Questions We Can Help You To Answer

Paper instructions:

Literacy Narrative  
What is a literacy narrative?  “A literacy narrative re-tells or analyzes one important scene, incident, experience, or character in your development as a reader, writer, or thinker.” -- (Dr. David Blakesley)  
For this first essay assignment, I would like you to explore your literacy past and choose a specific point in time where you were moved as a reader, writer, or thinker.  For example, you might want to talk about your third grade teacher – the one who introduced you to books and the significance of that experience.  What book did you read?  What did reading mean to you then?  How did it change your way of thinking, then and now?  Another example might be a tutor you had – especially if you are a second language speaker – who helped you become a better writer.  How did that person help you?  What did you feel?  Why is it important to understand how to write?  Obviously, your essay will explore questions beyond the ones I have listed here, especially because you need to include the style elements of a narrative piece, which are description, voice, scene, and significance.  
Imagine that you are telling a story.  You want your reader to enjoy what you have written.  You should also equally discuss the significance of the event you’ve chosen.  The reader will get even more enjoyment out of your story-telling if you can talk about why that event was so important to you (you’re not only re-telling a story, you’re teaching the reader something, too).  
A strong narrative essay should consider the following:  
Description/Details: What happened, who was involved, when and where it happened,  how it happened, and why it happened.  
Voice:  This is your opportunity to use your creative writing voice.  This is an  academic essay, but you should still sound interesting and engaging (like the literacy narratives we’ve read in class).  
Scene:  In addition to describing where your story took place, you need to set the scene  by describing all of the circumstances that surround the situation.    
Significance/Reflection: You will not only have to relate the story in great detail – you  will also need to explain the significance or importance of that story.  The reader will want to know what you learned and maybe even learn something about themselves.  In other words, there’s more to the story than just what happened.  
Use the Rhetorical Framework: This is a bit more difficult, and I will list what you need  to include in your essay on page 2.  
Guidelines:  
• Final draft must be 4-5 (complete) typed, double-spaced pages • Use MLA guidelines and Standard American English • You must turn in all drafts in order to receive full credit  
Evaluation Criteria:  
• Development – You must relate significance and meaning to your event through reflection.  You must also use descriptive details to help tell your story so that the reader can better relate to the overarching theme.  • Organization – The essay must have a strong introduction, supporting paragraphs, and a conclusion, that progress logically from one idea to the next.  This not only includes smart transitions from paragraph to paragraph, but the sentences that make up the paragraph need to transition as well.  • Purpose – You need a controlling idea, a main point, or thesis that you want to get across to your reader.  This should be reflected in the examples/details you give, but should also be the overarching theme of the entire piece. • Mechanics – Correct grammar, spelling, and sentence structure.  You must also follow the assignment, meet the requirements of the prompt, and use MLA guidelines.  
Rhetorical Framework:  Author: You.  How you wish to develop voice, style, and tone is up to you. Although this paper has to be written in Standard American English, I am not holding you to completely formal writing.  I do expect that you avoid informal language (slang [unless given as an example or through dialogue] and that you also put more thought into word choice and vocabulary.  The reader should like your voice and want to listen to what you have to say.  Purpose: What is your overall message, controlling idea, or thesis?  This should be very clear to you and your reader.  Audience: Your audience includes me, but it also includes your classmates, and whomever else you would feel comfortable with reading your paper.  Context: This is the situation surrounding your essay.  When, where, who, why, and how, is a good way to think about this.  Topic:  I have given you a very general topic, it is up to you to specify the event and make it personal.  You are open to which event you would like to use as long as it