Raven K.

Williams
Ashley Marcum
Writing and Inquiry in Academic Contexts I
26 January 2016

Picturing a Writer
A writer enjoys to write and believes in the power of the pen. Writers imaginations are extremely colorful.
They have an excellent way of thinking along with patience and self-discipline.
I picture a writer being someone who has an open mind and likes to put their ideas down on paper. A writer is
someone who has a decent work ethic and has a love for language. They also are intelligent and enjoys learning. A
writer writes exactly what is on their mind or what they have a passion for. It all depends on the writer their selves.
Some writers write stories of their life such as memoirs or autobiographies or even biographies of other people they
may care for deeply or find an intense interest in. A writer might use different tools such as the internet, a library,
relatives or friends. All of which would help give them insight on what they want to write about or interesting facts
on what they chose to write about.
Comparing myself to what I think a good writer is, I think I do not fit the characteristics. Writing isnt my
strong suit and I find little interest in writing. Although what I picture a good writer is is different from who I am. I
still consider myself being intelligent, with self-discipline.
My ideas about writers come from many sources. The media play a large part of my thoughts on good writers. TV
shows and movies express different aspects of writers. Alongside TV shows and movies, books play an important
role in my thoughts also. Every writer also has a writing process.

*****
Writing Process
When I am given a writing assignment I have a very precise process I have to go through, which may change
depending on the type of assignment. I could be writing different types of essays, a letter, reflection paper or simply
a story. Nevertheless, no matter which I assignment I have to do I always make a plan. Before actually writing my

rough draft, I often do a Pre-Writing activity. During my prewriting stage I brain storm ideas and possible topics
that I may write about. Sometimes I make a bulleted list and other times I just free write on what thoughts come to
my mind. After ending the Pre-Writing process I should have come up with a subject/topic with a few details or facts
corresponding with the topic I chose. The next step of my writing process is to do my research and make an outline.
An outline is a very important element in my writing process. Outlines make it easier to organize what information
you have to put into your writing assignment. Making an outline makes it easier to reach your required length of
your assignment because you can make sure you have enough facts and information you can talk about in your
paper. Once you have an outline with your thesis, topic sentences, and supporting details you basically have your
paper you just have to write it out.
After I have made an outline its time to write rough draft which I then get a couple people to read over and
help me revise it. After the revision process I finish my final copy and submit.

*****
Feelings about Reading
Reading is one subject I really dislike. Usually you find people who are either a reading person or a math
person, rarely both. I find more interest in math rather than reading. I dont think I initially ostracized reading as a
child as much as I do currently. Growing up, as the readings increased in length so did my disinterest for the subject
increased. When I was younger the readings were very interesting. They grabbed my attention almost immediately.
Readings such as Green eggs and ham, Junie B. Jones and Charlottes Web were entertaining to read as a child. As a
child I didnt have to read any boring books because the ones we read were always fun. Now that Im older I just am
so disinterested in reading.
During high school our curriculum already had the list of books/readings we had to read. There wasnt a way
around reading stories about kings, deserts, or a poem about nature. I felt like those readings were unnecessary to
constantly read over and over. You could not escape readings and what made it worse was we were tested on it
continuously. Class test turned into exams which eventually turned into the ACT and SAT.
Fast forwarding to the present, I am in college now and still theres no way around reading about things that I
am absolutely not interested in. I think we should be able to pick what we read as long as it is relevant to what our

lesson is about that week. I dont think my feelings about readings will change I will read but only because we have
to in order to learn and succeed.

*****
Reading Process
When Im reading I try to focus on reading itself and taking in the content Im reading. Sometimes I tend to
stop concentrating and start to just read over the words and not understand what Im reading. The way I read
depends on what Im reading. If Im reading a chapter book I like to read the back of the book to see exactly what
the book will be able. If Im reading a chapter in an English text book I like highlighting the chapter headings. If Im
reading a paper copy of a passage for an exam/final I like to underline the sections and number the paragraph.
No matter what kind of reading I am doing I like to underline or highlight all the things I find that are
important such as the sentence that states the main idea. My reading process in school and out of school share a fair
amount of similarities and differences. Out of school if Im doing leisure reading I like to read out loud. Reading out
loud helps me understand and retain what Im reading. I still like to recognize the important facts but instead of
underlining them in pencil or highlighting it I just keep a mental note of what facts are really significant. I think very
its important to highlight the most important facts so when you have questions on the selection or the readings
sections you will easily locate where the information may be located.
Depending on the genre I am reading I may have to read over the reading more than once to grasp a better
understanding of what Im reading. When Im reading through my material if I am unfamiliar with a word I
underline or highlight it and go to a dictionary and find the meaning.

*****
Acts of Sponsorship
There are countless times I have showed an act of sponsorship. I have sponsored numerous amounts of
people into literacy. Im going to tell a story of the most recent.
In high school I took a childhood education college level course which involved learning about childrens
learning abilities. One part of the course required us to travel off campus to an elementary school and volunteer in a

kindergarden-5th grade teachers classroom for a few hours. In my chosen classroom I had approximately 16-20 1st
grade students. The students were all well behaved, interested in learning and kind. I was given a list of students to
work with and each day we went to the elementary school I either read to the students, helped the students with their
reading assignments or simply let the students read to me before they take an Accelerated Reading test on the book
they read. Most days the child would choose a book they would like to read and I helped them comprehend the book
better than they did before. Then theyd get tested on the book.
Since it was my first time working with children I was nervous at first but it all became natural. I loved
working with these children. My relationship with the children became really close and we loved each other very
much. When the semester was coming to a close and it was time to say goodbye to the kids, everyone was sad and
some children even cried. This was a program I was glad to say I experienced.

*****
Exploring a Discourse Community
I didnt realize a discourse community could be a place of employment. I belong to this type of discourse
community. I work at a chicken and barbecue place in Rocky Mount North Carolina. Since it is a restaurant we have
and use a lot of different words that are specific to our job. Takeout workers usually yell Jacks which is a type of
sweet potato dessert that has to be dropped when they run out of them. Some other terms they use would be
Change when they need to break down some of their big bills. When its 2 o clock every day the managers use the
term 2 oclock or drop to inform the cashier workers its time make their cash register deposits. These terms are
important to this community because without them it wouldnt be much order and they are particular to our
restaurant. We use various terms of communicating such as by phone to inform others of closings, call outs, changes
in policies, or uniform orders. We speak in person, have meetings by job types, we use a computer to transfer orders
and also write down orders. All workers speak and mostly the takeout, waitresses, drive thru, cooks and table
workers write depending on the order. The cooks and table workers have to always speak because theyre the people
who are getting the orders together. Without them plates wouldnt be made.

People can enter this discourse community easily. All they have to do is apply online and make sure they
meet the age requirements and pass the background check, if theres a spot available they will sure join this
discourse community.

UWRT 1101
Ashley Marcum, Instructor
Peer Review QuestionsLiteracy Project
Reviewer: Natori

Author: Raven

Directions: Respond to the following questions thoroughly, respectfully, and constructively. Please
write your full responses in black text to these questions in this document and save your revised
document as Last Name PRQs (Peer Review Questions for Last Name.) For example, my PRQs for
Johnny Appleseed would be named MarcumPRQsAppleseed. Please indicate on your paper your name
and the name of the author that you are responding to. Note, you should also make revision
suggestions, comments, and responses on the paper itself using the review tool in Word. You are
working together to improve each others writing: be sure that the kinds of responses you are giving
are the kinds of responses you would like to receive on your paper. Everyone appreciates both praise
and constructive criticism.
1. Read the first snapshot essay and then stop. In a sentence or two, describe what you expect
the author to say in this essay. Who and what is this paper going to focus on? As a reader, can
you tell what main theme is going to run throughout the collage essay? Does the snapshot
make sense without having the prompts as titles? Do the collage sections have titles or
astericks?
To talk about how she feels about writing and go on to talk about her real feeling. Ravens
snapshots would make sense, even without the titles. They are separated by both titles and
astericks.
2. Finish reading the entire essay. Respond in the margins with your first reactions as a reader.
Briefly summarize the essay (2-3 sentences). Then summarize each paragraph in a sentence
or less. Where does the author get off track? Where does the author stay focused? If you are
having a hard time summarizing the paragraphs, then something in the paragraph may be
undermining the focus.
Raven talks first about what she thinks a writer looks like. She then goes in to describe how
she does or doesnt fit the requirements as a writer. She stays focused on the topic throughout
the essay.
3. How well does the author begin the story? What does the author do to keep the readers
reading, ie. a hook or reason to be drawn in? What could he/she do to draw the reader in
more? Does the first snapshot give a sense of where the rest of the snapshots are going? Do
you think another of the snapshots would work better as a beginning? Does the concluding
snapshot help bring the collection to a sense of closure? Does it point to how literacy will

impact them in the future? If the last snapshot is not satisfying, what would you do to make it
more engaging?
Raven had me hooked from the first sentence of the essay. She kept the readers hooked her
different details used throughout the essay. She could go in to deeper detail about the different
examples she used. She shouldnt change the order that it is in.
4. Do each of the snapshots have clear imagery, description, details, dialogue? Does author share a
creative non-fiction collage that relates at least three or four major literacy events or elements?
Also, do the snapshots point to how the event illustrates something about literacy? Highlight the
sections of the essay where you feel the author is able to critically reflect on the cultures within
which the literacy event/s occur.
Two of the 6 snapshots (Exploring a discourse community and Acts of sponsorship) really did not
have as many details.
4. Does the organization of the paper make sense? How has the author woven together the
snapshots? Can you see the authors self displayed in fragments made beautiful by their
juxtapositions? (Miller and Paola 111). If the structure seems either confusing or strong
indicate where you see this. How would you improve it? For example, if the author has chosen
to use asterisks between snapshots, would titles, numbers, or epigraphs (opening quotes) be
better to structure the snapshots? Is there sufficient repetition of the main points/images of
the authors literacy history or present and at the same time avoid monotonous repetition?
Ravens organization of the entire paper definitely makes sense. She not only uses the titles
but also the asterisks.
5. Does the author consider the audience? Indicate how the author could address the audience
better or where the author does a good job of considering the audience.
She does not consider the audience in some of her essays. Think of writing like your talking to
one of your friends or someone you just met. In your writing, you are talking to lots of people.
Dont be afraid to let out how you feel.
6. List two things you think the author does a good job on. List two things you think the author
should work on. Make at least one suggestion for how she/he might go about improving each
of those aspects of the essay.
-Use of language and organization.
-Different examples she provides and explaining.
-Adding more details
-Dont be afraid to be YOU in your writing.
8. List two things you would like to hear more about. What does the author not deal with as much or
as well as youd like? Explain what and why you think these elements are important enough to
include.

-Adding more details. That is really the only thing. Go deeper in detail with the examples that you
give. Other than that, your snapshots are really good!

GRADING RUBRIC
LP=Literacy Project

Project Artifacts =Invention/Prewriting,

Subsequent Drafts, Final Snapshot Essay and
Reflective Cover Letter

1 = Below Expectations

2 = Satisfactory

3 = Proficient

4 = Exemplary

Inquiry: Project artifacts

are missing and/or the
project lacks evidence of
inquiry about literacy.

Inquiry: Project artifacts

reveal some use of critical
thinking, creativity and writing
toward discovery but the
connections between the
literacy snapshots are unclear
or have gaps.

Inquiry: Project artifacts

reveal clear and consistent
use of writing toward
discovery, critical thinking,
and creativity.

Inquiry: Project artifacts reveal

sophisticated, consistent use of writing to
generate questions and seek answers
about your literacy as a means of
discovery and deeper understanding of
your reading and writing history, various
literacies, discourse communities, and
literacy sponsorship.

Content: Snapshot Essay

lacks creativity and/or
tells the story rather than
showing the reader.

Content: Snapshot Essay has a

focus but it is not consistently
woven throughout the text or
lacks critical thinking and
creativity. Some snapshots
employ narrative techniques
dialogue, detail and
description.

Content: Snapshot Essay

components work together to
establish a focus determined
by the writer through
synthesis of themes found in
their literacy histories
Multiple connections shown
through engaging
storytelling.

Content: Snapshot Essay components

work together to establish a focus
determined by the writer through
sophisticated synthesis of their literacy
history. All parts of the text work
together to reveal complex connections
that are clearly and skillfully crafted to
show readers a full exploration of the
authors literacy.

Conventions: Snapshot
Essay has obvious errors
that distract the reader.

Conventions: Snapshot Essay

has been revised and finetuned but some errors and/or
awkwardness remain OR there
are inconsistencies in citations.

Conventions: Snapshot
Essay has clearly been
revised and fine-tuned. All
sources are cited and
referenced in one citation
style.

Conventions: Snapshot Essay has been

extensively, skillfully revised and finetuned for Vitality, clarity, and grammar.
All sources are properly cited and
referenced consistently using one citation
style.

Cover Letter Reflection:

Project reflection lacks
detail and has significant
gaps, failing to provide an
adequate picture of project
movement.

Cover Letter Reflection:

Project reflection has some
detail but there are gaps that
hinder a full picture of the
aspects of the project (inquiry,
rhetorical situation, revision).

Cover Letter Reflection:

Project reflection has
adequate detail and depth,
offering insights into aspects
of inquiry, the rhetorical
situation, and revision
choices.

Cover Letter Reflection: Project

reflection has sophisticated detail and
depth, offering a thorough picture of the
role of inquiry in the project
development, how the rhetorical
situation impacted the design/writing of
the Snapshot Essay, and role revision
choices played in the final product.
Total

GRADING SCALE:
16 = 100

9 = 80

14-15 = 95

8 = 75

12-13 = 90

7 = 70

10-11 = 85

6 = 65

5 or lower = 60

Scor
e

Mikaila Milton
Ms. Ashley Marcum
UWRT 1101-010
February 2, 2016

Favorite Writing Experience

My favorite experience was when I took my SAT for the last time. Surprisingly the topic was interesting
enough for me to passionately write about. The topic was if hip-hop music influenced kids in a positive or negative
way. I found this topic interesting because in the past SATs, the topics are usually educational based and boring. I
felt very confident while doing a quick outline for the paper and then finally writing it. I feel that it is best for me and
other students who are writing, that the topic interest them in order to have the best outcome of their paper. I believe
that while in high school, we are taught to write a certain way in order to obtain the highest score on test and leave
our creativeness out. Without being able to express ourselves through paper, we tend to struggle and the paper
becomes dull. Being able to express myself through a certain topic that is of interest or to free write in general, helps
me be more engaged in my reading rather than just try to use big words or a certain writing style in order to help me
pass.

My writing process is most likely similar to others. If I have a certain topic to write about, I read it
thoroughly, underline the things that it wants me to expand on, and then re-read back over it to make sure I did not
miss anything important that needs to be included in the paper. After doing those steps, I start writing at least three
main topics to start off with after writing the introduction paragraph. I like to have at least three main points to focus
on throughout the paper in order to get the point across and have the reader fully understand what I am talking about.

I use this writing process every time I write a paper because it is helpful and is easy to start a paper. Whether it is for
school or just a basic journal entry, I like to think ahead before I start writing a final paper. However, when writing
an email, I do not have to brainstorm as much because usually I am trying to get one point across in an email so it is
straight forward, yet understandable to read. I have no problem with writing, as long as I do this process and try to
use the skills that I was taught in high school. Hopefully my writing skills will alter while in this class to help me
write on topics that are not of any interest.
My worst reading is every time I am forced to read something especially for class. I find that class readings
are very boring and are harder to read. However, I use to love reading books when I was younger. Not Dr. Sues
books, although those were always great, but chapter books that related to my age. I think when I got to 8th grade, I
started to read less because one, I left a private school who made us read a lot to a public school who did not really
have a focus of reading and two because the readings were uninteresting. My mom was and still is a book worm so
she always wanted me to stick my nose in something!
By the time I got to high school, which was a middle college, I was not really expected to read a lot in my
high school classes, however when I was taking college classes at the same time, I would always be expected to read
ahead before going to the class in order to have a better understanding of the lecture. I think by taking college classes
in high school, helped me to get back into the swing of reading things that I was not going to like. I understand that
reading is a necessity and that all readings will not be of my liking, but I have to get over it and learn to adapt. The
last book that I read was the Great Gatsby and I absolutely loved it. I think that after reading that book, it inspired me
to read more.
My reading process depends on what I am reading then and there. If it is just a book that I am reading for
fun, I usually just read and do not have to worry about underling important parts or anything like that because I am
reading it for myself. If I am reading something for school even if it is my text book, I will usually underline,
highlight, or make notes on the side if I find it important. I like to really try to understand what I am reading
especially if it relates to class. I think it is harder to read things that has something to do with my classes because you
never know when the professor might put that on the test and you would not be aware because you did not take the
time out to read nor try to grasp the concept.

After doing everything I can to make the text stand out, I either write them down in a notebook or make
flashcards of the bold words that maybe vocabulary words that could be used later in the future when going over
different topics of the subject. I expect to at least have a better understanding after going to the lectures that require
me to read before showing up to class because the lecture are supposed to help me understand what was going on
within the chapter.
I would say that I sponsor my little brother when it comes to literacy because he is getting to the grade level
where he needs to comprehend literary devices. Also, my mother would be a big sponsor when it comes to literacy
because ever since I can remember, she has helped me with ideas on how to write a paper and proof read. I believe
that my mom is a big advocate when it comes my English classes and still is today. She is a big sponsor and is also
being a sponsor to my little brother as well. Not only does she sponsor her children, but also her colleagues. She has
helped them with resumes and presentations! I think everyone needs a sponsor like my mother because having
someone like her would help the literacy process be easier than what it really needs to be.

UWRT 1101
Ashley Marcum, Instructor
Peer Review QuestionsLiteracy Project
Reviewer: Natori

Author: Mikaila

Directions: Respond to the following questions thoroughly, respectfully, and constructively. Please
write your full responses in black text to these questions in this document and save your revised
document as Last Name PRQs (Peer Review Questions for Last Name.) For example, my PRQs for
Johnny Appleseed would be named MarcumPRQsAppleseed. Please indicate on your paper your name
and the name of the author that you are responding to. Note, you should also make revision
suggestions, comments, and responses on the paper itself using the review tool in Word. You are
working together to improve each others writing: be sure that the kinds of responses you are giving
are the kinds of responses you would like to receive on your paper. Everyone appreciates both praise
and constructive criticism.
1. Read the first snapshot essay and then stop. In a sentence or two, describe what you expect
the author to say in this essay. Who and what is this paper going to focus on? As a reader,
can you tell what main theme is going to run throughout the collage essay? Does the
snapshot make sense without having the prompts as titles? Do the collage sections have
titles or astericks?

To have a topic sentence to grab the readers attention and jump right into the details about
her favorite writing experience. If she had titles or asterisks for the other snapshots, it would
make it easier to understand. You can tell which is which by looking at the first sentence.
2. Finish reading the entire essay. Respond in the margins with your first reactions as a reader.
Briefly summarize the essay (2-3 sentences). Then summarize each paragraph in a sentence
or less. Where does the author get off track? Where does the author stay focused? If you
are having a hard time summarizing the paragraphs, then something in the paragraph may
be undermining the focus.
Mikaila talks about her favorite writing experience, which was the writing prompt used while
taking her SAT. It influenced her because she was actually interested in the topic and could
easily get started. Mikaila stays focused and on topic throughout the essay.
3. How well does the author begin the story? What does the author do to keep the readers
reading, ie. a hook or reason to be drawn in? What could he/she do to draw the reader in
more? Does the first snapshot give a sense of where the rest of the snapshots are going? Do
you think another of the snapshots would work better as a beginning? Does the concluding
snapshot help bring the collection to a sense of closure? Does it point to how literacy will
impact them in the future? If the last snapshot is not satisfying, what would you do to make
it more engaging?
She jumped right into talking about the topic. She definitely does give examples that tie into
the topic she is talking about. I would say to add more details and dig deeper. Why or how was
it important to you? How did this influence you?
4. Do each of the snapshots have clear imagery, description, details, dialogue? Does author share a
creative non-fiction collage that relates at least three or four major literacy events or elements?
Also, do the snapshots point to how the event illustrates something about literacy? Highlight the
sections of the essay where you feel the author is able to critically reflect on the cultures within
which the literacy event/s occur.
They each have a clear imagery but just needs some more details to complete it.
5.) Does the organization of the paper make sense? How has the author woven together the
snapshots? Can you see the authors self displayed in fragments made beautiful by their
juxtapositions? (Miller and Paola 111). If the structure seems either confusing or strong
indicate where you see this. How would you improve it? For example, if the author has
chosen to use asterisks between snapshots, would titles, numbers, or epigraphs (opening
quotes) be better to structure the snapshots? Is there sufficient repetition of the main
points/images of the authors literacy history or present and at the same time avoid
monotonous repetition?
The paper starts off as organized. The first essay was known for its title, the others did not
have a title. She should incorporate the titles so others dont think that it is all one topic.
6.) Does the author consider the audience? Indicate how the author could address the
audience better or where the author does a good job of considering the audience.
Mikaila does incorporate the audience in her essays. She does a really good job of that.
7. List two things you think the author does a good job on. List two things you think the author
should work on. Make at least one suggestion for how she/he might go about improving each of
those aspects of the essay.
-Explaining in detail the examples she gave.
-The language and words she uses throughout the snapshots.

-I think she should definitely work on giving more examples and going more into detail in some of the
essays.

-I would add why the topic is important to you.

8. List two things you would like to hear more about. What does the author not deal with as much or
as well as youd like? Explain what and why you think these elements are important enough to
include.

-The only thing that I would like to hear more about is about your mom and brother in the acts of
sponsorship essay. I almost died when you ended it so soon.

Williams 13

GRADING RUBRIC
LP=Literacy Project

Project Artifacts =Invention/Prewriting,

Subsequent Drafts, Final Snapshot Essay and
Reflective Cover Letter

1 = Below Expectations

2 = Satisfactory

3 = Proficient

4 = Exemplary

Inquiry: Project artifacts

are missing and/or the
project lacks evidence of
inquiry about literacy.

Inquiry: Project artifacts

reveal some use of critical
thinking, creativity and writing
toward discovery but the
connections between the
literacy snapshots are unclear
or have gaps.

Inquiry: Project artifacts

reveal clear and consistent
use of writing toward
discovery, critical thinking,
and creativity.

Inquiry: Project artifacts reveal

sophisticated, consistent use of writing to
generate questions and seek answers
about your literacy as a means of
discovery and deeper understanding of
your reading and writing history, various
literacies, discourse communities, and
literacy sponsorship.

Content: Snapshot Essay

lacks creativity and/or
tells the story rather than
showing the reader.

Content: Snapshot Essay has a

focus but it is not consistently
woven throughout the text or
lacks critical thinking and
creativity. Some snapshots
employ narrative techniques
dialogue, detail and
description.

Content: Snapshot Essay

components work together to
establish a focus determined
by the writer through
synthesis of themes found in
their literacy histories
Multiple connections shown
through engaging
storytelling.

Content: Snapshot Essay components

work together to establish a focus
determined by the writer through
sophisticated synthesis of their literacy
history. All parts of the text work
together to reveal complex connections
that are clearly and skillfully crafted to
show readers a full exploration of the
authors literacy.

Conventions: Snapshot
Essay has obvious errors
that distract the reader.

Conventions: Snapshot Essay

has been revised and finetuned but some errors and/or
awkwardness remain OR there
are inconsistencies in citations.

Conventions: Snapshot
Essay has clearly been
revised and fine-tuned. All
sources are cited and
referenced in one citation
style.

Conventions: Snapshot Essay has been

extensively, skillfully revised and finetuned for Vitality, clarity, and grammar.
All sources are properly cited and
referenced consistently using one citation
style.

Cover Letter Reflection:

Project reflection lacks
detail and has significant
gaps, failing to provide an
adequate picture of project
movement.

Cover Letter Reflection:

Project reflection has some
detail but there are gaps that
hinder a full picture of the
aspects of the project (inquiry,
rhetorical situation, revision).

Cover Letter Reflection:

Project reflection has
adequate detail and depth,
offering insights into aspects
of inquiry, the rhetorical
situation, and revision
choices.

Cover Letter Reflection: Project

reflection has sophisticated detail and
depth, offering a thorough picture of the
role of inquiry in the project
development, how the rhetorical
situation impacted the design/writing of
the Snapshot Essay, and role revision
choices played in the final product.
Total

Scor
e

Williams 14

GRADING SCALE:
16 = 100

9 = 80

14-15 = 95

8 = 75

12-13 = 90

7 = 70

10-11 = 85

6 = 65

5 or lower = 60

Shanice Hill
Favorite Writing Experience
After thirteen years of being in the education system I can pinpoint my
favorite writing experience with ease, it was second grade and we were making our
own books. Real books with a spine, hard cover and printed page. At this young age
I thought writing would be a struggle and my book would not turn out as what was
expected from a second grader. While brain storming ideas I knew I wanted to
portray myself through the book and let people into my mind, so I decided I should
bring to life the crazy dreams I had during those years of my life. At this age I
tended to sleep walk, talk in my sleep, and have nightmares at least once a week.
Would I write about being struck to the size of a grain of rice in the factory that my
mother worked at? A horror story that my mother lived every night, being trapped
inside this hell and not being able to escape because she was the sole provider for
two little girls. No that was too scary. One night I had a dream about my great
grandmother, only ever meeting her once I thought this was a nightmare and cried
about it to my mother. She explained with tears of joy that she was my guardian
angel and before she died she foreshadowed that she would come to a curly haired
child in their dreams. So secretly I went to school and converted this nightmare into

Williams 15
a magical adventure with my great grandmother. I wrote my two sentences on each
page with pride and tried to sound as educated as possible. I drew my own
illustrations with care and colored inside the lines like never before. At parent night
my mother and grandmother came as we presented our books, they cried with joy.
This was my favorite writing experience because it made the people I love most so
happy, they even took it to the family reunion! The fact that my writing at this
young age moved others with its simplicity brought to see writing in a new
perspective than before. Other experiences did not compare because instead of
attempting to invite my audience into a new world.
Feelings about Writing
When a teacher announces that we will be writing a paper my heart slowly
stops and begins to develop the anxiety that comes with writing. I start to think
about how I will not finish the assignment on time or if I do it will be at the last
minute with loads of stress. Writing assignments never portray what I feel or want
my audience to know. The assignments also are only read by the teacher, and all
the students know exactly what the teacher wants to read so it is not very
challenging during the writing process. These thoughts begin after learning the long
and specific process of writing. During my third grade year we learned that a paper
was like a hamburger, with a two buns and a burger in the middle. While adding
onto that process each year, the grading was based off of what we were taught
rather than exploring a new range of creativity. For me understanding the new
processes always took longer than others, incorporating this to my writing was hard
for some reason. My sophomore year of high school my English teacher was Mrs.
West, who also taught my father, she assigned us our first research paper on the
holocaust. This paper was different from any other because we were given a board

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topic and were allowed to decide what was discussed and what interested us
personally. Instead of a date that the entire paper was due she gave many dates
with same portions due each time. Showing us time management and giving us the
creative freedom to write a paper of our own. Researching a topic that everyone
became enticed in let this writing assignment become less of work and more
passionate. Even after this experience following teachers became the same boring
and technical robots like all the rest. With the lack of creativity and structure writing
becomes a chore rather. I can remember a time when I was the youngest of the
family and still could not write. I even attempted to make my own language; I made
lists with the language trying to memorize the wiggles as words. I know that writing
is an honor so it does upset me that writing is not adored like it was as a child.
Your Reading Process
My reading process beings with forcing myself to pick up the book, since Ive
been in college all reading is through text books or assigned readings. I always clear
my mind to allow the author to begin with a clean slot without any bias. If a book is
interesting I read the entire thing with only bathroom breaks in between chapters,
but the more boring the faster my eyelids silently fall. With high level literature I am
very nervous before turning to cover over. The larger words and hidden meanings
behind them push me farther way, I already assume that I cannot comprehend what
the author is pushing through the pages. At times I re-read paragraphs because I
did not understand pieces of the text, as well as skipping words I must return to a
sentence many times. I tend to be so intimidated by literature that during
discussion in class settings I refrain from speaking in fear of being judged. When I
am not in a school setting I get very interested in the book and I have to tell another
person about everything that happened! Pretty much like those who have just

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watched the new episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians. My reading interest
in a personal setting began with romantic teen books which slowly became novels
about peoples lives and guides to life. As a woman I am very interested in other
womens lives and comparing them to myself so that I do not feel so alone and
viewing things in different perspectives is also a plus. When reading emails I try to
read them personally and as plain and non-personal as possible, rather with text
messages I read them with the sender in mind and hear their voice in my head.
Seeking out attitudes and tones myself to depict the message to another level.
Reading in other classes like math and science never really counted as reading to
me, it all sent a very factual boring message that I quickly read got the information I
needed and forgot the rest.
Picturing a Writer
When I think of a writer I picture a very intelligent person who wears glasses
and nice clothing at all times. They are usually short, white, brunette women who
just finished college and live in New York as she works on publishing her next book.
She writes about some new story that partially incorporates the people in her own
life, but with a twist so that no one gets offended. She whips out her small leather
journal whenever something interesting happens around her and documents the
ideas with her small black pen. Unlike the writer I do not have my life in order. I do
not have a group of interesting friends, who are not stereotypically normal, or
have an appealing life where things out of the ordinary happen. These ideas about
writing come from how my own English teachers, movies, and the type of people I
know who wish to become writers in the future. All these people are passionate and
search for the best things in life to write about. They are also great readers so they
can find the significance in the small things in life thus helping them in the writing

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process. I picture writers a confident people who may not write a successful paper
the first draft but do not work very hard to get there. Writers are the people who
open their laptop and get to writing and are done in due time. Instead of struggling
to comprehend what I want to communicate. My confidence is so low even though
during high school I was at the same level as these people I picture as writers. Even
though I struggled more to get my product, it was still up at the same rank.
Act of Sponsorship
The one person with no doubt I sponsored into literacy was my younger
brother, being ten years older than him he was always jealous of all his older
siblings when he noticed he was the only one that could not read. When I would
host a pretend summer school with him in during his pre-school years I would read
about two to three books to him a day, then with the added nightly routine of
reading at least one book to him before bed. Now at eight year old he reads a book
to me before bed and I read one more so he will fall asleep. He love of books that
teach him new things, his love grew so quickly that I could not believe it when he
read a chapter book for the first time. When I was young my mother was the
sponsor for my sister and I, as a single mother she always pushed us to be the best
in the important aspects of having a successful life. Also being the younger sibling I
was always expected to do as well or better than my older sister. Also the teachers
in our small town expected the best from me and if I was at an average level they
would still set up a parent teacher conference to see what was happening. Although
I do not despise the pushing from all these areas it made me do my best. I do
believe this is the reason why I am hesitant to give a wrong answer in class or show
my mother bad grades! As I grow and am exposed to different writers and pieces of

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literature I see that there are many more genres that I could go into. Writing is now
an adventure rather than a bother.
Entering a Discourse Community
As a bi-racial child I enter many discourse communities within a single day.
During holidays this is more evident to myself and those that belong to my normal
discourse community. At home I am used to the sophisticated country slang that we
use to communicate daily. My family communicates through texting, even if we are
all in the same building as one another. We also use facetime to talk while the
children are hours away at college. During the holiday season this normal discourse
community is separated as we go to our different grandparents home. At my
southern, white grandmothers Christmas get-together it has a calm environment,
there is a set routine of eat, open presents, small talk, then take home sweets that
she has prepared for everyone. The only people that come are my sister, mother
and I along with my uncle and his fianc. Because of previous drama that happened
before my birth, there is not much conversation between my uncle toward my sister
and I. My mother always seems to muster up a country accent to match her sibling
and mothers.
While my sister and I only go to my black grandmothers Christmas
celebration they entire family comes together. No one knocks on the door, they
simply walk in and yell HEY give everyone in the room a hug and sit down and talk
about life. Catching up with people you have not seen in years is part of the casual
schedule. There are no presents expect for the young children because the
Christmas season is about God and not materialist things. The language is ghetto
as my mother likes to hatefully point out, but it is a nice cozy feeling at all times.

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There is no texting, my black grandmother still only owns a home phone so the
communication is mostly through word of mouth or face to face.
No discourse community is better than the other; they are all unique and
special in their own way. Being able to enter different discourse communities helps
me connect with varieties of people.
UWRT 1101
Ashley Marcum, Instructor
Peer Review QuestionsLiteracy Project
Reviewer: Natori

Author: Shanice

Directions: Respond to the following questions thoroughly, respectfully, and

constructively. Please write your full responses in black text to these questions in
this document and save your revised document as Last Name PRQs (Peer Review
Questions for Last Name.) For example, my PRQs for Johnny Appleseed would be
named MarcumPRQsAppleseed. Please indicate on your paper your name and the
name of the author that you are responding to. Note, you should also make
revision suggestions, comments, and responses on the paper itself using the review
tool in Word. You are working together to improve each others writing: be sure
that the kinds of responses you are giving are the kinds of responses you would like
to receive on your paper. Everyone appreciates both praise and constructive
criticism.
1. Read the first snapshot essay and then stop. In a sentence or two, describe
what you expect the author to say in this essay. Who and what is this paper
going to focus on? As a reader, can you tell what main theme is going to run
throughout the collage essay? Does the snapshot make sense without having
the prompts as titles? Do the collage sections have titles or astericks?
In Shanices essay, she has a great starting point. Using her own style, it
made me want to read more and more of her pieces.
2. Finish reading the entire essay. Respond in the margins with your first
reactions as a reader. Briefly summarize the essay (2-3 sentences). Then
summarize each paragraph in a sentence or less. Where does the author get
off track? Where does the author stay focused? If you are having a hard time
summarizing the paragraphs, then something in the paragraph may be
undermining the focus.
Shanice talks about her different experiences with reading, writing, and how
she enters different discourse communities. In her essays, she stays on track
and stays on one topic throughout the essay, tying in different real life
examples.
3. How well does the author begin the story? What does the author do to keep
the readers reading, ie. a hook or reason to be drawn in? What could he/she

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do to draw the reader in more? Does the first snapshot give a sense of where
the rest of the snapshots are going? Do you think another of the snapshots
would work better as a beginning? Does the concluding snapshot help bring
the collection to a sense of closure? Does it point to how literacy will impact
them in the future? If the last snapshot is not satisfying, what would you do
to make it more engaging?
Each essay of Shanices keeps me hooked. After I would read one, I would
want to read another. Her tone and her originality definitely kept me going.
Maybe in the first essay she should talk about how her presentation went.
4. Do each of the snapshots have clear imagery, description, details, dialogue?
Does author share a creative non-fiction collage that relates at least three or four
major literacy events or elements? Also, do the snapshots point to how the event
illustrates something about literacy? Highlight the sections of the essay where you
feel the author is able to critically reflect on the cultures within which the literacy
event/s occur.
Yes, Shanices essays did have clear imagery, description (lots of it), details, and
dialogue.
4. Does the organization of the paper make sense? How has the author woven
together the snapshots? Can you see the authors self displayed in
fragments made beautiful by their juxtapositions? (Miller and Paola 111). If
the structure seems either confusing or strong indicate where you see this.
How would you improve it? For example, if the author has chosen to use
asterisks between snapshots, would titles, numbers, or epigraphs (opening
quotes) be better to structure the snapshots? Is there sufficient repetition of
the main points/images of the authors literacy history or present and at the
same time avoid monotonous repetition?
She separated her snapshots by titles so that I could which snapshot was
which. She kept it organized.
5. Does the author consider the audience? Indicate how the author could
address the audience better or where the author does a good job of
considering the audience.
Yes Shanice does, especially in her entering a discourse community snapshot.
6. List two things you think the author does a good job on. List two things you
think the author should work on. Make at least one suggestion for how
she/he might go about improving each of those aspects of the essay.
Keeping the reader attached; dialogue and her originality
Her use of wording and descriptive details

Maybe going through it one more time for small errors

8. List two things you would like to hear more about. What does the author not
deal with as much or as well as youd like? Explain what and why you think these
elements are important enough to include.

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-To hear more about the presentation in the first paragraph (favorite
writing experience). The reader gets interested and before you know it, its
over. Just like a good movie with an ending that makes everyone mad because
they all wanted to know what was going to happen next.