Today’s main topics: Safwat Saleem, Audience Analysis, and the Literacy Narrative Snapshot assignment
Agenda
- Saleem’s Rhetorical Situation
- Rhetorical Analysis: Audience
- Discuss the SLLN Presentation ( Web | Word | PDF )
- Workshop snapshots (peer review)
- Discuss the WLLN Cover Letter ( Web | Word | PDF )
Saleem’s Rhetorical Situation
15 minutes
As we enter into doing the drafts for the Language and Literacy Narrative, it’s important to highlight here that what Saleem is offering us is a Literacy Narrative. Whether he would call it that is not important here, but if we look at the characteristics of a literacy narrative, we see similarities between what we are tasked to do in our Literacy Narratives and what Saleem is doing. One of the things he does well is highlighted when he says “that story [about the color] has helped put my own experience into context” – so here he connects his story to a larger discussion about diversity and representation.
Here are some basic features: Read more here: Norton Field Guide’s Writing a Literacy Narrative on our website.
- A well-told story. As with most narratives, those about literacy often set up some sort of situation that needs to be resolved.
- Vivid detail. Details can bring a narrative to life for readers by giving them vivid mental images of the sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures of the world in which your story takes place
- Some indication of the narrative’s significance. By definition, a literacy narrative tells something the writer remembers about learning to read or write. However, we can see in Saleem and he is talking more about language and accent, his experience with accent discrimination and that led him into an investigation of diversity and representation.
Rhetorical Analysis: Audience
15 minutes
Who, or what, might we speculate about Saleem’s audience? How might his perceived audience influence his presentation? How does our audience influence how we present our Literacy Narratives?
An AUDIENCE discussion page is here, and we will also post our AUDIENCE findings in a discussion board on that page.
Spoken Language and Literacy Narrative (SLLN)
The copy below is from the Phase 1 Assignment Prompt
You will present some version of your language and literacy narrative to the class. The purpose is for you to practice getting comfortable speaking to a group and for everyone to get to know each other a little better. The presentation can take one of many forms but should be no longer than 3 minutes. You can read your favorite lines from your written narrative and explain the significance; or, you might decide to write an entirely new narrative, reenact a moment from your literacy past, or read lyrics that you or someone else wrote that captures something about your literacy identity. Whatever you do, be sure to include the use of 1+ multimodal aide(s) like photos/objects, text, music, or PowerPoint slides. Your SLLN can be delivered “live” in class or you can choose to show a pre-recorded video (just please email video to your instructor 24 hours in advance of class). Remember who your audience is (your classmates and instructors) and tailor your presentation to fit the audience and context of the assignment.
EXAMPLE of Spoken Language and Literacy Narrative: Lozada-Oliva’s video
I just want to note here that this, too, is a type of L&L Narrative – though it is a poem/spoken word performance. But we clearly see how Lozada-Oliva is dealing with questions of language and meaning (personal/societal/identity).
What Saleem and Lozada-Oliva also show is that Literacy Narratives can be multi-modal, meaning something other than a written text (though the written text is a mode, or form, as well).
You need not feel you should do something as polished or highly produced as Saleem or Lozada-Oliva, but these examples are meant to illustrate considerations you too can make when you put together your SLLN.
Workshop snapshots (peer review)
30 minutes
I have not yet decided on the best approach to this. I think the best thing for now is to go into breakout rooms for awhile, and each of you will share your literacy narrative snapshot by reading it aloud- or emailing it to each other.
INSTRUCTION: READ WITH CARE AND SENSITIVITY, and offer comments with care and sensitivity. Give reactions, but more importantly, ASK QUESTIONS of the text you are reviewing.
Is something unclear that would benefit from reworking a sentence, or adding more detail. Do not focus on re-organizing the snapshot – the writer will do that later. One thing I want to really caution you against: resist saying “that was nice!” and then offering no further suggestions. Really read with a critical eye. If it is helpful, refer to the rhetorical terms. Ask the writer what their purpose is, how they will argue it, and what evidence will they use to support this.
