Literacy Autobiography
Overview
The goal of a Literacy Autobiography is to help students reflect on their experiences as a literate person. How did they learn to write? How did they learn to read? How do they feel about school and learning? How did this evolve? What teachers and/or events helped shape them into the “literate” person they are today? While the students may not be wildly enthusiastic about this assignment, it is good for helping students learn to write reflectively.
Level
High School Seniors
My main idea for trying this type of assignment was to improve my senior student's reflective piece in their portfolios. The "Letter to the Reviewer," was a more difficult task for my students than I anticipated last year, as a first year portfolio teacher. For most of my students, I found the "Letter to the Reviewer" piece to be the weakest writing in their entire portfolio. I noticed that same pattern when I scored other portfolios in my district, and was relieved that I wasn't the only teacher searching for ideas to help students write reflectively.
I decided to start the students off with this paper at the beginning of the year. The beginning of school for seniors is a great time for nostalgia, as they realize that this is their last "first day of school." On the first day of school I gave out the handouts and allowed the students time to complete them during class. Although I did not overtly encourage discussion, I heard them asking each other questions about teachers past, and what year such and such happened.
I went searching for types of reflective writing to use as examples since I did not have student examples to share. I hope to find more to use as I teach this assignment again, but for this year, I stuck with two.
Day One Prewrite Assignment Sheet
Day Two Read Shooting An Elephant and discussion
Day Three Read and discuss "Why I Write," in relation to "Shooting an Elephant." Return Assignment Sheets and discuss assignment.
Day Four Read excerpts from Welty's "The Making of A Writer," and
give students assignment sheet and due date.
Results
My senior classes are divided into
two sections: College Prep and General Level. My best results came
from my CP classes.
This year I didn't seem to make the distinction between Literacy Autobiography and Personal Narrative clearly enough for my general level students, which is a particularly low level class. I was still getting to know their abilities and motivations at the beginning of the year, and I believe next year I may hold off on this assignment for a week or two. I may assign more of the assignment page as 10-minute freewrites that I use to start most of my classes. My lower level student's papers ended up as cross between a memoir and junky personal narrative. I am not giving up on them however, and I will be pulling out the assignment again when it comes time for the students to compose the "Letter to the Reviewer," this spring. I hope by that time that I will have increased their ability to reflect in writing enough that I will have more success.
As for my CP classes, I was really impressed with the papers I received, because I felt as though I wasn't extremely clear on what I wanted. I didn't explain that this paper was something I wanted to mold into a "Letter to the Reviewer" piece until after it was completed.
I am including some examples from my students on all levels and when they revise these pieces into their "Letters to the Reviewer" I will ask the students if I can post those examples here as well.
I am learning as much as my students
about reflective writing and how to teach it successfully. Please email me
if you have any insights of your own that you would like to share with me
and other teachers. I will gladly put your suggestions on this site.
Student Paper #3
Student Paper #4
Student Paper #5
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