• What is literacy?
• What is illiteracy?
• What are the characteristics of a literate person?

We agree as a group in general to Gee’s discussion of multiple literacies, as opposed to a single literacy.  Most people are literate to a certain degree when considering ‘being literate’ as a social practice, but those who are multiliterate are able to access and shift between different discourse communities.  This is exemplified in their access to different “identity kits” (Gee, 1991, p. 3).  As an extension of this idea, we would argue then that very few people can be considered entirely illiterate, but most of them have limited access to discourse communities, including those that are privileged or otherwise inaccessible.  By privileged discourse communities, we are primarily considering those favored by certain socioeconomic groups and empowered communities, and reified through the dominant educational system.  In order to be considered literate within the U.S. educational environment, for example, students must write and speak in a coherent manner (as modeled by the dominant discourse community), and demonstrate behavioral competence within that environment.

*Definition by Mellissa Carr, Jack Peterson, and Kris Lowrey

Important Early Reading
Now write about any early picture books you can recall reading or having read to you.

• Who read to you?
• When and where were you read to?
  
• Did you go to the library?
• Did you go to any story hours?
• What’s the first book you remember reading on your own?

My earliest memories of reading are fuzzy, but I can remember sitting on my dad’s lap, at home, on his la-z-boy, and reading books every evening.  Well, he read the books, and I followed along. I’m sure I must have read with my mom too, but I can’t recall that.  I can picture our Old English Sheepdog Sunshine nearby, and sometimes my little sister was there too.  There are a few books that really come to mind… I can’t remember seeing the words on the page, but I can vividly remember the pictures.  We used to read many many books, but some of my favorites were “The Poky Little Puppy,” “Brer Rabbit in the Briar Patch,” a big hardcover book with a golden jacket that had a story about a puffin in it.  I loved to read the puffin story with my dad.

My mom often took us to the library… I vividly remember visiting the Reading Public Library in downtown Reading.  It was a huge stone building; sometimes we’d enter up the front steps and look through the stacks, but most of the time we’d go in the side entrance, down a few steps into the basement which housed the children’s books.  I remember checking out many many books this way to read, but I can’t recall very clearly if we went to any story hours at the library.  Later, we’d visit the bookmobile when it started coming close to our house.

I don’t have very early memories of reading books on my own, but the earliest book I can think of for which I have strong memories is the book “My Brother Sam is Dead.” When I read it, and I can’t remember at what age I did, it made a huge impression on me.  Similarly, I can remember borrowing books from my 5th grade history teacher, Mrs. Shade.  She had this amazing display of short historically-themed texts at the back of the classroom, and I went through them voraciously that year.  All different American history topics were covered, from short biographies of the early presidents, to Ethan Allen and the Green Mountain Boys, to battles and symbolic items, such as the Battle of Ticonderoga and the Star Spangled Banner.  I associate and credit these memories with the start of my interest in history and politics, although it’s just as possible that this interest began earlier.  I was also always taken in by the many stories of the Berenstain bears, but exactly when I read these books, I can’t remember.

In addition to the memories that I have of specific books, I remember very clearly reading programs and events to prom ote reading that I participated in.  For example, I loved participating in “Book It,” and remember being just as excited about having read books as getting my free little personal pizza from Pizza Hut.  I’m sure there’s a lot to be said about the commercialization and the incentivization of reading, but I’m not sure I want to explore such a positive memory in that way.  Similarly, I was amazed at all of the possibilities when the Scholastic book sale rolled into elementary school once a year.  The endless choices were overwhelming, but also thrilling!

Important Early Writing
Now let’s explore your early memories of writing:

• What’s the first thing you remember writing?
• Did you do any writing at home?
• Did you ever keep a diary or journal?
• What’s the first school writing you can remember doing?
• What’s the first graded piece of writing you remember?

My memories of early reading experiences are much more salient than those of writing.  Throughout adolescence I had fitful starts with diaries, but never really got into them.  Before that, I can remember doing a report, in the style of a book with pictures and commentary in 3rd or 4th grade, I think, on Rhode Island.  I know I saved the project and I’m sure my mom has it in the attic with other schoolwork I did.  This Rhode Island projects still conjures up feelings of pride, although I have only fleeting and fuzzy memories of what the report actually looks like, and I can’t honestly say that I remember how much writing I did for it.