Month: January 2018

1  Sponsors can do many things for students, one of the positive actions a sponsor can do for a student is teach them how to write. In the Brandt reading pg (557), he mentions how people like teacher, editors and influential authors come up the most when people recalled their literacy learning. The word regulate, in terms of a sponsor, is used to control and guide the students work. To direct the work of a student, to fix the work of a student to improve the literature aspect of them.  The word suppress in terms of a sponsor is to maybe hold back some of the work of a student that isn’t up to par. To not express the work of a student from public scrutiny.

2        Because it’s boring to a lot of people understandably. It’s not enjoyable for most people to read or write. It’s more of a task/work than anything. People won’t just sit down and start to write, for the sake of writing. Maybe if people found something interesting to them, it would motivate them to write or read about it.

3 Gee might explain the difference between affluent and the poor in literacy as someone who is set up for success, and others who aren’t because of the situation they grew up in. Gee (pg 17) “fortunately in England, at any rate, education produces no effect whatsoever. If it did it would prove a serious danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to ct of violence in Grosvenor Square” I think what Gee is saying, is that when the poor have more access to education they become more powerful, challenging the upper class.

The key trait of the literacy success story is that the cultural narrative, views literacy as leading to success.  My sampling of the Rising Cairn literacy narrative confirms Alexander’s claim about liberation, development & progression and how the success story is directly related to these. Out of all of Alexander’s speculations on why students often write literacy success stories, The theory that makes most sense to me is the one where she talks about how students portray themselves as “supermen”or “super woman”. Who overcomes challenges and struggles to become more literate. I think that’s very important to developing teenagers, overcoming problems in their life.

The key traits of Victim literacy narrative is students associating school based literacy practices with oppression and cruelty. They remember these experiences that bother them and removed their freedom. Often having a bitter feelings towards literacy. The kind of students most likely to write a victim literacy narrative are kids who have trouble fitting in, kids who resent school and the education system if that’s the relationship they have with literature and english classes in general. Victim literacy authors tend to cast blame for negative literacy experience. Making excuses for their mishaps

The key trait of Rebel literacy narratives are going against the way of doing things. To resist help and challenge the status quo. This literacy narrative takes up 5% of all narratives. This type of literature in my opinion is so rare because students know they are better off going with the system than against. They know there more likely to have success when not going on their own page. For example when Claire would read books during Math class to “rebel against the task at hand”. Attacking the set of beliefs specifically to 

The key traits of an Outsider literacy narrative are considering yourself a stranger not involved with what’s going on at the given moment. This type of narrative also shows up 5% of the time. I think a big reason why Outsider literacy narratives are so rare is because people want to feel apart of something. People are social animals & want to be around other people. People who write outsider literacy narratives probably don’t fit in at school. 

When your part of a discourse, for example an english class, you won’t feel any unity with other students who care about their studies. It’s no surprise writers of this cultural narrative showed regret over not looking at themselves as readers or writers

Alexander explains the appeal of this particular narrative by making the connection between power of education to nature of development in particular students. The 2 rising Cairn stories that conform to this narrative are “literacy narrative” where a Girl in her Senior year was at a point where she was skipping class for multiple weeks at a time, through the support of her teacher Mr. White & hard work she passed her English class & got accepted into a college. The other story that appeals to this narrative is “the art crisis” basically about how this kid hates writing & Art. He strongly dislikes when he’s told what to write about, for him that takes out the fun in English class. He eventually finds that he loves writing when he chooses what to write about & discover on his own.
“ Master narrative’s in one’s personal story has many of these negative results including a naïve and partial understanding of literacy and one’s relationship with it”. “ whereas master narratives or orthodox and legitimate” These are 2 different quotes from Alexander confuse me what she actually thinks of master narratives. I am confident that Alexander has a negative view on National Guard is she refers to them as purely relying on stereotyping large groups of people. She expresses the master narratives make assumptions and base it’s work on grouping people into a category without really knowing.
“ Little narratives are unsanctioned artistic and imaginative they are less generalizable and more individualized and situated in fact little narratives assumed that literacy is multiple contextual an idea logical and they presented many truths about literacy not one truth.” Little narratives are often told by marginalized groups such as women and minorities, these stories run counter to dominant literacy myths. It seems as if the master narrative & little narrative are polar opposites of eachother. Little narratives are useful for students and literacy researchers because it can be out of your own mind you create it, as Alexander mentioned how “artistic” and “imaginative” they are. The 2 example from rising Cairn are “don’t knock it “ & “ parental Advisory”

Narratives read

The art crisis
Don’t knock it
Parental Advisory
Makayla Julie & I
From being a mentee to a mentor
Is it an option to drop out of middle school
No one but myself
Success

2- A similar experience that many narratives seem to share are people learning to love writing, or reading. Whether it be an apprenticeship like Mrs. O’Connell the 8th grade teacher or the mother who taught her son to open his mind up to school when his classmates would complain about how much they hate it. Another important theme is freedom to write what you want. Having the option to choose what you can write about makes the literature piece completely original, also more rewarding when it’s finished. A familiar feeling these authors write about is how passionately they are about what they’re reading. When you can find a book your very interested in, it tends to be fun to read that material.

3- A unique experience I read about in “don’t knock it” was the word of advice Mrs. O’Connell told the author “if a book catches your eye, then that is the one for you”. The author then read a book he found, based on that advice and how that piece of literature had related his own life so much. I find this connection the reader had with that book very strong. Another cool example I read about was how the mother in “parental Advisory” opened her kid’s mind up to school when his peers would bash on the education. A interesting experience in the narrative “Makayla Junie & I” was how these girls viewed this character in a book as their role model growing up, that’s how big of an impact this literature had on these people. A narrative that I can personally relate to is in “from being a mentee to being a mentor” the author has to juggle his own life & studies while also teaching his brother how to read. My older brother supported me a lot whenever I needed help with school growing up. I see my brother as the author and myself as Ben.

4-One of the things these literacy narratives are saying to me about writing is how much more creative and Fun writing can be when I can choose what to write about. The papers we write and the assignments we complete, are often “supposed” to be done in a certain way. For example, Specific formats with guidelines we must abide by. Being able to write about things that interest me can be a more enjoyable experience in contrast to being told to write about something I had no control over. Another thing these literacy narratives are saying about me as a reader is that you really have to find something you truly enjoy to get into it. Kids especially dislike having to read books & articles they’re not interested in.

5- how impactful was Makayla on your development as a reader ?
How hard was it to transition to only taking care of yourself to teaching your little brother how to read & committing a lot of time for that.?
Why do you think Lyell gave you so much confidence t do good in school ?
How did that project in Mr. Bruhl class affect your outlook on future projects/presentations?