Questions to consider for your literacy narrative (answer at least half):
-
Memories of writing/reading in life outside school (Do you journal? How did that start? Do you spend a lot of your time having text message or other messaging conversations with friends? When did you start doing that? Do you have a blog? When did that start?)
-
Memories of writing/reading in school (I want to hear about the stuff that isn’t necessarily traditionally assignment based. Did you write for a school paper? What did you cover? Did you have a pen pal for a class? What did you write to them about? Did you pass notes with a friend? What was so important? Did you help design an advertising campaign for a school organization/issue?)
-
Audiences of your writing either in or out of school (Friends? Teachers? Parents? Family? Pen-Pals?)
-
Kinds of things you have written about (yourself? Was there an especially memorable essay you wrote for a class that you are proud of? Did you write an op-ed for your school paper that you were passionate about?)
-
Modes for that writing (pen and paper, Microsoft word, internet)
-
Have you worked a job where writing and reading was important? (You can get creative. Being a waiter, for instance, requires you to be able to use writing in order to do your job.)
These questions are adapted from Deborah Brandt’s Interview Script in Literacy in American Lives