Unit 2: Considering Literacy
-
Billy Collins Poem
This is a brilliant poem for opening discussion on literary analysis or on meaning-making more generally. Called “the most popular poet in America” by the New York Times, Billy Collins won fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the New York Foundation for the Arts. He was also a Lehman…
-
“Accents” by Denice Frohman
A native New Yorker and former Women of the World Poetry Slam Champion, Denice Frohman writes about the intersection of race, gender, and sexuality. This poem, “Accents,” is a beautiful ode to her mother’s Puerto Rican accent. Not only does this performance pair well with resources that discuss language prejudice, but it can also serve…
-
“The Language in Question” by Benjamin Garcia
Written by young Mexican-American poet Benjamin Garcia, “The Language in Question” is the perfect poem to open discussion on language prejudice. The poem’s political commentary begins with its title; the “language in question” is English because, as the speaker goes on to suggest, no matter the context, English is never not in question. English is, as the…
-
Sponsors of Literacy
We discuss these slides before completing this scaffolding assignment for their literacy narrative.
-
Shitty 1st Draft
The first lesson I teach on the “shitty first draft,” is this one, Anne Lamott vs. ChatGPT. If you’re not interested in the above lesson but want to do a “says/does” analysis of Lamott’s piece, you may find an answer key for that here. The slideshow below provides an excellent refresher, as does this dialectical…
-
Literacy Sponsor Assignment
I recommend preceding this assignment with the “Sponsors of Literacy” slideshow.
-
Literacy Audit
Editable version: