When I think of literacy I think of any form of reading and writing. There isn’t just one way to write or to read which is why this topic is so broad. The way you read or write can depend on how you were raised or your culture. It can depend on how you were taught in school. A lot of times it can come just merely from experience.

One of my sponsors of literacy would probably be my Mom. Growing up both of my parents really encouraged me to pick up books and read. Even though most of the time I didn’t want to read either because I wasn’t into any of the books we had at the house or I just simply didn’t want to spend my time reading when I could spend my time doing things I enjoyed more. My Mom would always say how much smarter it makes you when you read and I didn’t really understand that back then but i’ve grown up to understand that she wasn’t wrong.

One night after dinner my mom made me go up to read a little. I can’t remember what book it was she had me read but I do remember I did not want to read that night. I was tired and worn out from my day at school but I picked up the book anyways and started reading. I got a few pages into the book and remember not being able to understand a word that I read. I went downstairs and told my mom and she advised me to pick another book that I have more interest in so I went back up stairs and picked a book that had to do with business and finances. I honestly probably read half the book that night. Obviously it’s not always the case that you get to read a book you enjoy but it definitely helps a lot to read something that strikes your interest. Not only is it easier to understand but you Get a lot more out of reading something you enjoy. If you read a book you don’t enjoy there is nothing positive you can take away from it. I really appreciate my Mom insisting that we read a lot because it has really helped me in school and in life.

 

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Literacy and cultural context: A lesson from the Amish Livingston-Webber, Joan, and Andrea Fishman. “Amish Literacy: What and How It Means.” Language, vol. 65, no. 4, 1989, p. 887., doi:10.2307/414964.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	Literacy is brought to people in many different styles and forms. In this case we are learning about literacy in the Amish culture. Eli Fisher Encourages his kids to read but the scene in the fisher home could be the scene in any home that values reading and writing and wants their children to value them as well. Eli and Anna encourage their kids to go as far in life as they do in school. Their culture is called “Old Order Amish” which means to raise your family to old order tradition and belief. In their home you won’t find a radio, stereo, television, or any other electrical convenience. Schoolwork actually rarely enters the Amish household because they believe that household, field, and barn chores matter more to them. The Fisher kids are taught by an Old Order woman who also went through the same schooling herself. The way Eli sees and learns literacy  is much different than any mainstream learners. The family buys their books only from the local christian bookstore and an amish operated dry-good store because they trust these places not to have objectionable material. If they go to a normal bookstore they use the publisher’s name as a way to see if the content inside the book is objectionable or not. The way they see literacy is described as a force in their world and that it “imparts power to all who possess it”.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Contrivance- a convenience
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	It just reinforces the point that there are many different ways people see literature.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	How have the Amish played a part in the growth of literature?

Sept 1, 2020

3:30 pm- wrote notes on Gee: Learning with video games

4:00 pm- notes on Gee: What is Discourse?

Sept 2, 2020

12:00 pm- Wrote down on my phone the times of my flights and how long my layovers were

 

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	What Is Literacy? By James Paul Gee Gee, James Paul. “Literacy and Education.” 2014, doi:10.4324/9781315739571. Gee, James Paul. “Game-Like Learning.” Assessment, Equity, and Opportunity to Learn, pp. 200–221., doi:10.1017/cbo9780511802157.010.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	The author James Gee talks about working in groups and how each person must be deeply skilled in 1 skillset but has to understand the big picture so they can combine their skills with the skillsets of the other members of the group. Every member has to be an absolute expert but also has to understand everyone else’s role so they’re able to integrate with each other. When a human understands anything, they understand it not by abstract realities but by the simulation of images, actions, and experiences that the words refer to. If we are working on an assignment with a certain topic that we don’t care about we think very poorly because of the fact we don’t care and we don’t want to learn about it. Transitioning into books and readings, the opportunity to learn is not the book it’s if you can picture and bring experiences that you have faced into the book. Lastly, when speaking in a language, a lot of people talk all the time about language that is hard to understand but there is technically no such thing as a hard language you just didn’t experience what you had to live through to understand the words and terms in the language.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Discourse- identity kit
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	It Connects to the peer groups that we are going to have to work in with the idea that each person must be deeply skilled in 1 skill set but has to understand the big picture so they can combine their skills with the skillsets of the other members of the group.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	Why are we frequently asked to read things that we aren’t interested in? What do we gain from doing so?

1. I’m pretty good at coming up with ideas but I’m trying to get better at elaborating on those ideas
2. I’m cool with any and all feedback because I believe the more feedback you have the better you can write.
3. 37% Slytherin, 24% Ravenclaw, 21% Hufflepuff, 18% Gryffindor
4. jmperry2@go.olemiss.edu
5. Yes

 

Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Deborah Brandt- Sponsors of Literacy Brandt, Deborah. “Sponsors of Literacy.” College Composition and Communication, vol. 49, no. 2, 1998, p. 165., doi:10.2307/358929.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	The author of the reading uses the term “Sponsors Of Literacy” to show how the economics of literacy are connected to literacy for individuals. The sponsors come in a number of different forms. A Sponsor is defined as “any agent, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enables, supports, teaches, models, as well as recruits, regulates, suppresses, or withholds literacy—and gains advantage by it in some way” (p.166). These sponsors are influential in the educational opportunities of literacy. They also show how corporate and governmental policies can be influential on the readers ability to find and meet their literacy potential. They also make the point that technology demands people to accomplish more with reading and writing. Overall I think the Writer was good at explaining who these sponsors are and how they influence the world of literature.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Vicissitudes- “Large scale economic forces”?
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	I guess this somewhat goes along with the Elbow reading in the fact that both of them have to do with utilizing surrounding resources to better yourself and your work.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	How often should we use resources that sponsors of literacy have to offer?

For some reason I’ve just never been interested in reading. I never have been able to seek the motivation to read a book unless it’s for school. Maybe all the books I’ve ever read have been forced reads and I’ve yet to have read a book that I’ve chosen myself. Maybe books to me look as if they’re Joshua, mean on the outside but you never know what their purpose is until you really do some digging and find out what they’re about. Maybe it’s the kind of people I surrounded myself with as a kid. I have yet to hang out with anyone who loves to read and maybe that’s why i’ve never picked it up. But the thing is i know that if i start picking up books and getting into them it will make me a lot more intelligent. Reading books would expand my vocabulary to unthinkable levels. Maybe that old saying really is true, you can’t judge a book by it’s cover.

After listening to the podcast It really helped to hear different point of views on things. These former students gave so many pieces of advise that could end up helping me a lot down the road. One thing that I took away from the podcast was to structure your schedule how you want. When I heard that I immediately was able to relate because of how hard it has been for me to structure my days. Most too my classes are self paced so you really have to be good at managing your time. I have been trying my best to come up with a good solid schedule that is best for me. Another piece of advice I took while listening was to get out of the dorm room and meet your peers. Being in the FASTrack program you feel as if you’re always running into the same people so it’s good to meet those people and get know them. I believe that meeting a lot of people can also reduce stress you might have because you always have people to hang out with and people that will help you if you need it. What I’m most looking forward to about this year meeting as many people as I can. What I’m least looking forward to is all the school work that I’m going to have to do but that’s part of it. Some advice I would give to a student entering their first year of high school would be to meet a lot of friends, work hard, and be yourself I think if you do those things at the end of the day you will be perfectly fine.

Reading Journal

 

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Title of Article + Proper MLA Citation for Works Cited page	Inviting the mother tongue beyond “Mistakes,” “bad english,”and “wrong language” Spot, Lashallah’s Blog. Lashallah’s Summary of Peter Elbow’s “Inviting the Mother Tongue”, 1 Jan. 1970, lashallahsblogspace.blogspot.com/2010/05/lashallahs-summary-of-peter-elbows.html.
Summarize the article — include your reaction, thoughts, anything to help you remember its claims. 100 to 150 words	My initial reaction to this article was that you need to be comfortable when you write. Everyone has their own style of writing, it may not be perfect or technically sound. The point is that everyone isn’t supposed to write in the same way. People might have things in common with other writers but usually everyone has their own unique flare to their writing. If the words that come naturally to us are labeled wrong we feel as if we have a problem and that’s not how it’s supposed to be. But, that’s not saying that people shouldn’t be open to constructive criticism. This can be used to make pieces of writing better and more grammatically sound.
Define new terms and concepts by quoting or paraphrasing the original author.	Ambiguities  Non mainstream Linguistic acquiescence
How does this reading connect to other articles from class and/or your own research?	It reminded me a lot of the first podcast when the students touched on how Mr. G lets you be your own writer and gives you good criticism instead of putting you down.
Based on the reading, craft one question to act as a springboard for class discussion.	What situations should you use constructive criticism so you don’t make the writer feel bad about what they write?