PAPER

Writing Identity Two Ways

(100 points)

For this first unit of 107, we have been reading about how other people have come to know and understand their own literacy pasts. For this assignment, it is your turn!

Part I- The Paper

In a short paper (2-4 pages), you will write your own literacy history and future. You may choose to approach this in several ways: you can write about one specific event that was impactful in some way to your literacy, you can chronicle your literacy history as a timeline with a unifying theme, or you can write about several different events that have something uniting them in a way that is revealing about your literacy history and where you want to go as a writer.

This part of the project will need to answer the “So What?” question by addressing why this event or series of events is relevant to who you are now as a literate person. Remember, you are not just telling a story, you must have a point. Is there a lesson to be learned? Are you an example (or anti-example) for others? In what way is your history unique? Think about what you want your readers to remember about your story.

You must also include at least two of our six professional authors (King, Gaiman, Tan, Anzaldua, Gay and/or Malcolm X) (These are attached) in some way as well as Wenger’s ideas (ATTACHED AS WELL) on language and identity and cite them all in a Works Cited page.

This paper should be in 12-point Times New Roman font, 1” margins, and double-spaced, formatted MLA style. (Please use only .doc, .docx, or.pdf files for the paper portion.)

Part II- The Project

Here is where the creativity comes in. For this part of the project, you will look to your paper as a guide and then reimagine it for another audience. While keeping the same points and ideas as in your paper, this part of the project requires that you present your paper in a new way. That way is open for interpretation, but must still have a purpose. Some ideas to get you started might be:

· A song

· A children’s book

· A comic strip

· A letter to your congressmen about literacy practices in schools

· A newspaper article on literacy in America

· A webpage/blog

· A YouTube (or other type of) video

Whatever type of media you choose, you must also turn in a half-page explanation of how this medium reaches the audience you are after and why this format fits with your main ideas and points in your paper. This should be turned in with the initial draft so I can approve your project.

Important Dates

Friday, September 11th-- Draft of Paper and Project Explanation Due (20 points)

Submit both to BB by 11:59pm under Assignments> Paper #1 Draft

Friday, September 25th-- FINAL Paper and Completed Project Due (80 points)

Submit both to BB by 11:59pm under Assignments> Paper #1 Draft