Being Literate Analysis

Summary of chapters: Tompkins, E Gail. (2014). Literacy for the 21st Century A Balanced Approach

More than most would imagine, illiteracy is a phenomenal crisis throughout the world. Today, there are approximately 800 million illiterates in the world. Ninety-three million of those are Americans who have basic or below basic literacy. Thirty million of the 93,000,000 are functionally illiterate. The other 63,000,000 read at a fifth to an eighth grade level and cannot understand a basic newspaper. According to Literacy Partners, a foundation which helps low-income parents with limited English proficiency transfer literacy

When thinking about ones literacy, what first comes to mind is reading and writing, but literacy can cover many other aspects of life. It is usually not until a student reaches his or her college years that they realize they are “literate” in anything they are passionate about. This could include sports, technology or music because literacy is defined as “fluency in any given topic” (Writing about Writing 798). I am literate in lacrosse, a sport with rules and vocabulary that most people don’t know about and frankly I would have no idea about those things either if it weren’t for the people that helped me become literate in the sport. Sponsors of literacy often turn up in people’s memories when asked about how he or she became fluent in their

Literacy plays a huge role in many people’s lives everyday, whether it is learning how to read and write for the first time or writing a five-page essay for the hundredth time. We experience literacy differently and have our very own unique stories on how it has impacted our lives and had made us who we are today. It is an essential aspect that I use in my everyday life, such as in relationships, daily interactions with others, and learning. It has become such a powerful aspect and human right in which it allows one to speak his/her mind and in some cases express their opinion to the world. My personal literacy history has shaped me into who I am today because without my experiences I would not have been able to gain the confidence and

Becoming literate opens the doors to more educational and employment opportunities. In our increasingly complex and rapidly changing technological world, it is essential that individuals

Since a child going up, literacy was not my strong suit. Literacy throughout my life seem not to cope with me. Later as I grew up, literacy meant to me that it is one’s ability to read, write, and speak. More importantly there is a more meaning of literacy, meaning that not only writing, reading, and speaking, but able to understand, analyze, and communicate with other peoples’ ideas. Soon enough literacy has made an impact on my life, it has been and will be a lifelong process. Literacy will always be with me, starting from my past and ending in my future.

Literacy plays a huge role in my daily life. Every single day I read and write. Whether it’s writing an email or reading a text message, class assignment, discussion board, etc. My literacy journey is unique because I have had different experiences. As a result, this is how my literacy journey has let me to be the reader that I am.

Literacy is fundamental to all areas of learning from an early age, as it unlocks access to the wider curriculum. Being literate increases opportunities for pupils in all aspects of life and lays the foundations for lifelong learning and work.

Literacy is being able to read and write; having said this it would be safe to say literacy means learning from books. However, think about the evolution of literacy and the different ways in which children and people learn and retrieve information; this definition could also include interaction with the digital text. There is a wide range as to what counts as literacy such as blogging, social networking, emailing, digital storytelling, online chatting and even shopping online just to name a few. Not everyone will agree with what is now counted as literacy, but if students are not enlightened on the many aspects of what could make them valuable assets in the future; that would be negligent. In Rich’s article digital literacy is being discussed which is the topic this response will focus on. Learning is not restricted only to the classroom. Digital literacy can be beneficial with

It’s difficult to imagine being one of the millions of Americans who are incapable of reading or writing as we spend most of our lives doing both. Whether it’s reading the daily newspaper or successfully completing a job application, literacy is essential to living a life with independence. Unfortunately, without the ability to communicate, most illiterates

“I say to you quite frankly that the time for racial discrimination is over,” is what Governor Jimmy Carter said during his Inaugural Address on January 12, 1971, but it was not always true. In the texts, “Superman and Me,” by Sherman Alexie, and, “Learning to Read and Write,” by Frederick Douglass there are clear problems of racial discrimination between both authors. There are many other similarities and differences throughout Frederick and Sherman’s demanding upbringing, the most prominent are the main character’s obstacles, goals, and the claims that the author makes in the book.

Throughout the history of time, man has learned. Man has always had to sacrifice something in order to learn. The process of learning more about a specific subject is to become literate. When one becomes literate, it could either have a positive or negative effect. Growing up I had many sponsors that had a direct effect on the position that I am in today. My senior year English teacher had a massive effect on my college decision-making process. My father also had a big effect on where I am today; he gave me a better understanding on life in general. Lastly the most important sponsor of them all is myself. Man has always been curious to learn more; the prospect of learning something new is something than man has always yearned for.

Finding a definition of literacy is not as easy as it sounds. The Webster definition says that to be literate is to be” able to read and write.” However what does it truly mean to be literate? Being able to read and write seems too simplistic for a word so populated with different types of definitions, and thus must lead to a more complex definition of the meaning literate.

I would consider myself literate. I’ve been through 1st grade being an avid reader along the way so my understanding of English is quite decent. Although the concept of being literate is not that simple. Take someone with a masters degree in English and drop them in some African village, their literacy will mean nothing. Literacy is based on surroundings. Though to be literate is not only to be proficient in reading and writing. One can be literate in math, science, history, art, or in my case… film.

Before taking this course, I obviously considered myself to be literate. I was able to read and write well, and I even considered my exceptional public speaking ability a part of my literacy. However, I quickly learned in this class that literacy is much more than just reading and writing, but something that grows along with technology. The National Council of Teachers of English has its own definition of literacy, and that truly has been the focal point of this class. Through this course, I not only learned what literacy is, but I also became more literate.