Can my families cookbooks be considered my Heritage Literacy?

For generations my family has passed down cookbooks, these amazing guides to the wonderful flavors are a staple of our family. Rumsey states "Heritage literacy is an explanation of how people transfer literacy knowledge from generation to generation and how certain practices, tools, and concepts are adapted, adopted, or alienated from use, depending on the context"(571). I feel this is our heritage literacy. Some of these books have been in our family for years, the oldest being 50 years old. My mother has become a tremendous cook and learned well from her mother and grandmother. These are the only books I have ever seen my mother read. My mom is very illiterate when it comes to computers, but she will not hesitate to jump on Google and look up a recipe. My sisters do not yet cook, but help with the tradition of learning new recipes as well. They use their literacy skills in the form of texts. They sometimes will text their friends for their mother's recipe or text my grandmother for those constant reminders. At times all the women will gather around the kitchen during one of our many fiestas and help cook the same meal. They all read from the book and create a work of art. These same cookbooks have been now passed to my wife. I hope that she will pass them to my three girls in the future as well.

Rumsey, Suzanne Kesler. “Heritage Literacy: Adoption, Adaptation, and Alienation of Multimodal Literacy Tools.” CCC 60.3 (2009): 573-586.

Have I had an original argument in my writing?

In reading Kantz she states “many students misunderstand sources because they read them as stories”(78). This really hit a never with me because I felt that she was directly talking about me. When I first started this course this is exactly the way I read all kind of sources, I felt that I was great reader and could comprehend their ideas with no problems. When I tried to transfer this to my writings for my other classes I realized that I was merely summarizing my sources. I was not able to come up with my own unique perspective of the topic. I now understand what a original statement or argument means, to apply material to a problem or to use it to answer a question, rather than to repeat or re-evaluate it. I think that remembering this when writing is so far the most important rule I have learned in this course. It seems that I have not had a original argument, but just regurgitation of the topic. I was not taught enough about writing in school. Teachers could have realized once they read my writing that I was just summarizing. Could they have not introduced these theories prior to passing out the assignments, I feel that this should be mandatory. I am very excited to continue in this class, I would like to learn new techniques and be able to excite them while I write my assignments.

Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively, Margaret Kantz, College English, Vol. 52, No.1 (Jan., 1990). pp.74-91

Everyone who revised my Q/R all agreed, I feel that they are falling into same routine. I received the same comments from two different students.

Revision is it really that important?

Throughout my learning experience I was never taught why revision is a important subject in writing. I was never given the logic behind revising one's writing. As a young writer I always wrote the way I would if I was speaking, after reading this article I now understand that this is impossible. Sommers states "the absence of research on revision, then, is a function of a theory of writing which makes revision both superfluous and redundant, a theory which does not distinguish between writing and speech (379). When asked to revise a peers writing the process was a simple one. I would read quickly through the text and review and agree with all the points that the writer was trying to express. The writer would usually leave wither the sense of accomplishment, when they really didn't accomplish anything. I was doing my peers a tremendous disservice my not really giving a proper critique. In just a short amount of time in this course I have learned that my writing has so much more to improve and the biggest factor that I have been neglecting is revision. Students need to understand how important this theory about revision.

Can I properly give peer response?

After reading Nuebert and McNelis, I realize that revising someone’s writing takes a lot of understanding what critique really means. Critiquing one’s work takes proper skills so that you can give the writer specific suggestions to improve the writing. In my years of education I was paired up with many peers to help revise each other’s writing. I would generally only read quickly through the writing and I would agree every time with what the writer was stating. I was not giving my peer a proper response of his writing, this was not helping my peers what so ever.

Nuebert and McNelis showed in a study that by focusing on Peer response with the technique, Praise / Question / Polish. Nuebert & McNelis stated, “We found that this technique helps students focus on the task at hand as well as maintain a positive attitude toward the critique process (52). Group members take turns reading the text and follow the PQP technique. This will help the writer better use his strong points in his writing and tighten up his week points with the help of the peers. If I had been taught this technique, at a younger age I believe that I would have become a better writer and I would have help my peers do so as well.

Peer Response: Teaching Specific Revision Suggestions, Gloria A Nuerbert and Sally J. McNelis, The English Journal, Vol. 79. No.59 (Sep., 1990). pp. 52 – 56, http://www.jstor.org/stable/818375, 9/21/2009.

My peer group stated that my examples are too vague and I need to elaborate more with personal experiences.

Is being able to read rhetorically going to help you write rhetorically?

Reading rhetorically will most certainly help you write rhetorically in many ways. When you read rhetorically it means that you are able to pull meaning out of the text. You will not only be able to summarize the basic content, but decipher what the author had originally intended his audience to gain his knowledge. This thought process would help you when you try to write rhetorically. If you already have the knowledge and experience to be able to rhetorically, then you will be able to put your feelings, emotions, and experiences on paper. As a writer you will be able to form all these conventions and with your words express yourself.

Dante,
Good illustration through your personal experience. next time try to talk a little bit more about your academic experience as well, since after all it was the topic of the question.
Interesting.
Grade C+

Was I too young to start College?

Students can accomplish far more than we typically give them credit for. As a returning student I feel very uncertain about what my college future holds. After taking seven years off from school to join the workforce, I have decided to return to school and complete my degree. Speaking from experience when your a young student trivial and material things matter more than studying and preparing for the future. When I was a young first year student I took my professors for granted and did not take advantage of the knowledge they wanted to pass on. During the seven years working I had to adjust my attitude so that I could earn money and continue to work. I learned key lessons in the workforce like punctuality and meeting deadlines. I would not have been able to build my character and work ethic without managers constantly pushing me to do my best and more. All professors need to set their expectations high for all their students as well as all students need to set their bars just as high for professors. If both expect high standards then both will be able to reach their goals.