English 2F - Children's Lit
Response 1- Personal History

Purpose: To examine the influence of early experiences on lifelong literacy and reading habits, to explore the roots of literacy and reactions to literature, to identify previous experience, ideas and knowledge about the experience and influence of  literature.

Directions: 

Note: The responses are intended to be a way for you to explore ideas that you might later wish to refine in a paper or a discussion.  I will not censor these responses in any way, nor will I grade them on content or grammar (though, like the seminars, they must be coherent and display some measure of critical thinking about the question at hand). You do not have to answer all the questions, nor do you have to confine yourself to these questions.  You can write as much as you want, as long as you meet the minimum length requirements for the assignment

1. Write at least a page about your experience with books when you were a child. Some questions to consider: How would you describe your attitude about books and reading when you were a kid?  Do you remember being read to?  What kind of books did you have around the house?  Do you remember liking any books or authors in particular? Do you remember disliking any books or authors? Why do you think you liked or disliked those books or authors? Do you remember learning how to read? How was your experience with formal instruction in reading?  How influential were your early experiences on your lifelong attitudes about reading? Have your reading habits or tastes changed a great deal over time? How so?

2. Submit your response to the assignments chamber.

3. Extra Credit Option: Post your response to the extra credit forums, "Response 1 - Personal History".  You will receive extra credit if you post your response and/or respond to at least one other student's posting.