Literacy Narrative

1.       Here is an example of strong visual description from Lydia’s Story is, “She described the shelf area as about three feet wide and about a foot and a half tall. Crouched there, she watched the water continue to rise.” (Lydia’s Story, pg 130)

2.       A great example of vivid dialogue from Bidding Farewell to Arms is, “I hereby tender my unqualified resignation as a Reserve officer of the Army, USAR, under the provisions of Chapter 6, Section III of . . . . I understand that if my resignation is accepted, I am entitled to an honorable separation and will be furnished an Honorable Discharge Certificate.” (Bidding Farewell to Arms, pg 119)

3.       A nice piece of sensory description from Lydia’s Story is, “Entering the large VFW hall, we were struck by the chemical odor of a cleaning solution so strong that it seemed toxic.” (Lydia’s Story, pg 128)

4.       List of possible topics:

a.       Learning how to read

b.      Learning how to write

c.       Teaching my brother how to read

5.       I am going to write about the time my mother taught me to read. My purpose is not just to fulfill an assignment, but to bring back a loving memory of my childhood.

6.       Most likely my audience will have gone through a very similar experience, learning how to read is a necessity in our culture, therefore I believe it will bring many good thoughts to the readers.

7.       My stance will be somewhat affectionate, and sincere. Having my mother teach me to read is a great loving memory.

8.       My narrative will be printed out, and also post in my blog for the world to read.

9.       I remember seeing my mother, the reading program, my great-grandfather’s chest, our two windows in the living room, and a beautiful blue sky.

10.   I remember hearing my mother’s sweet voice and the sounds of the reading program.

11.   I recall smelling a freshly cleaned carpet, along with the smell of my dog’s breath.

12.   I was a little frustrated at first, but when I got the hang of it I became so proud.

13.   I don’t remember much of what I taste, but I do recall my mom giving me popsicles when I did well. Blue raspberry anyone?

14.   My mother is in her pajamas because it’s the weekend, her beautiful auburn hair and brown eyes glimmer in the sunlight. She talked slowly and soothingly trying to help me out. My dog buster, who is a golden retriever, shared a similar auburn colored coat with my mother.

15.   “Mom, I cant do this!”

“Yes you can honey, just keep trying. What’s this word again?”

“Dog.”

“Good! Now what did he do?”

“The dog jumped.”

“See, I told you could do it!”

16.   Pondering the sentence before me, I got very frustrated. I had tried to read the sentence four times already, every time getting hung up on what my mom called the “verb.” I knew I was talking about my dog, but what did he do? Looking at Buster, thinking about what he does everyday, I remembered him jumping on the couch. I then took one more try at the sentence, “The dog jumped.” My mother looked ecstatic! She was so proud, I was so proud!

17.   This event seemed so miniscule at the time, but I as I look back, learning to read set the foundation for my education. Learning to read led to writing, then came comic books. Next came books for school. High school came around and I had textbooks to read. Now I’m in college and I find myself recalling this skill I learned almost fifteen years ago.