| Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page | Literacy and Cultural Context: A Lesson from the Amish, By: Andrea R. Fisherman, Pgs. 842-849 |
| Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words | The article follows two families, the author’s family and the Fishers. The fishers are a much more old fashioned amish family. They don’t read their children bedtime stories, don’t help them with their homework, etc. They are not a literacy orientated family. If there are books in their house, they are very strongly controlled and solely try to focus on religion. However, Eli Jr. became literate and wanted the same for his family so over time he would read and write more. The article also discusses the difference between amish readers and amish writers and the difference between traditional english readers and writers. I thought the article was really interesting because it provided an alternative view of writing and reading that many people haven’t heard of and how the way you are raised can have a huge impact on the way you read and write. |
| Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author. | Amish writing: the start of a letter, typically says (of love, of Christian love, in the name of Jesus)
Ends in: goodbyes, religious or philosophical thought |
| How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?
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I think this article connects to the very first article I read about breaking English reading and writing norms. A lot of people think reading and writing and literacy overall has to go a certain way, but it doesn’t. This article provided another perspective of writing and reading and was a perfect example of how someone’s background and the way they are raised has a huge impact on what they write about and the way they write it. |
| Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion. | I would say my question would be can the way you are raised and the way you write be detrimental at times? Meaning, is growing up a certain way and learning how to write a way that differs from the normal be harder to make it as a writer or harder to understand certain concepts down the road? |