TODAY’S GOALS Introduce literacy narratives as a genre Analyze sample student literacy narratives Discuss uses of concrete words and the scale of abstractions

LITERACY NARRATIVES: An genre of academic open form prose Tell a story focused on important events that relate to a person’s language, rhetoric, or literacy Must have a coherent plot with rising action, a climax, and falling action Are an example of creative non-fiction: they tell an interesting story based on a real life experience Utilize concrete words, figurative language, and an implicit theme Should NOT have a thesis Should NOT attempt to tell the entire history of a person’s education or literacy Should NOT completely make up events that never happened to you

GROUP ACTIVITY 1: LITERACY NARRATIVE EVALUATION In your unit 1 groups Read the sample Literacy Narrative given to your group Answer the following questions: 1.What is the main problem that the story seems to address? 2.What are the main events that take place throughout the story? 3.Who are the main characters in the story (aside from the writer)? How are they described? 4.What setting(s) does the story take place in? What is the sense or mood you see in these settings? 5.What grade (overall) would you give the Literacy Narrative based on the criteria on our assignment sheet?

OPEN FORM PROSE Examples: Novels, poems, short stories, some articles, literacy narratives, exploratory and free writing, journal entries, etc Important characteristics: Organized around a theme or plot rather than a thesis Has characters and settings that are vividly described Uses concrete language and figurative language to portray or evoke emotions. Dialogue may also be used to provide further emotion and information

NEW VOCABULARY Scale of Abstraction Concrete Words Abstract Words

GROUP ACTIVITY 2: CONTRASTING DESCRIPTIONS Select a setting that everyone in the group is familiar with. Suggestions include: the beach, a mall, a particular place or building at FIU, a park, etc. Be specific here. Produce a 1 paragraph description of the setting that extensively uses abstract words and is very vague Then, produce a 1 paragraph description that heavily uses concrete words and conveys something important about the setting. The whole group should work on both descriptions rather than dividing them up Produce a single paper to turn in for the whole group

MINOR ESSAY words Based off of Brief Writing Project 1 from pg of the A&B textbook Due Friday 1/22 to Turnitin.com 3 sections: 1. Text message to a friend : explain that you are going to miss an upcoming social event because you are sick 2. An to a professor: explain that you cannot met an assignment deadline because you are sick and need an extension 3. Reflect on the two messages: Based on your two examples, explain how the different purpose, audience, and genre of these messages caused you to make difference choices when composing them.

HOMEWORK: Read A&B p Find one example piece of open form prose and bring it with you to class on Friday. This should be at least one page long. Newspaper articles and research papers are NOT considered open form prose. Minor Essay 1 Follow prompt on pg. 23 of A&B words Submit to Turnitin.com by Friday’s class time Turnitin.com Class Information: Class ID: Class password: 4English