When I was in gradeschool, I was always fascinated by reading and writing. I always watched by mom write things down in for grocery lists, to do lists, and simply signing a permission slip for my brothers. I always wondered how one person could contain all of that information in their heads, for knowing how to spell thousands of words. In preschool, I would love to go home and watch a Disney movie. At the beginning of Disney movies, they include a showing of Tinker Bell making the word DVD appear. Since I hadn’t learned to spell words yet, I watched in awe. That one specific day I decided to say the letters being spelled out in my head. Once I said each letter, I noticed that it was an actual word. I felt accomplished and a little stupid. After this, it encouraged me to learn bigger words and pay attention to the words right in front of me. For me, this was my turning point in the literacy and English field.
Once I got into grade school and began to learn how to read, write, and make fluent sentences; I realized how easy it was for me. The writing process was simple to me until fourth grade. My teacher was Mrs. Schaffer. She was a very tall, smart, and strict woman. The moment I sat down in that class for the first time, I knew it was going to be a hard year. Our first test was about conjunctions, commas, and correcting sentences. It was a 100 point test, which I didn't even think existed until you got into college level classes. I bombed every one of her tests. She would
When I entered kindergarten my reading journey began. I was introduced to the alphabet and three-letter sight words. Then in first grade my teacher would sit down with a
One of my first memories as a child was my mom reading to me. There was a tornado warning, so we all rushed to the basement and crammed ourselves into the back bedroom. To calm my hysteria from wailing sirens and howling winds, my mom pulled Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone off the shelf and began to read. The storm faded away and I was absorbed in a magical universe. Over the next year, she read the whole series to me, and ever since then, the power of words and the English language fascinated me.
It was not until I reached kindergarten where I first learned how to write. Having parents that were not fluent in English and worked almost all day, I found school being the gateway to my academic success. Learning how to trace letters were the first steps to my literacy journey. Every morning, I would sit in my assigned seat where I had my very own box that contained my crayons. My first task was to trace my name on the paper with crayons, something that every kindergartner is anticipated to fulfill. I remember having so most trouble, everyone has trouble from time to time, but in my case it was all the time. Once the bell rang for recess, all the kids ran right past me to go play outside once they finished writing their name successfully. I was always the last one to go and my teacher, Mrs. Ross, would have to slowly spend more time with me, holding my hand and tracing my name so I could get the hang of it. I did not have the same help at home as I did in school. Unfortunately, my parents could not help me with any of my school work; I either had to be self taught or I had to turn to my teacher for assistance. “The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me.” (Hellen Keller) I can relate to this quote because my kindergarten teacher was someone who inspired and motivated me to go past all odds. Like Hellen Keller, meeting Mrs.
Last week we wrote a blog and one of the questions was “How did you learn to read and write?” I found this question interesting because I never had really thought about the moment when I actually learned how to read and write. My mom was the first person to expose me to reading and writing. A popular tactic she did to make sure I was staying engaged was to read aloud stories and make me follow along with her. My mom would read me many different stories like Tarzan, Bambi, Aladdin, Peter Pan, Lion King, The Jungle Book, and Hercules. whatever I wanted to listen and follow along with, she would read with me. This really helped with my want to read. The books contained a lot of adventure, which made it easy as a kid to follow along with. I became to gain an imagination and then all of a sudden reading was easier.
During adolescence, I began reading and writing through a fundamental learning program called, "Hooked on Phonics." This program consisted of long hours spent reading short novels and writing
During adolescence, I began reading and writing through a fundamental learning program called, "Hooked on Phonics." This program consisted of long hours spent reading short novels and writing
My literacy cannot be traced back to one specific moment but is rather a journey that included several key figures and many experiences. By the time I was born and began my schooling it was typical for everyone to learn to read and write. I was no exception. The main portion of my journey to literacy took place over the course of about three years, the time between starting kindergarten and finishing second grade. The exposers I would have during those few short years would lay the foundation for which I am able to write to you today. My greatest influences were teachers, experiences, and eventually books, but I’m sure a lot of people can relate to that.
My earliest memories of writing and reading started in kindergarten. I feel blessed to have been able to start school and be introduced to an education. I probably had the best kindergarten teacher I could have been given at the time. This is fundamental because this very teacher started my foundation for reading and writing.
After I got a writing lesson it was time to read. At the time, I stumbled through pre-K learning books about Bell and the Beast. But, gradually I started to understand more. That doesn’t mean I liked doing it or was good at it.
As a little girl my understanding of literacy began with the alphabet soup. I vaguely remember that my mom would place the soup in front of me and I move the letters with my finger attempting to form words. My mom sat with me and spelled my name out I was so excited because I was learning. From that moment on my curiosity for literacy began. When my mom took me to the store I would ask for books even though I couldn't read but the letters fascinated me. The pictures weren't bad either. My adventure with literacy continued as I began kindergarten.
Looking back in this class, I have realized just how much my writing has improved since the beginning
My very own literacy experience starts at the age of five when my grandparents bought my parents, a cabin for their tenth wedding anniversary. It was a dark cabin somewhere near Island Park, I vividly remember the drive up there, the outside environment, and the inside smell of the cabin. The drive up there was long and cold, when arriving at the cabin. I thought to myself that it looked old. When we went through the dark maroon colored door frame to see the walls filled with color; my parents told me when I was older that the previous owner built bookcases into the wall. The books were perfectly aligned cover to cover and organized by author’s name; they were grouped into the walls by genre. The
Writing is way that we can express ourselves, it is a way to interface ideas and thoughts and to prove a point. Throughout my writing experience or process I have struggled with writing especially using details or really expressing myself my work. In this course Facts & Fiction: Portraits in World Art I expect to gain more knowledge on how to write a perfect essay, story, letter, and assignment. I expect to learn new genres and rhetorical situations. I also think my writing will improve academically and I will develop my skills in writing. Also taking my writing to a different point of view, level, and writing something different rather than the usual. I look forward to getting feedback from my peers and learning their thoughts on my writing and how they can help me improve.
Writing has always been something I dread. It’s weird because I love talking and telling stories, but the moment I have to write it all down on paper, I become frantic. It’s almost as if a horse race just begun in my mind, with hundreds of horses, or words, running through my mind, unable to place them in chronological order. Because I struggle to form satisfying sentence structure, it takes me hours, sometimes even days, to write one paper. It’s not that I think I’m a “bad writer,” I just get discouraged easily. Needless to say, I don’t think highly of my writing skills. When I was little I loved to both read and write. I read just about any book I could get my hands on, and my journal was my go to for my daily adventures. Although it’s
It is my belief that through this class and the tools provided, that my growth as a writer has grown through leaps and bounds I would never have assumed possible. It is not so much the skill I refer to, although I would think skill has gone up in some levels as well, but more so the appreciation for the craft of writing itself. Intially, at the start of this class my sole goal was to further my understanding and appreciation of the writer's and books that I so love to read. Through further evaluation within the first week, a few other goals came to mind, of which were, making writing a habit, finishing what I start, stop second guess my writing skills and making effective use of detail and description. Through the use of the many articles, various reading materials, whether poems or short stories, and especially through the workshop, I feel I was able to really push myself to accomplishing these goals. I have thus far learned how important it is not to be skilled at writing per say, but to have the will to write, that poetry is as much about it's sound as it is about it's subject, just how important character development is, how the narration and point of view of a story is essential to the way the story is told, and just how much of a difference peer's critiques can make to your writing.