In Class Lab: Literacy Narrative

1.) “Each time I arrived under the bells, I would recite the poem to myself, even when the weather was cold and my breath made the air foggy.” Pg.133 paragraph 2
2.) “But it’s Lydia’s story that stays with me most, probably because it represents the essence of hope and determination in the face of terrible adversity.” Pg. 131 paragraph 12
3.) “Her tongue became dry and her lips were cracked, but she only was aware of being terrified of the water.” Pg.130 paragraph 9

4.) -Reading as a way to learn new things (stuck in the house with limited resources.)                                - Unaware of the impact of learning to read (hooked on phonics, languages, etc.)

5.) The first item on the list shows how access to books and information allowed me to learn a lot about different subjects not easily answered at home. The second idea has to do with my grandmother making my brother and I do hooked on phonics and practicing to read and how later I discovered that not all people had the same level of literacy I developed as a result and how it helped me in ways I was unaware of.

6.) Some audiences may have similar experiences not specifically about learning to read but about education of a particular thing in general that they were not happy about, and how those things they learned had helped them in the long run and may have been something taken for granted. I’d have to explain about my dislike of hooked on phonics etc. and how I came to the awareness that it was something that did help in the long run.

7.) I’d like the audience to see me as sincere. In the narrative I would be attempting to communicate how sometimes things that may be underappreciated can come to be one of the most important parts of their lives.

8.) My narrative will be in print. A picture or two may help in showing how I or another involved may have felt.   The narrative takes place at home and at school. I remember how much I hated the 15 min. timer my grandmother had in which we had to sit and practice reading. I remember how I became aware of how little struggle or issues I had with reading and how I was able to pronounce strange seeming words correctly easier than most (of course some were not always spot on.)  

9.) There were red, orange, and brown carpets with yarn like noodle textures. The colorful tape player with a plastic red and yellow microphone. (it was not for play.)  In the classroom there were white walls with grayish blue and green carpet. Desks with blue chairs attached.

10.) I can still hear the lady on the recording repeating “A-E-I-O-U are vowels, A-E-I-O-U are vowels, and sometimes Y” before the beginning of every hooked on phonics recording.

11.) I can smell the air conditioned air blowing slightly faded perfume from my English teacher.

12.) I feel bored and annoyed (I’d rather go outside and play.) I felt appreciation when I realized how lucky I was to have a grandmother who wanted me to learn to read.

13.) I taste the snack I had in between classes.

14.) My Grandmother was a short frizzy haired lady with a nice smile and smelled often of roses. She worked out in the gardens a lot. She spoke very kindly but also efficiently. The student in my English class had short straight brown hair and was mildly husky. My English teacher was an average height, slender woman with blonde hair. I was small with curly hair and then later average sized with curly brown hair that had some blonde hair mixed in with the brown towards the front of my forehead.

15.)”I don’t want to do this, its boring.” “You just have to do 15 min.” I became aware of how all the extra reading my grandmother attempted to make me do had helped me a lot more than I had previously realized. I assumed most had a certain level of proficiency in reading and comprehension and that I was the average.

16.) In the beginning of being taught to read I was resistant to doing any extra stuff we didn’t learn in class. I had a grandmother who insisted I needed the extra help. Later on it wasn’t until I was in and English class my Junior year that I realized not everyone had the reading comprehension and ability that I had.

17.)  The significance of the story is very personal to me. It not only brings to mind memories of my grandmother who has since passed on, it also reminds me of the significance of appreciating the small moments we often have. Sometimes we may not see the significance of something right away, especially if we are resistant to it. In fact it was many years later, late into my teen years before I realized the significance of those small moments which I resisted so much as a child.