Assignment Prompt

For this assignment, you will compose two separate yet interconnected language and literacy narratives: one delivered in writing, and one delivered in speech. You’re asked in this assignment to zoom into a particular moment from your life.

1. What moments stand out to you when it comes to how you use language and literacy?
2. Can you recall any family, cultural, or social events related to reading or writing that you found enlightening, encouraging, awkward, challenging, or unjust?
3. A key language or literacy moment when positive or negative emotions soared, where you struggled or triumphed?
4. An object or artifact that serves as a memory of a place, activity, or person connected to your language and literacy development?

Assignment Details

Your written narrative should be 2.5-3 pages and must contain:

1. A carefully crafted and revised story of a specific moment, event, or experience.
2. Vivid details that draw your readers into the scene.
3. Three (or more) materials and media to support your narrative, such as pictures of artifacts, images, links, video clips, quotes, sound bites, etc. (As all of your major assignments will be placed on a WordPress site you develop, so creating multimodal texts is important.)
4. Your interpretations of the larger social significance of the event chosen. (After all, our individual narratives reflect larger trends in society, history, where you grew up, and identities like gender, race, culture, linguistic background, and ability. (Your interpretations may be explicitly included in your narrative or implied. But if left implied, be sure to be explicit about these connections in your Cover Letter.)

Assessment Rubric

1. Appropriate Focus and Rhetorical Effectiveness of the Written Narrative
   • How effectively does the written narrative provide 1-2 concrete examples and specific details of the writer’s language/literacy experiences? How effectively does the narrative attend to description? How effectively does the narrative appeal to the intended audience?
2. Explicit Commentary on Significance and Implications
   • How effectively does the written narrative highlight some central idea about a larger social significance? How well does the narrative implicitly or explicitly comment on the larger implications of the story, signaling connections to national trends or to the writer’s life, family, generation, gender, race, culture, linguistic background, ability, and/or geographic location?
3. Appropriate Focus and Rhetorical Effectiveness of the Spoken Narrative
   • How effectively does the spoken presentation draw classmates into the writer’s language/ literacy experiences? How effectively are the 3 minutes utilized?
4. Use of Multimedia
   • How effectively do the written and spoken narratives integrate multiples modes (not just speech vs. writing but also the use of pictures, images, objects, props, links, and music)?
5. General Requirements
   • Were all requirements for length and due date met?

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