Forum #1 The following statement regarding language variety was presented and adopted at the 1972 Conference on College

Composition and Communication (CCCC) meeting. It was reaffirmed in 2003. We affirm the students' right to their own patterns and varieties of language - the dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style. Language scholars long ago denied that the myth of a standard American dialect has any validity. The claim that any one dialect is unacceptable amounts to an attempt of one social group to exert its dominance over another. Such a claim leads to false advice for speakers and writers, and immoral advice for humans. A nation proud of its diverse heritage and its cultural and racial variety will preserve its heritage of dialects. We affirm strongly that teachers must have the experiences and training that will enable them to respect diversity and uphold the right of students to their own language. explain the plausibility of implementing this policy in a classroom (i.e.

How doable is it?) provide your opinion on the policy (good or bad? And why so?) Finally, what effects would this policy have on reading and writing

after several years of implementation?

Out With the Old and In With the New

I agree that it shows one group trying to assert dominance whether intentionally or not. I think it is possible to implement, but that would mean a different way of grading English papers. If everyone is allowed to write in their own dialect, then all grammar rules in grading and

being taught in general would be out the window. This set curriculum would have to be redesigned and mostly removed, because what we are taught as proper English is very far from the majority of the many different dialects that would make up a class or school. I dont have much of an opinion on the matter other than that it would make writing papers so much easier. Students wouldnt have to worry about correct sentence structure or correct word usage. After a while, many of the set rules of grammar would be forgotten. There would be many different ways of writing and understanding all the different dialects would be challenging. Essentially you would be throwing out an old stiff curriculum but replacing it with a looser one that had many more different parts.

Forum #2
Find a youtube video, online blog, article, cartoon, or news report that addresses one of the topics that we have been discussing this semester. Topics can range from the English language, dialect, speech, education policy, gatekeeping, text, rhetorical analysis, subject, audience, purpose, genre, medium, structure and composition, context, revision, drafting, workshopping, etc. Post your findings, or a link to them. Then, discuss how your selection addresses the topic and why you choose it. I hope you find and post something you enjoy watching/reading so that you can practice applying our class concepts to outside resources.

Taylor Malis Spoken Language

In Taylor Mali's poem, he talks about how we don't speak with conviction and we use filler words. The English language has always had

slang words and different dialects. These elements change with each generation and even within generations. Taylor Mali makes the point that the newest generation doesn't speak with conviction. The tone of voice at the end of spoken sentences doesn't match what is said. He also uses filler words that have become annoyingly more common. His frequent use of "like" and "you know" mimic the spoken language of today's younger generation. Like shorthand, there are accepted places for spoken language to be very loose and casual, but it seems that this generation is losing the ability to not only compose proper English but also to speak it.

Forum #4

For your fourth and final forum, I want you to explore the Digital Archive of Literacy Narratives. Use the search bar to enter key terms or words that you are interested in learning about in someone else. Your terms can be as broad as reading and writing or as specific as childhood Asian or hockey. Then, browse through the search results until you find a narrative that you find interesting. Copy the url for that video into the forum space, and, in 250-300 words, discuss the following topics: Summarize the literacy discussed in the digital narrative. Explain why you found the narrative compelling. Relate the narrative to a personal experience of your own.

Sappy Love Poems to Teenage Boyfriends

The author of this narrative discusses her love of poetry. She explains that she started out writing terrible, cliche little poems as a heart-sick teen to her boy crushes. She gives examples of the imagery she used as a teen then explains how her love of imagery, simile, and metaphor lead to her love of Modern American Poetry. Her favorite authors from that period paint beautiful pictures that focus on evoking natural, human emotion. She found these authors inspirational and began to experiment with her own writing and join online poetry communities where she learned even more about other poetic devices. At the age of fourty, she pursued a degree in creative writing and found a boost in writing confidence when she won fourth place two years in a row in the school's creative writing contest. I chose this narrative, because I can relate to it in some ways. I also have a love of poetry, especially pieces from the romantic period. I love pieces that are thick with beautiful imagery. In my own writing, I use a

lot of imagery, similes, and metaphors along with a few other devices, but my favorite is imagery. My love of creative writing started early as well. When I was very young, I would tell my mom stories, and she would write them down for me. I wrote all the way through grade school for assignments and enjoyed it, but I started writing on my own in sixth grade. I started with simple, little kid poems. That's when my teachers and classmates started noticing my writing skills. That's also when I began to discover my own love of writing. In high school, I took a creative writing class that really let me start to work on my talent. I learned what I really enjoy writing and my personal style began to form. Writing has become a form of expression for myself as well as something that helps me to relax and cope with stress.