can use audience to challenge the student to write so that the recipe is for children so that they have to use the most basic words and incorporate many pictures, or to write for the smartest man in the world creating a recipe that uses only the best vocabulary words with absolutely no pictures. Recipes can be used to reach so many different audiences that it keeps the task of creating one fun and
Every year of my life, marks a year of accomplishment in literacy. This can be seen through my progression within school. The numerous exams I passed would not have been accomplished if I could not coherently write about the knowledge, and opinions I had formed growing up. These answers became the grades I needed to gain entry to university. I am very thankful to my parents for having the foresight and awareness to teach me from an early age how to read and write.
The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill; it is usually learned or culturally transmitted as a set of practices in formal instructional settings or other environments. Writing skills must be practiced and learned through experience. Writing also involves composing, which implies the ability either to tell or retell pieces of information in the form of narratives or description, or to transform information into new texts, as in expository or argumentative writing. Perhaps it is best viewed as a continuum of activities that range from the more mechanical or formal aspects of “writing down” on the one end, to the more complex act of composing on the other end (Omaggio Hadley, 1993). It is undoubtedly the act of
The Importance of Reading to My Future The fact about the importance of reading is that being a reader means you're more likely to learn something new everyday. Reading helps you boost your analytical thinking, reading enhances your memory. Reading can be more therapeutic, people who read are more likely to vote, exercise and be more cultural. Reading helps prevent Alzheimer's disease, reading expands your vocabulary and leads to more highly developed language skills.
Is it important to be a literate person in today’s society? The ability to function well depends on whether or not a person is literate and can comprehend what is going on around them. If a person doesn’t have the basic ability to read, they will feel the stress and dependency on others because of their illiteracy. Illiteracy is a big problem because without the knowledge of reading, illiterate people can’t perform daily tasks and responsibilities in daily life. When all it would take is a mere two minutes out of your day, don’t you think illiteracy can be helped or even extinguished?
Communication is an essential day-to-day practice in human life. In the present day, the communication is more important by the cultures and the nations than never in advance. In fact, language is the best means of the communication, and, therefore, it is necessary for the human interaction. In this globalized world, many people speak more than about one Language. The written language and expressing ideas and views are more effective in social cognitive cases of the communication. a writing system is a well-organized and systematic transfer of messages. It can be either for the people who can read or the people who are visually disabled (e.g. Braille Script). A writing system can have alphabets, logography, symbols or signs. There is standard