During class on Wednesday, we will…
Reread/Discuss/Write:
- Introduce/Discuss – How to create posts (+ePortfolios) for your work on OpenLab;
- HW Review: Remember a specific scene that had an impact on their educational experience (no matter how large or small) That said, it should be SPECIFIC!
- Discuss Concrete, Significant Detail
- Watch (and do exercise in) this Lynda Barry video on writing a scene
- This handout describes the steps of Barry’s process.
If time, read this literacy narrative in class. Talk about how the author uses concrete, significant detail!
Before class on Friday (aka homework)…
- REVIEW “Narrative Basic Features” PowerPoint by Laura Westengard.
- WRITE: Education Narrative Freewriting – CREATE A POST
- Write about all of the times you can think of that changed how you approached the learning process or shifted how you felt about education
- Write about your chosen major or career goals and all the valuable moments that shaped your interest in your chosen field
- Write about all of the moments when you “woke up” in some way and changed a central belief, value, or idea that your felt certain about for a long time
During class on Friday, we will…
Discuss/Analyze:
- As a class, we’ll talk about Professor Westengard’s PowerPoint, then break into small groups to analyze the day’s reading assignment (The Fourth of July) using the features covered.
- With your group, find the “feature” of the narrative that you have been assigned to examine (dramatic arc, dialogue, vivid description, significance).
- Identify moments in the Lorde texts where you see the feature you have been assigned.
- Copy out quotes or mark the text where you see the feature at work, and explain why it is that feature and/or how the feature is working in that moment.
Looking ahead to next week …
- Read “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lamott.
- Work on your own “shitty first draft”! Look at the material you’ve generated through brainstorming and freewriting in this class.
My mentality and morals changed drastically during the pandemic. I was previously in college but dropped out for my own personal reasons. But also because I couldn’t see myself doing what I choose for my major. I had just graduated with the class of 2020 and I had my first taste of freedom when the world shut down. I never got my prom, graduation ceremony, I never even got my yearbook. But I’m glad that I had the experience of the pandemic, I don’t think I’d be the same person without it. The pandemic forced me to take a good look in the mirror, and I finally saw myself for the first time. I learned more about myself, what goals I wanna set with myself, my independence and coming to peace with things in my life.