My Literacy Autobiography
(1） As I grew older, my definition of literacy changed from the ability to read or write to something that is written to express one’s feelings and opinions. Literacy has always been an important part of my life. Growing up in an Indian household, my sister and I were fully aware that we weren’t raised like most children because of the different cultural values our family had. Our family had cultural literacy because we knew how to understand and function in both the American and Indian culture. Though our family was different and was able to speak in a different language, we enjoyed many pastimes a lot of our friends enjoyed. We liked to ride our bikes, play sports, write in our journals, and read occasionally.
(2) My first exposure to writing – which I remember was in the second grade—was when I was introduced to writing journal prompts. We second grader were given journals to write in, and we were encouraged to write about anything that amused us. This was a way for us to communicate and express ourselves while improving our writing skills. The only requirement was that we attempt to write in full sentences. We also had reading workshop days when we would read books that had a number sticker. The higher the number on the sticker, the harder the book was to read. By the end of that school year, most of us were termed “great readers” by our teacher.
(3) Every year when summer rolled around and we didn’t have any vacation plans, my mom would enroll my sister and me in the Library Summer Reading Program at the Normal Public Library. The goal of the program was to get children to read in the summer. A lot of children would enroll in the program because there were prizes given after a certain amount of books were read. Through these types of positive reinforcements (by teachers and the library), the habit of reading stayed with me all throughout elementary school. I finished many series such as the Nancy Drew mystery books in nearly two months’ time.
(4) Although I read mostly for fun in elementary school, I read mostly for good grades in high school. Throughout high school, there were many opportunities for reading and writing. We wrote mostly essays for speeches, narrative essays, research papers and short stories. Freshman year of high school was difficult because of the many reading assignments we had. It was already known by freshman year that understanding the reading material was essential to getting good grades.
(5) Although I was said to be a “great reader” in second grade, it wasn’t until junior year of high school that I felt my literacy was on another level. That year I took AP Literature and was introduced to manycomplex books such as: The Scarlet Letter, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and The Grapes of Wrath. Our teacher, Mrs. Thetard, emphasized the idea of reading for a purpose. The reason why we read American classics in that class was to understand and make connections using many contexts. We used those aspects to focus on the themes and main argument being made by the author of that book. The juxtapositions and connections we started to make as a class were eye-opening, and they allowed us to become critical readers and thinkers.
(6) As a senior I joined Journalism class. At first, I found the class dull and tedious, but I started to find writing articles interesting. The class also enabled me to distinguish between material that was fact or fiction and to report accurate information. I conducted interviews, reviewed materials, and wrote primarily to gain the audience’s attention in articles that were published in the school newsletter and yearbook. Journalism class encouraged me to write what I found was a current issue and/or memorable for our senior year. This enabled me to write for a specific purpose and to learn new techniques for connecting with readers.
(7) In college I decided to focus on science, and I am currently majoring in Biology. Many people may think that reading and writing don’t apply as much in a science- or math-related major, but they’re wrong. Writing and reading are still a major part of my life because of the research papers, assigned reading for chapters, and studying I have to do. Reading and writing are still emphasized in many other classes that are required for all of us to take because of the class discussions, debates, and projects in those classes that focus on making us more literate in each specific subject.
(8) My definition of literacy has become more complex as I have gained more knowledge on how we should express ourselves through writing and reading. My literacy has mostly improved because of the encouragement of my parents and the teachers that I’ve had in the past. My parents and teachers have helped heighten my writing and reading abilities while providing me with skills that allow me to express myself using critical reading and thinking. Though I am literate, I still have to improve in many areas of literacy and have a lot more to learn. I hope to learn from my mistakes and become more literate in the future.
My Literacy Autobiography
Re: My Literacy Autobiography
Hi Rong,
I genuinely enjoyed reading your essay. Your tone is conversational, which makes the essay feel less like a required informational assignment and more like a story that you are sharing with an acquaintance. There are almost no grammar oversights and you varied the sentence structure quite a bit, both of which lend to the readability of your essay. I forgot I was doing a school assignment and became focused solely on the content of your essay—the story of your literacy journey. This, in my opinion, indicates the greatest strength in this paper. You cleared the path of obstacles and wrote in a way that enables the reader to concentrate on the subject.
When I first read the essay, I thought you were going to explain the progression from understanding literacy as the skills of reading and writing to understanding literacy as the empowerment of expressing yourself, and how your cultural literacy impacted that journey. Because you included cultural literacy in your first paragraph, I was expecting to hear more about it. Also, it seems to me that, instead of your concept of literacy changing as you grew older, your concept of literacy included the idea of expression from the very start. Thus, it seems your journey revolves more around how you improved your ability to use reading and writing and how the purpose for reading and writing developed as you progressed through school. That said, your descriptions of that journey are excellent; you included both broad and specific examples, distinctly connecting each one to how you grew in literacy.
Overall, your essay was quite clear and well-organized, as you followed the natural chronological timeline of your literacy development through school. Most of your transitions functioned particularly smoothly as well. Too often, transitions in essays (including my own!) are limited to chronological connectors (first, second, and etcetera); however, you broadened beyond these to alternative connectors (like “although” in your fourth and fifth paragraphs) and natural “next steps” (like in your third paragraph, in which the timeline flows from the school year to summertime). I might have incorporated some type of concluding transition in your final paragraph to signal to the reader that you are wrapping up the discussion.
For your next submission, there are a just few convention/grammar changes I would recommend to refine your writing. Firstly, in most academic writing, paragraphs are not numbered. Second, unless the piece is designed to be informal, like in a blog setting, contractions are not utilized either. Lastly, titles of books and other long pieces like journals, movies, or plays are italicized. Overall, I think you did a fantastic job following grammar and conventions.
The most significant way I think you could strengthen your next paper, involves how you lay out your main point, topic sentences, and affiliated paragraphs. Your introductory paragraph could have been clearer in identifying the main point and connecting with the following paragraphs. Then, for your following paragraphs, sometimes the topic sentences did not quite match with what the rest of the paragraph said. For example, your fourth paragraph’s first sentence communicates that the topic will be centered on the transition from reading for fun to reading for a grade; however, your paragraph bounces to writing and then back to reading. This was certainly not so in every case; for instance, your third paragraph’s topic sentence indicates that the paragraph will be about the summer reading program, and it is.
Again, I really enjoyed reading your essay, and I hope you are able to continue to expand your literacy skills!
Also, I loved the Nancy Drew books. =]
I genuinely enjoyed reading your essay. Your tone is conversational, which makes the essay feel less like a required informational assignment and more like a story that you are sharing with an acquaintance. There are almost no grammar oversights and you varied the sentence structure quite a bit, both of which lend to the readability of your essay. I forgot I was doing a school assignment and became focused solely on the content of your essay—the story of your literacy journey. This, in my opinion, indicates the greatest strength in this paper. You cleared the path of obstacles and wrote in a way that enables the reader to concentrate on the subject.
When I first read the essay, I thought you were going to explain the progression from understanding literacy as the skills of reading and writing to understanding literacy as the empowerment of expressing yourself, and how your cultural literacy impacted that journey. Because you included cultural literacy in your first paragraph, I was expecting to hear more about it. Also, it seems to me that, instead of your concept of literacy changing as you grew older, your concept of literacy included the idea of expression from the very start. Thus, it seems your journey revolves more around how you improved your ability to use reading and writing and how the purpose for reading and writing developed as you progressed through school. That said, your descriptions of that journey are excellent; you included both broad and specific examples, distinctly connecting each one to how you grew in literacy.
Overall, your essay was quite clear and well-organized, as you followed the natural chronological timeline of your literacy development through school. Most of your transitions functioned particularly smoothly as well. Too often, transitions in essays (including my own!) are limited to chronological connectors (first, second, and etcetera); however, you broadened beyond these to alternative connectors (like “although” in your fourth and fifth paragraphs) and natural “next steps” (like in your third paragraph, in which the timeline flows from the school year to summertime). I might have incorporated some type of concluding transition in your final paragraph to signal to the reader that you are wrapping up the discussion.
For your next submission, there are a just few convention/grammar changes I would recommend to refine your writing. Firstly, in most academic writing, paragraphs are not numbered. Second, unless the piece is designed to be informal, like in a blog setting, contractions are not utilized either. Lastly, titles of books and other long pieces like journals, movies, or plays are italicized. Overall, I think you did a fantastic job following grammar and conventions.
The most significant way I think you could strengthen your next paper, involves how you lay out your main point, topic sentences, and affiliated paragraphs. Your introductory paragraph could have been clearer in identifying the main point and connecting with the following paragraphs. Then, for your following paragraphs, sometimes the topic sentences did not quite match with what the rest of the paragraph said. For example, your fourth paragraph’s first sentence communicates that the topic will be centered on the transition from reading for fun to reading for a grade; however, your paragraph bounces to writing and then back to reading. This was certainly not so in every case; for instance, your third paragraph’s topic sentence indicates that the paragraph will be about the summer reading program, and it is.
Again, I really enjoyed reading your essay, and I hope you are able to continue to expand your literacy skills!
Also, I loved the Nancy Drew books. =]
Re: My Literacy Autobiography
Hi Rong,
Overall Impressions:
I genuinely enjoyed reading your essay. Your tone is conversational, which makes the essay feel less like a required informational assignment and more like a story that you are sharing with an acquaintance. There are almost no grammar oversights and you varied the sentence structure quite a bit, both of which lend to the readability of your essay. I forgot I was doing a school assignment and became focused solely on the content of your essay—the story of your literacy journey. This, in my opinion, indicates the greatest strength in this paper. You cleared the path of obstacles and wrote in a way that enables the reader to concentrate on the subject.
Focus:
When I first read the essay, I thought you were going to explain the progression from understanding literacy as the skills of reading and writing to understanding literacy as the empowerment of expressing yourself, and how your cultural literacy impacted that journey. Because you included cultural literacy in your first paragraph, I was expecting to hear more about it. Also, it seems to me that, instead of your concept of literacy changing as you grew older, your concept of literacy included the idea of expression from the very start. Thus, it seems your journey revolves more around how you improved your ability to use reading and writing and how the purpose for reading and writing developed as you progressed through school. That said, your descriptions of that journey are excellent; you included both broad and specific examples, distinctly connecting each one to how you grew in literacy.
Organization and Transitions:
Overall, your essay was quite clear and well-organized, as you followed the natural chronological timeline of your literacy development through school. Most of your transitions functioned particularly smoothly as well. Too often, transitions in essays (including my own!) are limited to chronological connectors (first, second, and etcetera); however, you broadened beyond these to alternative connectors (like “although” in your fourth and fifth paragraphs) and natural “next steps” (like in your third paragraph, in which the timeline flows from the school year to summertime). I might have incorporated some type of concluding transition in your final paragraph to signal to the reader that you are wrapping up the discussion.
Development:
I think you did a good job keeping your audience in mind. The titles mentioned are fairly well-known, and you provide sufficient context when referencing school or other environments.
Language/Grammar/Conventions:
For your next submission, there are a just few conventions/grammar changes I would recommend to refine your writing. Firstly, in most academic writing, paragraphs are not numbered. Second, unless the piece is designed to be informal, like in a blog setting, contractions are not utilized either. Lastly, titles of books and other long pieces like journals, movies, or plays are italicized. Overall, I think you did a fantastic job following grammar and conventions.
Main Emphasis for Revision:
The most significant way I think you could strengthen your next paper, involves how you lay out your main point, topic sentences, and affiliated paragraphs. Your introductory paragraph could have been clearer in identifying the main point and connecting with the following paragraphs. Then, for your following paragraphs, sometimes the topic sentences did not quite match with what the rest of the paragraph said. For example, your fourth paragraph’s first sentence communicates that the topic will be centered on the transition from reading for fun to reading for a grade; however, your paragraph bounces to writing and then back to reading. This was certainly not so in every case; for instance, your third paragraph’s topic sentence indicates that the paragraph will be about the summer reading program, and it is.
Again, I really enjoyed reading your essay, and I hope you are able to continue to expand your literacy skills!
Also, I loved the Nancy Drew books. =]T
Overall Impressions:
I genuinely enjoyed reading your essay. Your tone is conversational, which makes the essay feel less like a required informational assignment and more like a story that you are sharing with an acquaintance. There are almost no grammar oversights and you varied the sentence structure quite a bit, both of which lend to the readability of your essay. I forgot I was doing a school assignment and became focused solely on the content of your essay—the story of your literacy journey. This, in my opinion, indicates the greatest strength in this paper. You cleared the path of obstacles and wrote in a way that enables the reader to concentrate on the subject.
Focus:
When I first read the essay, I thought you were going to explain the progression from understanding literacy as the skills of reading and writing to understanding literacy as the empowerment of expressing yourself, and how your cultural literacy impacted that journey. Because you included cultural literacy in your first paragraph, I was expecting to hear more about it. Also, it seems to me that, instead of your concept of literacy changing as you grew older, your concept of literacy included the idea of expression from the very start. Thus, it seems your journey revolves more around how you improved your ability to use reading and writing and how the purpose for reading and writing developed as you progressed through school. That said, your descriptions of that journey are excellent; you included both broad and specific examples, distinctly connecting each one to how you grew in literacy.
Organization and Transitions:
Overall, your essay was quite clear and well-organized, as you followed the natural chronological timeline of your literacy development through school. Most of your transitions functioned particularly smoothly as well. Too often, transitions in essays (including my own!) are limited to chronological connectors (first, second, and etcetera); however, you broadened beyond these to alternative connectors (like “although” in your fourth and fifth paragraphs) and natural “next steps” (like in your third paragraph, in which the timeline flows from the school year to summertime). I might have incorporated some type of concluding transition in your final paragraph to signal to the reader that you are wrapping up the discussion.
Development:
I think you did a good job keeping your audience in mind. The titles mentioned are fairly well-known, and you provide sufficient context when referencing school or other environments.
Language/Grammar/Conventions:
For your next submission, there are a just few conventions/grammar changes I would recommend to refine your writing. Firstly, in most academic writing, paragraphs are not numbered. Second, unless the piece is designed to be informal, like in a blog setting, contractions are not utilized either. Lastly, titles of books and other long pieces like journals, movies, or plays are italicized. Overall, I think you did a fantastic job following grammar and conventions.
Main Emphasis for Revision:
The most significant way I think you could strengthen your next paper, involves how you lay out your main point, topic sentences, and affiliated paragraphs. Your introductory paragraph could have been clearer in identifying the main point and connecting with the following paragraphs. Then, for your following paragraphs, sometimes the topic sentences did not quite match with what the rest of the paragraph said. For example, your fourth paragraph’s first sentence communicates that the topic will be centered on the transition from reading for fun to reading for a grade; however, your paragraph bounces to writing and then back to reading. This was certainly not so in every case; for instance, your third paragraph’s topic sentence indicates that the paragraph will be about the summer reading program, and it is.
Again, I really enjoyed reading your essay, and I hope you are able to continue to expand your literacy skills!
Also, I loved the Nancy Drew books. =]T