Devin Autry

9/7/14
UWRT
Literary development is key to ones success in todays society. Reading,
speaking, and writing are three aspects that are constantly used in order for people to get
their points across. I feel that in literacy we go through each of these as phases.
As very young children we go through the first phase of literary development,
which is speaking. We first begin speaking simple words to say how we feel but in due
time we begin to learn complex words. From here we began to use the complex words
that we just learned in order to articulate ourselves. This is a very important phase to craft
and perfect because it helps one utilize their words for necessities.
As our first phase comes to a close we are able to transition into the second phase,
which is reading. Once one learns to speak they become fascinated with their new
discovery of words and how to use them. This phase usually occurs around 6 or 7
depending on the individual. For me, during this phase I would read at least one book a
week that interests me. This phases duration usually varies but for me it lasted a couple
of years. To me, reading was a fun, imaginative, creative journey that I enjoyed
thoroughly.
From this phase we use what we have learned with both reading and speaking to
evolve it into writing. To me, writing is a combination of both reading and speaking. One
uses words in order to express their thoughts and feelings. Literacy development of the
writing phase is important because it is the primary basis for the judgment of ones

learning, work, and intellect. Also writing is a permanent way to allow ones thinking to
be visible.
As I think of my literary development and the three phases, I can recall many
experiences. Unlike some of my peers who experienced the development of their literacy
in high school, I experienced mine in the 7th grade. For my middle school years I went to
a private school after going to an inner city public school all of my life. This in itself
made it hard to adjust to not only the new environment of people but also the vigorous
workload. For this assignment we were required to write a 10-page research paper on a
country and the history of the country. Once I heard what the length of the assignment
was baffled, however I knew this assignment would require great focus and time.
For my first sponsor I chose my English teacher. After writing my first draft of
my paper I gave it to him with the rubric. When he graded the assignment and gave it
back I had received a 70. The school I went to had a 10-point grade scale so I would
have a C but this was not good enough. He showed me the grammar mistakes, the
unoriginality, and points where I needed to improve. I used this feedback to compose
another draft that I could use for my second sponsor.
The next night I spent a lot time and effort on my second draft. I cut a few
sentences out and beefed my essay up with some more paragraphs. I thought that this
second essay was perfect and there was nothing more I could do to it. Now it was time to
give this to my second sponsor.
In our class we had a peer workshop session. I used this as an opportunity to share
my paper with my second sponsor. For my second sponsor I chose my peers. We passed
our papers around and we each corrected different papers. Three separate people edited

my paper and my seemingly perfect paper now seemed just mediocre. I had to go back
and arrange my paper. I received some useful feedback from my peers and I began
correcting it. Most of the comments were clear and concise so I was able to alter my
paper easily. With having everything reviewed thoroughly by my teacher and my peers I
had my third draft completed. My third and final sponsor was my mom. I gave her the
final draft with great confidence.
The next day my mom gave me back my paper and said it was great. There were a
few more things to tweak but overall it was an excellent paper. I changed my errors and
brought it to school later on that week.
On the due date of the paper, I walked in the classroom a little nervous of what
grade I would get on my paper. I sat in my seat and waited on the class to began. When
the bell rang our teacher walked around the room. Hello everyone. You guys know what
today is right? she said. Its time to turn in your essays. She called us all up
alphabetically to turn them in. Allison, Carolyn, Devin.. My heart sank. I was prepared
but I became afraid of the grade that I might receive. I walk up and turn my paper and I
felt a weight come off my chest.
This was an overall great experience because I learned how to develop as a writer.
I learned the process of writing and that to complete a solid paper then one will need
many drafts of the paper. I learned that peer reviews of the paper are key to the overall
development and substance of the paper. I think that this was a big aspect to my
development as a writer.