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Literacy History Journal Assignment
Early Memories
My early memories of reading are of my mother and father's active reading to me,
nurturing my love for books. In spite of my mother's role as a full-time employee and a young
first-time mother, she dedicated time to reading books that had a lot of pictures of me. The same
case was with my father, and I loved to go to bookshops where I had the chance to select new
books for me to read. Bedtime stories were an ordinary thing when it came to my mother and
father, who never missed telling me a bedtime story until I was five years old.
School Memories
Back in school, my memories of reading mostly involved the reading the teachers gave
me. The English teacher had this standard of giving us reflective readings every weekend, and
we had to write about something we captured from the reading. As a pleasure, my friends and I
would always like to read and engage in talking about magazines that explore nature. Another
good memory of my first writing assignment includes my first-grade teacher, who once
announced an opportunity for us to enter poems for a competition where I won second place.
Interestingly, during my school years, I have to admit that reading outside of school work and
just for fun was not one of my interests.
Reading for Pleasure and Social Purposes
Everyone has that one book they cannot put down, and mine was "Harry Potter and the
Philosopher's Stone," which was written by J.K. Rowling. This book happens to fall under my
all-time favourite children's book, my top pick for novels and nonfiction texts. I even ventured
into the forbidden territory of the banned book list by reading “The Handmaid’s Tale.” I have
usually leaned toward positive book genres like mysteries and thrillers, deciding on them based
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totally on what simply grabbed my interest at that moment. I am an enthusiastic reader who also
enjoys the pleasure of putting pen to paper; I even had a saying that said a faint ink is better than
a good memory. Sharing the pleasure of studying and writing with other students feels natural to
me because I firmly believe in the transformative strength of literacy.
Technology
I rely on technology for various things in my everyday life, which includes staying in
contact with my family and friends, keeping up with school assignments, and having some
downtime. It is my general go-to for communication, whether it is emailing, connecting on social
media, or using messaging apps. When it comes to school, I find it easier when technology is
used in the lecture room because I am convinced it is able to make studying extra interesting for
students.
Critical Awareness
Once I encountered conflicting sources, it happened that the sources were giving
contradictory explanations of the same concept, and I could not be sure which one was the
correct one. The equal scepticism kicked in after I started reading literature. Take a unique
subject matter as an instance; I always find myself brooding about the writer's possible reasons
and the different ways people may interpret the textual content. In both reading and writing, I
make a point of doing research on matters from various angles to get an entire grip on the
concept.
Word count: 538
Reading from a Critical Stance
Reading from a Critical Source: Print
Sample: Declaration of Independence from the National Archives
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The file is a declaration and a way that the thirteen American colonies expressed that they
were free from Great Britain. The author certainly wants you to accept as true that these colonies
have every right to be free and make their personal decisions, breaking away from British rule.
However, the author does not incorporate the voices of Native Americans, African Americans,
and women to highlight that they did not get much rights or say in matters back then but were
mostly affected. To examine matters in a different way, we could dig into how this declaration
affected different nations and their fights for independence.
Television or Photographs
Sample: BBC's Planet Earth.
The video is all about showing off the fascinating beauty of nature, aiming for the viewer
to surely admire the complicated information there is to know about the natural world and
ecosystems. The author fails to display the voices of the indigenous peoples or different groups
who are directly linked to the natural world and can have extraordinary ideas about taking care of
it. To get another whole view, the video should include interviews or pictures of these people,
bringing in various perspectives on conservation and environmental stuff.
Word count: 199
Vocabulary Instruction
Vocabulary Practices
For my content area, I want to try out some innovative approaches to train the formation
of new words, like the usage of photographs to expose how words are connected by using
semantic mapping, handing out word cards, and giving students vocabulary notebooks. Semantic
mapping helps students see how phrases are related, and with word cards and notebooks, they get
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chances to use and reflect on new words. The aim is to make gaining knowledge more fun and
interactive so students can recollect and definitely get what is being taught.
Promoting These Practices
To get my colleagues who prefer traditional ways of teaching words, I would show them
the new ideas and back them up using research to illustrate how those strategies can make
students more involved and promote their learning. Teaming up with other teachers is an
essential way to adapt these practices to fit into what our students really want and help them
understand what we are teaching. Maintaining open verbal exchange and sharing our experiences
will help us work collectively, support those adjustments, and implement them in a lecture room,
leading to the high performance of students.
Word count: 190
Instructional Routines
Use the chart below to complete each section:
Routine 1 Routine 2 Routine 3
Name of Routine Annotation Close Reading Response Writing
Used Before,
During, or After
Reading
During During After
Explanation
(50 words)
Annotation is the act of
adding notes to textual
content at the same time
as reading to highlight
crucial information,
make connections, or
ask questions (Fisher et
al., 2015). I will use this
routine to assist students
in having an interaction
with the textual content
and enhance their
comprehension.
Close reading is a careful
and useful evaluation of
textual content, focusing
on information, language,
and structure (Fisher et al.,
2015). I will use this
routine to help students
expand and have deep
information about the text.
Sharing your personal
thoughts about reading,
whether it is reflecting on
them, summarizing the
primary points, or giving your
evaluation, is referred to as
reflective writing (Fisher et
al., 2015). I plan to use this
method to assist students in
understanding what they
study and think about the
ideas illustrated within the
textual content
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Classroom-Ready
Sample
Students can annotate a
historical source by
underlining key terms
and writing questions
within the margins.
Students can interact and
analyze a poem by
highlighting the meaning
of particular phrases and
terms and discussing the
author's use of literary
themes.
Students can write a response
to a short story by
summarizing the plot,
analyzing the characters, and
reflecting on the theme.
Word count: 200
Content Area Reading Lesson Plans
Lesson Plan 1: https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/engineering-
perfect-poem-using
The lesson plan, “Engineering the Perfect Poem with STEM Words", is considered very
good for middle or high school children to get into the vocabulary of engineering jobs. To adjust
this lesson plan, teachers should use more hands-on activities, including building and designing
things from scratch, to further engage the students in engineering ideas. Additionally, instructors
could provide more possibilities for kids to collaborate and share their poems with each other to
broaden their communication and presentation abilities.
Lesson Plan 2: https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/diddle-diddle-
generating-rhymes
The lesson plan "Hey, Diddle, Diddle! Generating Rhymes for Analogy-Based Phonics
Instruction" involves checking if students can recognize rhymes or similarities in words. They
try this by working together, studying with guidance, and getting coached in small groups. The
students then exercise matching phrases that rhyme, using picture cards and focusing on the
sounds in words that is phonological attention for analogy-based phonics. To make this plan
even better, instructors could upload extra technological stuff, like using instructional apps or
online videos to help students enhance how they pay attention and apprehend sounds in words.
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Lesson Plan 3: https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/peer-edit-
perfection
The lesson plan, "Peer Edit with Perfection: Effective Strategies," teaches students a
three-step way to edit each other's writing by giving compliments, suggestions, and corrections.
They attempt these steps in small groups and show their work to the whole class. After that, they
practice editing on their own, following a PowerPoint manual and the use of a worksheet. To
make this plan even better, instructors may add more possibilities for students to share feedback,
like using online discussion forums. This way, they can get even better at writing.
Word count: 275
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References
Declaration of Independence: a transcription. (2023, October 11). National Archives.
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript
Engineering the perfect poem by using the vocabulary of STEM | read, write, think. (n.d.).
https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/engineering-perfect-
poem-using
Fisher, D., Ivey, G., Brozo, W., & Frey, N. (2015). 50 Instructional Routines to Develop Content
Literacy (Teaching Strategies Series). https://www.amazon.com/Instructional-Routines-
Literacy-Teaching-Strategies/dp/0133347966
Hey Diddle, Diddle! Generating Rhymes for Analogy-Based Phonics Instruction | Read Write
think. (n.d.). https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/diddle-
diddle-generating-rhymes
Peer Edit With Perfection: Effective Strategies | Read Write think. (n.d.).
https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/peer-edit-perfection
Planet Earth | BBC Earth. (2006, March 5). https://www.bbcearth.com/shows/planet-earth
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