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One’s literary identity is made up of the experiences they’ve had both in and out of the classroom. These experiences being good or bad are highly influenced by the sponsors they are exposed to. Throughout the learning process it is very possible that one can have shift in their identity. This shift can be a factor of many different things.  For instance a student like paige who never expected to go to college. Her teacher Rosanne taking a special interest in her lead her to not only do better in school but eventually attend college and thrive while doing it. The influence of Paige’s sponsor lead her identity to shift from a victim to a hero narrative.  Another way a students identity can shift is by forcing the acquisition of literacy upon them. An example of this is a student like Emily who loved to read with her father. When she attended school and was forced to read her identity changed and she hated it. Emily had a negative experience while reading in school. This experience lead her identity to shift from a success to victim narrative.

 

In my own experiences, i have found that i learn something the best when i want to learn it. if I’m interested in something and do it on my own then it is something that i love to do. Forcing someone to do something even if they love to do it can cause them to not enjoy it. Specifically by forcing a student to read or write for example in school can cause them to have a bad experience with it. Alexander presents in her article “ the popularity of the victim narrative in student texts indicates that students associate school based literacy practices with oppression and even cruelty” (618). Some students may enjoy reading or writing on their own time but if someone is forcing them to do so, especially with material they don’t like, the student may have no interest in it. We can evaluate an example of this in Emily gagnons literacy narrative “The Wizard of Oz Saved my Brain”. Emily read nearly every night with her father but when she was forced to read in school she despised it. Emily states in her narrative “My love of reading disappeared when it came to reading in school” (1). This can be associated with nearly anything. By doing something unforced, on your own time it is pure. You do it because you love to, but as soon as someone starts to make you, that love can be lost.

Literacy narratives can create an identity for the author of the narrative. Based on different experiences the author goes through, their identity can shift. One of those factors is the environment in which the students are learning. As alexander states “students of differing socioeconomic backgrounds invoke the child prodigy narrative differently” (620). Placed in an environment where an identity of literacy scholarship is valued a student is more likely to want to succeed in the given field. To compliment that statement there are students who start out thinking they don’t have an interest in succeeding with literacy who have a change of heart. This can all be a factor of a few different things. One is the positive influence of a sponsor. Paige hibbard speaks in her literacy narrative of how the norm in her family is not to attend college. She went through much of her schooling thinking that she would never attend college but with the positive influence of her teacher, Paige’s identity changed and she was the first in her family to attend college.  Paige explains in her narrative “I thanked Rosanne, she changed my life” (3). Having a teacher that takes a special interest in a student can have a major positive impact on the students life. Another factor that will lead an author’s identity to shift is the simple way in which they learn to read or write.

 

 

1. In my first draft for paper 3 I use both Alexander and Williams. I use quotes from each explaining the identities that students create while acquiring literacy skills. My peers seem to think i do a good job of using the quotes to support my ideas but they also believe that i can do a better job of explaining them as well as go into more depth during my explanation. as i move to my final draft i need to explain more about my thoughts. I believe i show a decent amount of evidence but a better explanation will make my paper stronger.
2. The comments from my peers show me that i do a good job of introducing quotes from alexander and williams but i need to do a better job of explaining them. I think i need to use more quotes from the scholarly texts followed by a deeper explanation.
3. I think i do a decent job of using quotes from the scholarly texts as well as the literacy narratives. i can definitely add more quotes from the scholarly texts as well as another literacy narrative. so far i think i have done a decent job in this area but looking forward to my final draft there is a lot of work that i need to do.

Every literacy narrative creates an identity for the author of the narrative. Throughout the narrative the authors identity can shift based on several different factors. One of those factors is the environment in which the students are learning. As alexander states “students of differing socioeconomic backgrounds invoke the child prodigy narrative differently” (620). Placed in an environment where an identity of literacy scholarship is valued a student is more likely to want to succeed in the given field. To compliment that statement there are students who start out thinking they don’t have an interest in succeeding with literacy who have a change of heart. The can all be a factor of a few different things. One is the positive influence of a sponsor. Paige hibbard speaks in her literacy narrative of how the norm in her family is not to attend college. She went through much of her schooling thinking that she would never attend college but with the positive influence of her teacher, Paige’s identity changed and she was the first in her family to attend college.  Paige explains in her narrative “I thanked Rosanne, she changed my life” (3). Having a teacher that takes a special interest in a student can have a major positive impact on the students life.

 

Forcing someone to do something even if they love to do it can cause them to not enjoy it. Specifically by forcing a student to read or write for example in school can cause them to have a bad experience with it. Alexander presents in her article “ the popularity of the victim narrative in student texts indicates that students associate school based literacy practices with oppression and even cruelty” (618). Some students may enjoy reading or writing on their own time but if someone is forcing them to do so, especially with material they don’t like, the student may have no interest in it. We can evaluate an example of this in Emily gagnons literacy narrative “The Wizard of Oz Saved my Brain”. Emily read nearly every night with her father but when she was forced to read in school she despised it. Emily states in her narrative “My love of reading disappeared when it came to reading in school” (1). The can be associated with nearly anything. By doing something unforced, on your own time it is pure. You do it because you love to, but as soon as someone starts to make you, that love can be lost.

 

The area of literacy acquisition that I’m most interested in is the positive influence that a sponsor can have on a student and the identity shift that can be a result of that. Not everyone is born with a love for reading and writing. With a positive influence of a sponsor then can learn to excel in the subject.

Jess Larson – The Best Teacher I Ever Did Have

Skylah Buchanan – Living in a Fairytale

Christina Sevilla – Anything is possible

Brandon Rico – The New Side of Literature

Ashley McCarthy – Cars Turning Over by the Sea

Tevin Francois – Books and Life Over Ball

 

Blake Beverage Narrative Worksheet

Paige Hibbard Narrative worksheet

 

Michaela Fischer Narrative Worksheet

Emily Gagnon Narrative Worksheet

 

Introduction – I did not change much in my introduction. I added two sentences towards the end of it because my ideas didn’t flow very well. I feel as though the sentence i added made my introduction easier to understand.

Evidence and Explanations – My first draft was very short and mainly included Nair and Nair. I knew moving forward into my final draft I would need to involve Gee and Haas, thats exactly what I did. I used Gee’s building tasks identities, connections and relationships. I used Haas study of Eliza to show rhetorical development.

Reorganization – I did not move much around, there were quotes that I went back and introduced better.

New Paragraphs – Most of my paper ended up being new because of the fact that my first draft was so short. I added a few more body paragraphs and and conclusion to wrap up all of my ideas. once I got a grasp on my ideas and was able to map out a plan I felt it was easier to finish the paper. Getting started was the worst part for me.

1. My first draft was very short therefore I have not yet divulged Gee in any depth. However, I have gotten feedback from my peers and now have a better understanding of how i can incorporate Gee into my paper. I plan on writing about his “identities” and “relationship” building tasks and how the two work together in Science Discourse.
2. My first body paragraph talks mainly about the role of IMRAD. like i said in question 1, I now have a better understanding of what it is I need to do and therefore incorporate solid pieces of language into my new paragraphs that I hope will work well.
3. My paragraph about the role of IMRAD is very informative, however, I feel as though I can add more “i say” sentences in there to help strengthen it overall.
4. Although my first draft was short, by doing these exercises and the peer review in class and on my own I feel as though I’ve been able to help better my understanding of science discourse. By incorporating Haas and Gee as well the role of IMRAD I basically give a guiding of how it is to enter science Discourse. The route that must be taken to fully achieve a science discourse might take some time but with careful attention to detail it most certainly can be done.

Original

Arguably one of the more important parts of IMRAD is the introduction. This is the setup for the entire research paper. “It tells why the reader should find the paper interesting, explains why the author carried out the research, and gives the background the reader needs to understand and judge the paper” (Nair and Nair 18). If one can not express a clear problem or issue and why that problem is of any significance then the reader would have no reason to continue. The materials and methods section of the paper should state clearly what has been done and how it was carried out. “The simplest way to organize this section is chronologically; include all necessary information, but avoid unnecessary details that the readers are supposed (ought) to know” (Nair and Nair 18). Sure there is some importance in describing the way something was done but that isn’t usually what the readers are after. Generally readers are looking for information that they do not already have, the new facts. This leaves the methods portion of the paper as the least read. Getting into what the readers are actually looking for is the results portion of the paper. “This section presents the new knowledge; therefore, it is the core of the paper” (Nair and Nair 20). Although this is the core of the paper, both the introduction and the methods portion are necessary to setup how the author arrived at the information presented in this section. The information presented in this section is of the most importance and value, it is the whole reason the the reader is reading in the first place. After displaying the information the scientist has found he or she will then move on to the discussion part of their paper. This portion is said to be the most difficult to write by scientists because it ties everything that has previously been explained together. “The authors’ skill in interpreting the results in the light of known facts and using the results as evidence for innovative explanations of the observed behavior should push the frontiers of knowledge and arouse the reader’s’ enthusiasm” (Nair and Nair 21). P.K.R and V.D Nair suggest the difficulty of writing this section and how its impossible to describe how to do it.

Revised

Arguably one of the more important parts of IMRAD is the introduction. This is the setup for the entire research paper. “It tells why the reader should find the paper interesting, explains why the author carried out the research, and gives the background the reader needs to understand and judge the paper” (Nair and Nair 18). If one can not express a clear problem or issue and why that problem is of any significance then the reader would have no reason to continue. The materials and methods section of the paper should state clearly what has been done and how it was carried out. “The simplest way to organize this section is chronologically; include all necessary information, but avoid unnecessary details that the readers are supposed (ought) to know” (Nair and Nair 18). Sure there is some importance in describing the way something was done but that isn’t usually what the readers are after. Generally readers are looking for information that they do not already have, the new facts. This leaves the methods portion of the paper as the least read. Getting into what the readers are actually looking for is the results portion of the paper. “This section presents the new knowledge; therefore, it is the core of the paper” (Nair and Nair 20). Although this is the core of the paper, both the introduction and the methods portion are necessary to setup how the author arrived at the information presented in this section. The information presented in this section is of the most importance and value, it is the whole reason the the reader is reading in the first place. After displaying the information the scientist has found he or she will then move on to the discussion part of their paper. This portion is said to be the most difficult to write by scientists because it ties everything that has previously been explained together. “The authors’ skill in interpreting the results in the light of known facts and using the results as evidence for innovative explanations of the observed behavior should push the frontiers of knowledge and arouse the reader’s’ enthusiasm” (Nair and Nair 21). P.K.R and V.D Nair suggest the difficulty of writing this section and how its impossible to describe how to do it.