Rhetorical Reading Worksheet

DIRECTIONS: For each assigned reading, you will answer the following questions about the reading. Please be specific referring to page numbers when possible.

Kyle Nelson YOUR NAME: David Barton and Mary Hamilton AUTHOR(S): TITLE OF TEXT: Literacy Practices
1) What is the authors main claim? How do you know?

The authors' main claim is that literacy has a major role in social practices. I know this because it is mentioned explicitly and throughout it is expanded upon with examples.

2) What are three pieces of evidence that the author uses to support this claim?

! One piece of evidences the authors use is "These three components, practices, events and texts, ! provide the first proposition of a social theory of literacy" (Barton and Hamilton 9). Another piece of ! evidence is the example of cooking pudding and how the person changes up the recipe herself. ! Finally, "The literacy practices an individual engages with change across their lifetime, as a result of ! changing demands, available resources, as well as the possibilities and their interests" (Barton and Hamilton 14). "#!$%!&'(!)*&'%+,-!.)/(!0)123!41)2.-5!6'789'7!:%&5! ! I believe the author's make valid claims. Each persons' literary practices will change depending on what ! happens in their life. Someone how is not well educated will not be able to write as well as someone ! who was. Also, each person will learn differently from one another, which contributes to their literary ! practices, which the author's explain in this text. ! ;#!<%9!3%(-!&'2-!&(=&!+(1)&(!&%!):%&'(+!>2(4(!%?!+()32:@!?+%.!&'2-!41)--!A%+!?+%.!()+12(+! 4%.>%-2&2%:!4%*+-(-#5!<%9!)+(!&'(!)*&'%+,-!2:&(+)4&2:@!A-2.21)+!&%>24-B!32+(4&17!.(:&2%:2:@! ()4'!%&'(+B!+(?(++2:@!&%!&'(!-).(!&(=&-B!(&4C5! ! This text relates to the James Berlin piece where they both talk about how literacy is socially ! constructed. I think they both have similar ideas on how literacy is constructed and that they would ! most likely agree with one another. In this particular text there are two authors and they use the word " ! we" a few times, so they must agree with one another. ! D#!E%:-23(+2:@!&'(!&+)F(4&%+7!%?!&'(!41)--!):3!%*+!4%*+-(!%GF(4&20(-B!9')&!9211!7%*!&)/(!?+%.! &'2-!+()32:@!)-!7%*!.%0(!?%+9)+35!6'7!3%!7%*!4%:-23(+!&'2-!&%!G(!):!2.>%+&):&!1(--%:!2:! '(1>2:@!7%*!-*44((3!2:!9+2&2:@!?%+!&'(!)4)3(.75! ! From this reading I will start to begin to realize where I learned my literary practices from and how to ! better understand them. This is important because I need to learn how to write more clearly and ! intelligently to succeed in this class. I believe this happens on the most basic of levels and my literacy ! practices is one of the places to start. ! H#!6+2&(!&'+((!I*(-&2%:-!&'(!&(=&!&+2@@(+(3!2:!7%*!9'21(!+()32:@C!
One question I had was why the chapter ended very abruptly in my opinion. Another question I had was how is literacy a social practice? Finally, how does discourse communities tie into the point they are trying to convey.