Dear Dr.

Hartman,
There is certainly a lot of work to designing a writing assignment. I cannot begin to
imagine the amount of time and detail to design an entire course. It is exciting thoughto see
my ideas come together. Im starting to envision a FYC course with a service learning
component in literacy. I do not have any questions at this time. I am looking forward to your
feedback. I am excited to assign my writing assignment and see how it goes. Thank you, Nickie
Nickie Crowe
Dr. Hartman
ENED 683
February 22, 2015
WAD Design Phase
Rationale/Overview
Writing can be a difficult task. I am choosing to design my assignment as a literacy
narrative to ease the writer into the process of writing. This type of writing allows the author to
be in a position of authority, which eliminates the additional pressure of researching for
supplementary sources. A narrative tells a personal story from the authors point of view. In a
literacy narrative, the student will explore their individual history with reading and writing to
facilitate a self-awareness of their own literacy (HartmanHaps Video Module). The writer will
explore obstacles they have encountered, as well as moments of clarity. The literacy narrative
can heal scars students may carry, can help transform students into writers, and can be very
empowering for the student, because through the literacy narrative, students learn that each of us
battle writing demons (Mascle Metawriting).
My goal is to empower a classroom of students with the knowledge that they are all
writers. I chose this genre, because it allows the student to write about a topic they are very
familiar with, themselves. As a teacher of writing, this type of assignment gives me a glimpse of
their past experiences with reading and writing. By reading these narratives, I can organize my

Crowe 2

class assignments to fit the needs of my students. As students reflect on their own literacy, they
can begin thinking about literacy in a global sense and become a part of the ongoing academic
conversation. This type of assignment could lead to a larger service learning component where
students engage in community literacy issues.
Context
I am creating this assignment for a mock introductory writing course. The intended
audience would be first year college students. This course would be set up in a distance learning
environment. For the purpose of this exercise, the actual participants of this writing assignment
will be two family members. One family member is thinking about returning to school and
would fall into the category of a first year college student. The other family member enjoys
writing, so will gain personal benefit from participating.
The literacy narrative will take place over a two week period. This assignment would be
the introductory assignment for the course. During the first week of the course, students will
participate in a brainstorming activity. After completion of the activity, they will begin drafting
their literacy narrative. At the end of the week, students will exchange papers with a classmate
for a peer review workshop. If I had more students, I would have papers submitted to a space like
Google +, so each paper could receive feedback from two to three peers. This mock class is
small, so the exchange will happen through email. Students will use the commenting tool in
WORD to leave suggestions on their classmates paper. Papers will need to be returned by
Monday of week two, in order for students to complete revisions before submitting their papers
to me for assessment. The timeline will be as follows:
Week 1:
Activity 1 Brainstorming

Crowe 3

Rough Draft
Peer Review Swap by Friday
Week 2:
Peer Review Return by Monday
Rough Draft Revisions
Final Draft due by Saturday at midnight via email
I will create a space in my course website for student questions regarding the assignment. For
purposes of my mock-classroom, I will use email and telephone appointments to answer any
questions.
During these two weeks and throughout the semester, the course website will focus on
writing and the importance of practicing the craft of writing. We will be reading Natalie
Goldbergs Writing Down the Bones, as well as Anne Lamotts Bird by Bird and reflecting in
daybooks on our reactions to the texts. My online classroom will be a space to learn about who
we are as writers and to overcome any negative feelings toward the craft of writing. Part of my
philosophy of teaching writing is aligned with Natalie Goldberg:
Through practice you will get better. You learn to trust yourself more and not give in to
your voice that wants to avoid writing. It is odd that we never question the feasibility of a
football team practicing long hours for one game; yet in writing we rarely give ourselves
the space for practice. When youre writing, dont say, Im going to write a poem. That
attitude will freeze you right away. Sit down with the least expectation of yourself, say, I
am free to write the worst junk in the world. (Goldberg 11)
My classroom will be a space where students explore and write every day. I will be the instructor
who joins them, so that we may learn together.

Crowe 4

Goals/Objectives/Standards
Student Objectives
1. Develop effective writing strategies through writing practice
2. Practice reading and responding critically and respectfully to the works of other writers
3. Understand and practice MLA formatting
4. Develop a clear understanding of narrative writing
5. Produce writing that is focused and organized (Rhetorical Knowledge)
Actual Assignment Design
See attached handout (located after Works Cited page)
The introductory section of the handout was inspired by a blog discussion (Hartman Weblog).
Assessment Tool/Plan

Rubric:

Points Assignment
Description:
Possible Objectives

Process Work

____/50

1, 2

Focus/Purpose

____/10

4, 5

Development

____/10

4, 5

Tone

____/10

4, 5

Mechanics

____/10

Presentation

____/10

Turn in brainstorming activity and draft work

with peer comments

Revised Draft:
Maintains clear main idea, point of view, or
theme regarding literacy in the writer's life
Includes rich, supporting details and includes
reflection and awareness
Appropriate for audience:
classmates/instructor
Includes very few errors in usage and
grammar
Clear and includes MLA formatting

* This assignment is worth 100 points.

I reviewed a sample rubric to create the rubric for this assignment (Hartman Rubric).

Crowe 5

Works Cited
Goldberg, Natalie. Writing Down the Bones: Freeing the Writer Within. Boston: Shambhala,
2005. Print.
HartmanHaps. Module 1: Daybooks and Writer Autobiography. GWU Blackboard. GWU.
January 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Hartman, Shana Ph.D. Rubric for Assignment #1 Literacy Narrative. GWU Blackboard.
GWU. GWU. n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015
Hartman, Shana, Ph.D.. Weblog comment. GWU Blackboard. GWU. 18 Feb. 2015. Web.
21 Feb. 2015
Mascle, Deanna. 10 Ways Literacy Narratives Will Rock Your World. Metawriting. Blogger.
2013. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Crowe 6

Literacy Narrative Handout

What is a Literacy Narrative: A literacy narrative places the author in a position of authority.
This assignment asks you to explore moments in your life that shaped your attitude toward
reading and writing. As the writer, you will gain self-awareness regarding your literacy. Your
purpose is to engage the reader by placing them in your experiences. You will do this by using
vivid details, as well as dialog (if applicable) within your story. In a global sense, writing a
literacy narrative is your opportunity to join the ongoing conversation of literacy.
Instructions: Please complete the following tasks:
Brainstorming Activity (10 minutes):
Go to a quiet place with your favorite pen and notebook and spend 10 minutes writing in
response to these questions:
1. What is your current attitude toward reading and writing? Be honest.
2. Which moments, academically or personally, stand out to you that have shaped your attitude?
Develop a list of the most important moments in your past literacy experiences. Your list
should be between 5-8 moments/experiences. Jot down who was there, where it happened, and
what age you were at the time.
Literacy Narrative Assignment
Review and reflect on your brainstorming activity. Choose three moments (from your
brainstorming activity) that have impacted your literacy the most. Develop a literacy narrative
that tells the story of each of these moments. Include reflections on how these moments have
shaped your attitude toward reading and writing. Find a common theme between these moments
that will help you develop a clear introductory paragraph for your story. Remember, a literacy
narrative is a personal story, which should include rich, supporting details of each event.
Peer Review
Choose a classmate as a peer-review partner. Remember as a peer, it is not your job to judge your
classmates paper. Please give constructive feedback. Discuss strengths and weaknesses in a
positive, effective way. For example, Emily, I really liked what you said here or Suzie, I
find myself wanting to know more about X. The following are questions that can be used as a
guide as you review each others papers.
Questions to consider:
1. Are there any places the language is unclear?
2. Are the transitions between paragraphs effective?
3. Are there any mechanical issues (spelling, grammar)?
4. Are there moments where you would like further explanation?
5. Is the opening paragraph strong with clear intent?
Make a plan with your partner for peer review deadlines. Allow yourself time for revisions
before the final deadline listed below.

Crowe 7

Assignment Objectives:
1. Develop effective writing strategies through writing practice and process work
2. Practice reading and responding critically and respectfully to the works of peers
3. Understand and practice MLA formatting
4. Develop a clear understanding of narrative writing
5. Produce writing that is focused and organized (Rhetorical Knowledge)
Requirements: You will submit your process work (brainstorming and rough draft with peer
edits) with your revised draft by the due date listed below. Your revised draft should be
approximately 2-3 pages in length. Please use MLA formatting; which means double space your
literacy narrative, use a 12 pt font, and create a 1 margin (look at pages 429 433 in A Writers
Reference 7th Edition. If you have not received your books yet, please let me know as soon as
possible. I can email these pages to you in a PDF format). You will need to email your work to
ncrowe@gardner-webb.edu. Please be sure to save your work with your name included in the
document title (example: Smith Literacy Narrative).
Final Notes: If you have any questions or concerns regarding this assignment, please reach out
via email or make an appointment during my office hours which are listed on the course syllabus.
Due Dates:
Rough Draft due for peer editing: Friday March 6th Email to Peer Partner
Revised Draft and Process Work due: Saturday March 14th by 11:59 p.m. PST
Rubric for Literacy Narrative
Points Assignment
Rubric:
Description:
Possible Objectives
Process work is present demonstrating
Process Work:
____/25
1, 2
student participation
____/25
1
Process work shows evidence of revision
Revised Draft:
Narrative Writing

____/20

4,5

Rhetorical Knowledge

____/10

4,5

____/10

____/10

Knowledge of
Conventions
Presentation

Includes rich, supporting details and includes

reflection and awareness
Purpose of narrative is clear, consideration to
audience is clear
Little to no issues in readability, clear control
over mechanics, grammar, and usage
Clear and includes MLA formatting

* This assignment is worth 100

points.
*This Literacy Narrative assignment was inspired by Dr. Shana Hartman (HartmanHaps Module
1: Daybooks and Writer Autobiography).
Works Cited

Crowe 8

HartmanHaps. Module 1: Daybooks and Writer Autobiography. GWU Blackboard. GWU.

January 2015. Web. 20 Feb. 2015.
Hartman, Shana Ph.D. Rubric for Assignment #1 Literacy Narrative. GWU Blackboard.
GWU. GWU. n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2015.