Transcript WAC 107: Writing Project 1 & the Literacy Narrative

WAC 107: Writing Project 1
& the Literacy Narrative
September 10, 2012
Group writing
• Working in small groups of 3 or 4, list some of
the important aspects of beginning a writing
assignment according Hinton’s article, “So
You’ve Got a Writing Assignment. Now What?”
Guidelines for Interpreting Writing
Assignments
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Don’t panic and don’t procrastinate
Read the assignment. Read it again. Read it often.
Know your purpose and your audience.
Locate and understand directive verbs (e.g. analyze,
describe, narrate).
Do you need an argument?
Consider the evidence.
Calculate the best approach.
Understand and adhere to style and formatting
guidelines.
Identify your available resources and ask questions.
The Genre of Literacy Narratives
Key Features
A Well-Told Story
• Sets up some sort of situation that needs to be
resolved
• Explores the role that reading or writing played
at some time in someone's life
Vivid Detail
• Give readers vivid mental images of the sights,
sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of the world
in which your story takes place.
• Can help readers picture places, people, and
events; dialogue can help them hear what is
being said.
• Dialogue can help bring a narrative to life.
Some indication of the narrative's
significance
• The writer needs to make clear why the incident
matters to him or her.
Choosing a Topic
Focus on a single event that took place during a relatively brief
period of time:
• any early memory about writing or reading
• someone who taught you to read or write
• a book or other text that has been significant for you in some
way
• an event at school that was interesting, humorous, or
embarrassing
• a writing or reading task that you found (or still find) difficult
or challenging
• a memento that represents an important moment in your
literacy development
• the origins of your current attitudes about writing or reading
• Other challenges such as learning to write instant messages,
learning to write email appropriately, learning to construct a
Web page
Generating Ideas and Text
Describe the setting: Where does your narrative
take place?
▫ Describe what you remember: What did you see?
What did you hear? What did you smell? How and
what did you feel?
Generating Ideas and Text
Think about the key people
▫ Describe each person in a paragraph or so.
▫ Recall (or imagine) some characteristics in
diaglogue.
Generating Ideas and Text
Write about “what happened.”
▫ Try summarizing what happened and then going
back into detail.
Generating Ideas and Text
Consider the significance of the narrative.
▫ How is/are the event(s) that you are writing about
important to you now?
▫ How did it change or affect you?
▫ Why does this story matter to you?