Topic: Reading and Writing Autobiographies

10-second review: Students write their own reading and writing autobiographies, but they also analyze their own language.

Title: "The Interaction of Public and Private Literacies.” R Courage. College Composition and Communication (December 1993), 484-496. A publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).

Quote: “…assignments that challenge students to become researchers into their own patterns of language use. It has meant students observing and recording language use in different settings, constructing time lines of their lives as readers and writers, interviewing each other about the ways they currently use reading and writing outside and inside the classroom, comparing their own literacy histories…. Such a pedagogical approach invites students to begin discovering themselves as literate people….”

Comment: This activity is intended for basic writers. Seems to be valid for all writers, beginning with the teacher. RayS.