Hi, answer each question in a short paragraph.
Q1
the next time you’re assigned to read a text online, pay attention to your process. Take some notes on
just how you read: Do you go straight through, or do you stop often? Do you take notes? Do you take
breaks while reading to attend to something else? What do you do if you don’t understand a passage?
How long can you read at a stretch and maintain full concentration? Then answer the same questions
the next time you’re assigned to read a print text. What differences do you notice in the way you read
each text? What conclusions can you draw about how to be a more effective reader, both on- and off-
screen?
Q2
Pretend you went to a party last night (this is in a post-pandemic world) where you ran into your really
good friend from high school, got into a conversation with them about a movie you just saw, and then
had to leave right away because your roommate called you with an emergency.
1. Write about your experience at this party in each of the following forms
1. A Tweet (keep it short!)
2. An Instagram post (what would the photo look like you would post?)
3. A short email to your grandma or grandpa
2. How did you have to change communication tactics for each?
Turn these in (preferably in a Word doc or Pages doc, but can also post in comments).
Q3
Think about specific cultures or groups that you’re a part of that have their own forms of
communication (sports, fan groups, music, etc). Write a paragraph about some of the terms that you are
“literate” in, but that others outside of this group would not know. How does this impact your
understanding of what “literacy” means?
Q4
Go to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Ted Talk, "The Danger of a Single Story," and click on the
"Transcript" tab under the video. Use the transcript to identify a place where she is meeting each of the
criteria for our Cultural Literacy Narrative projects:
—A meaningful experience (or experiences) from the author’s past that shaped their
current identity as a reader/writer/communicator
—Why this experience (or experiences) influenced the author/how they were meaningful
—How the author’s current identity as a reader/writer/communicator is shaped by a culture or
cultures that they’re a part of
*identify each of these and put them into a Word doc, or in the comments section of this
assignment, and turn in
I realized some difference when taking some notes while reading the text as it helped me gain
some insights about the text even before I finished reading it. Stopping often helped me
understand some vocabulary context meaning that I had no idea what they meant. By pausing
often, I was able to determine the main ideas in the text. I realized that I felt less overwhelmed
by breaking the text into smaller sections. I also managed to maintain concentration for more
than 10 minutes of reading while taking notes. To be an effective reader, one needs to focus
solely on the text. Notably, the reader can achieve this by often pausing, finding the main idea,
asking you questions, breaking the text into smaller sections, and summarizing what you read.
Tweet
It was fun reuniting with you last night; you made me smile a lot. I like you because you join my
craziness. Thank you, friend.
Instagram post
I would post a photo of both the friend and me. Then it would be followed by a friendship
caption. “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves. You made my night fantastic”.
Email
Hey grandma. I hope you are doing fine. I miss you so much, and I wish I lived near you. We
can still keep in touch through email.
I feel you have played an essential role in my life, and I love you so much. I hope to see you
soon.
All the communication styles had different writing styles. A tweet needed captions that capture
attention, while Instagram needed a caption to show some memory and some good time. Both
Twitter and Instagram do not require formal communication. Email requires official
communication that gives the respondent the reason for writing.
I belong to the sports culture, specifically football. One of the special terms is hat trick which
means that one player has scored three goals. A brace is another term that means one player has
scored two goals. GOAT means greatest of all time, e.g., Players like Lionel Messi and
Christiano Ronaldo. Injury time refers to extra time added in football after 90 minutes based on
pauses and injuries. The common phrase ‘lost in the dressing room’ means that a coach has lost
influence over their players. The knowledge of these special terms helps me understand that
literacy has some knowledge in a specified area.
Adichie started reading British and American children's books at the age of two. At the age of
seven, she started writing the kind of stories she had been reading. Notably, this shaped her
current identity as a writer and communicator. The experiences opened the imagination for the
writer and opened her new worlds. They build a strong foundation for writing and reading, which
she is enjoying today. The author identifies herself as a person who does not depend on a single
story. She has experienced problems in Nigeria and good moments that define her life.
Therefore, she does not overlook one side since it robs people of their dignity and makes it hard
to recognize them.
