Marina Literacy

This chapter is important in a beginning writer’s process because it helps them to understand the basis of writing, connecting with the reader.

There were three sentences in her sample to retell the story related to the text and all were structured in the same way, the sentence beginning then in the text it says and then evidence given from the text. The student does not get a chance to voice her opinion or provide stronger descriptive words. During reading partners the student is working on retelling mainly the gist of the stories along with learning to sequence and this is then portrayed within her writing. During the retell of many stories, she is able to summarize in words everything she read, when asked to write this sequence down the student is unable to fully and complete write the words without the sentence stems and evidence from the text.

She demonstrates an emerging ability to skip count by 2’s and 10’s and is encouraged to work on counting by 5’s. Marina can recognize and create patterns like AB and ABC. With support she is able to translate and extend simple patterns. Marina has shown growth in representing numbers in a variety of ways by extending past pictures. In our shape unit, Marina was able to name most 2D and 3D shapes. She is able to draw a triangle, square, circle and rectangle. Marina is encouraged to work on making her notebook neat so it is easier to read. She shows respect for other students by listening and valuing their contributions. An example of this is when engaging in a shape hunt Marina was able to work with others to find 3D objects in our environment. Marina is encouraged to continue working on adding numbers together. She is supported by the use of manipulatives and different

In the first chapter, Prose already addresses the central hypothesis of the book - to be become a good writer, you must be a good reader. She recalls, of how she too remedied her own obstacles and monsters in her writing through close reading.

Amber Wiltse’s literacy narrative begins with “How do you go from this… to this” (Wiltse 645). This beginning is effective in getting the reader's attention, along with conveying the author's message. Her combination of narrative writing and photographic visuals illustrates the way that literacy has influenced who she is today. Amber starts with a picture of her when she is a baby and then places a picture of her as a senior, she parallels the following caption with these photos “How Do You Go from this… to this? The answer is literacy” (Witse 645-646). This example shows how literacy has influenced her life, and helped her to mature, and grow into the women she was when she wrote her narrative. The photo of Amber’s brother and her embracing

I chose to interview Gabby Turner, who is a graphic designer and social media strategist. She works for a non-profit organization called Ekhaya Youth Project, which provides support to families involved in the Louisiana Mental Health Services. After discussing the importance of strong writing and the function of grammar within her profession with Ms. Turner, I discovered new information about my future career path. She explained that strong writing plays an important role in her career because of the effect it has on her image. If she presents an idea through an email or presentation and her writing is not strong, then potential clients or co-workers may view her as inferior. Ms. Turner believes that although strong writing is important, in

Shamia learned to read and write before school. She taught herself by watching her older brother learn to read and write since he’s two years older than her. She picked up on grammar rules and simple writing processes such as pre-writing, proof reading, and processing simple sentences. When she wasn’t learning from her older brother, she sometimes went to school with her mother. Dorothy, her mother, worked in the day time and went to school at night. When Shamia would go with her mother to class at the University of Memphis, she would copy down the notes on the board about English literature. Her experience in the University of Memphis classroom advanced her maturity in a classroom setting early on. Her behavior in the classroom was so mature she

Morgan Moxley writes “Watch and Learn,” a literary narrative, that is about helping her mother teach a young child named “Patrick” how to write. The story has the genre of a literary narrative, a story that consists of writing and/or reading. As Ernest Hemingway states, “It’s none of their business that you have to learn to write. Let them think you were born that way.” Moxley presents the idea that everyone has the ability to learn; people learn at different rates, so it is important to encourage others. While the author is able to present her ideas using imagery and evidence, she still struggles with her use of commas.

Review of Catalina’s fifth grade report card indicates that she met or exceeded grade level expectations in mathematics, science, as well as social studies her first term. However, she struggled in most of her reading and writing skills. Catalina met grade level expectations in acquiring and utilizing varied vocabulary, implementing strategies taught through mini-lessons and conferences, spelling, and writing effort. In contrast, Catalina needed guidance in the areas of reading with fluency and expression, using self-monitoring strategies to support comprehension, critically evaluating texts at instructional level, and reading independently for an appropriate period of time. In writing, she struggled to demonstrate mastery of capitalization,

In advanced classes, books are used to help demonstrate and reiterate what has been taught. A Critical Handbook of Children’s Literature by Rebecca J. Lukens, Jacquelin J. Smith, and Cynthia Miller Coffel is a great utensil in digging deeper into the world of writing. One of the main goals of the Lukens text is to give readers a more in depth understanding of what exactly makes a written piece quality literature.

Ana demonstrates weaknesses in the area of writing fluency. She is unable to complete a paragraph that

Straddling a line between pompous and simplistic can be a difficult feat when trying to compile a new and exciting story. Few accomplish their desired effect, be it to educate or move a reader. However, great author’s understand the significance of finding which words and meanings are significant, and which area not. Lauren Becker’s use of prose is impeccable in her 2014 novella. Lines such as, “You really should pay attention because you’ll forget the important things,” hold some weight singularly, but fill the reader with a deep sense meaning when read in the context of her book.

I didn’t realize Marina was the person narrating the first portion of the story. I could only assume after reading for a little longer. She could say her own name to pump herself up. “Don’t cry, Marina. You can do this.” Something like that so the readers can know her name before her name is spoken without context. I’m slightly confused with Daniel and Marina’s relationship; they’re twins, but barely know it each other and they seemed to care for each other. Maybe I don’t understand because I am not a twin and I don’t have any siblings. Maybe there is an innate connection I’m missing. Either way, it’s kind of confusing that he can care so much for her that he is willing to proclaim that he is going to help her.

Sonia is a creative person with many writing skills. She has a good vocabulary and good spelling and written mechanics. She has learned about using her writer’s notebook to collect ideas and inspire future projects, but it has been hard for her to apply new skills and strategies and make the most of her writing time. In class, she appears to be thinking, but she has struggled to make decisions and generate enough text. Her realistic fiction story remained underdeveloped despite direct teacher

Analysing children’s writing is critically important because it allows teachers to have an understanding of what the child knows already, and what he/she needs to build on with their writing (Stewart, 2012). In the paragraphs ahead, two samples have been chosen and have been analysed using the Victorian Essential Learning Standards and the Western Australia First Steps Developmental Continuum.