WR115%
Essay%One:%Literacy%Narrative%
%
ASSIGNMENT%GUIDELINES%
%%%%%As#you#begin#this#essay#writing#process,#reflect#on#your#experiences#and#attitudes#about#
reading#and#writing.##Some#of#us#have#negative#early#experiences#with#reading#and#writing#that#
have#affected#the#ways#we#feel#about#reading#and#writing#as#adults..##For#others#of#us,#reading#
and#writing#are#treasured#skills#that#come#out#of#a#childhood#fascination#with#language#and#self‐
expression.##Some#of#us#have#experienced#the#strangeness#of#language#in#a#foreign#country,#
while#others#have#sat#in#a#writing#classroom#and#felt#it#little#different#from#a#foreign#country#–#a#
place#unfamiliar#and#remote.##Regardless#of#our#backgrounds,#our#ideas#of#literacy#often#become#
deeply#engrained#as#good#or#bad#without#much#thought#from#us#as#to#how#those#views#came#to#
be.##As#a#result,#many#of#us#have#definitions#of#literacy#–#of#reading#and#writing#–#that#could#
benefit#from#a#thoughtful#and#honest#close#self‐examination.###
#
Topic%Choices:%%please#draw#from#the#following#as#you#develop#your#essay#focus:#
Narrate#an#early#memory#about#writing#or#reading#that#you#recall#vividly.##Then#explain#
why#this#event#is#significant#to#you#now.#
Describe#someone#who#taught#you#to#read#or#write#and#explain#this#person’s#
significance#in#your#life.#
Identify#a#book#or#other#text#and#explain#its#significance#for#you#in#your#reading#and#
writing.#
Narrate#an#experience#with#a#writing#or#reading#task#that#you#found#(or#still#find)#difficult#
or#challenging.#
Describe#a#memento#and#explain#how#it#represents#an#important#moment#in#your#
reading/writing#development.#
#
#
Key%Features%/%Literacy%Narrative%
A%well‐told%story.##Bring#your#narrative#to#life#by#using#concrete#and#vivid#details.##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.###
Narrative’s%significance.###Make#clear#why#the#incident#you#narrate#matters#to#you#now#by#
explaining#its#significance.%
Well%organized.##Whatever#strategy#you#use#(narrative#or#descriptive),#make#sure#that#your#
organization#(beginning,#development,#and#conclusion)#is#effective,#engaging,#and#clear.##
Thesis%Statement:##State#the#main#idea#of#your#essay#somewhere#in#your#introduction#in#a#
Thesis#Statement.##Then#make#certain#that#every#supporting#paragraph#relates#to#and#
supports#that#main#idea.####
Use#concrete,%vivid%descriptions#and#focus#on#a#specific%event.%
Consider#using#dialogue#between#the#characters#in#your#narrative.#
Demonstrate#growth#and#improvement#from#the#first#drafts#to#the#final#revised#draft.#
Write#3#full#pages,#typed,#double‐spaced,#in#12#point#font#(Times#New#Roman),#generally#
free#of#grammatical#errors.#
#
#
Source:#Original#literacy#narrative#assignment#developed#by#Greg#Rathert#
