Reading and Language Commons^™

Finding Their Chrysanthemum: Linguistic Representation In Children's Literature, Marielena Zajac

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Children in America today struggle with finding themselves in the books they read due to societal expectations. From an early age, children are dictated on the correct way to speak and write in “American,” which can leave children and their home languages feeling unseen and dismissed. To help further the conversation and promotion of linguistic diversity in American society, this capstone analyzes dialectal representation in children’s books, with a heavy focus on attitudinal linguistic principles rather than prescriptive mechanics. The secondary research explores current literature and resources that discuss literacy acquisition in adolescents, trends in dialects in America, and childhood …

The Influence Of Words, Emilie Hewgley

Emerging Writers

"The Influence of Words" tells the tale of a young writer overcoming her fear of mediocrity and discovering validation within an art form. She tells of how she first discovered her talent, why she pushed it away, and how she learned to embrace it again. The piece argues that words have the ability to impact many in several ways and lists several examples from her own life to illustrate this point. This creative nonfiction story serves to encourage others to continue to pursue their dreams despite their own doubts.

The Light Switch Of Language: Code-Switching, Cierra Johnson

Emerging Writers

Many students are held back from the opportunities life has to offer, simply because of language. This article examines the use of code-switching and argues that it could be the key to pulling all students together, giving them equal chances at success.

The Language Surrounding Huckleberry Finn’S Jim, Tristan Quinn

Emerging Writers

This article explores how in the novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the identity of the character Jim contrasts with African American stereotypes through the language used by the character himself and through the language used by other characters to describe him.

Dual Lives Assimilation Literacy, Shiloh Garcia

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

In recent years, the field of literacy studies has not given enough attention to exploring the English literacy journeys of immigrants and in particular, Latin immigrants. Furthermore, there has been little dialogue that has encouraged plans to help fix this issue.

We, in the academy, have a unique opportunity to not only tell the stories of the world but also help create avenues for those stories in order to create change. For this reason, this study focuses on important topics such as the effects of the dominant language on Latin immigrants, if it is possible to have a grounded native …

A Comparative Study Of The Effects Of Computer-Assisted Instruction On The Reading Achievement Of First Graders, Tracy Renae Hudson, Linda Reeves, Rebecca M. Giles, Lauren R. Brannan

Georgia Journal of Literacy

With reading proficiently by the end of third grade as a common goal, many school districts are exploring options to enhance early reading instruction. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the supplemental, computer-assisted reading program i-Ready would significantly affect first grade students’ reading achievement. Participants (n=159) were first graders at two elementary schools - treatment (n= 82) and comparison n= 77). An independent samples t-test was used to compare the mid-year reading achievement scores of the treatment and comparison groups and found no statistically significant differences between groups. Following 10 weeks of twice-weekly 45-minute sessions of …

Ballot Readability And Plain Language, Roger Poole

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

The goal of this study was to examine the effect that readability and plain language had on voters' responses to Georgia's five legislatively-referred constitutional amendments (LRCA) in the November 2018 election. This study sought to answer the following questions regarding ballot readability and plain language:

1. Do voters distinguish the difference between traditionally composed ballots and plain language ballots?
2. Do voters have a preference between conventional worded ballots and reworded ballot language that improved readability?

Given that partisan lawyers and lobbyists write many state ballot questions, there may be tendencies to compose legislatively-referred constitutional amendments in confusing and unclear language designed …

All Writers Welcome: An Exploratory Study Of The Potential Value Of Academic Writing Center And Adult Community-Based Literacy Center Partnerships, Allison Bennett

Master of Arts in Professional Writing Capstones

Writing center practices have been widely accepted as beneficial for literacy development, especially given the ubiquitous nature of writing. However, many off-campus communities lack writing support as visible, organized, and well-documented as that available to those on-campus through writing centers. Further, while evidence of writing center community-engaged initiatives exists anecdotally, research identifying the possible impact of such efforts on specific community partners and populations is limited. Hence, this study explores how literacy is supported in university/college writing centers and adult community-based literacy centers. Survey and interview data suggest the potential value that community-engaged projects between the two are likely to …

An Understanding Of Deep Rivers Through An Analysis Of Three Of Its Main Symbols, Vincent Spina

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

The aim of"An Understanding of Deep Rivers" is to analyze some of the iconographic uses in the novel from the point of view of the Andean Cosmovision. Though many inroads have already been made in this direction, when the novel first appeared much of this cosmovision was not understood at all or considered part of Andean " folklore". In the present work, the use of the Quechua term " ilia" and and that of the Southern Cross (the Chakana in Quechua) are analyzed with respect to the symbolic role they play in the novel.

Read Fest: Academic Library Programming For Pre-Kindergarten Students, Laura Wright, Michael Holt

The Southeastern Librarian

Three factors influence an academic library’s decision to interact with the community; a need expressed from the community, the mission of the library, and a response to a specific problem (Schneider 2003). Odum Library at Valdosta State University (VSU) developed Read Fest in response to a perceived need in the community and in support of the library’s mission. Historically, South Georgia has had a high illiteracy rate; according to the National Center for Education Statistics most recent (2003) estimates, an average 22% of residents in Lowndes County and its neighbors lack basic literacy skills. Read Fest is an opportunity for …

Linguistic Discrimination In Writing Assessment: How Raters React To African American “Errors,” Esl Errors, And Standard English Errors On A State-Mandated Writing Exam, David M. Johnson, Lewis Vanbrackle

Faculty and Research Publications

Raters of Georgia''s (USA) state-mandated college-level writing exam, which is intended to ensure a minimal university-level writing competency, are trained to grade holistically when assessing these exams. A guiding principle in holistic grading is to not focus exclusively on any one aspect of writing but rather to give equal weight to style, vocabulary, mechanics, content, and development. This study details how raters react to “errors” typical of African American English writers, of ESL writers, and of standard American English writers. Using a log-linear model to generate odds ratios for comparison of essays with these error types, results indicate linguistic discrimination …

Exploring Prejudice, Miscegenation, And Slavery's Consequences In Mark Twain's Pudd'nhead Wilson, Steven Watson

The Kennesaw Journal of Undergraduate Research

This research paper analyzes Mark Twain's use of racist speech and racial stereotypes in his novel Pudd'nhead Wilson. Twain has often been criticized for his seemingly inflammatory language. However, a close reading of the text, supplemented by research in several anthologies of critical essays, reveals that Twain was actually interested in social justice. This is evident in his portrayal of Roxana as a sympathetic character who is victimized by white racist society in Dawson's Landing, Mississippi during the time of slavery. In the final analysis, Twain's writing was a product of the time period during which he wrote. This …

What Is My Nation: Visions Of A New Global Order In Ngũgũ Wa Thiong'o'S Wizard Of The Crow, Gĩchîngirî Ndĩgĩrĩgĩ

Journal of Global Initiatives: Policy, Pedagogy, Perspective

Jonathan Ree describes an ideal nation where each national subject can proclaim, "the nation is mine" (1998, p. 89). Ngũgũ wa Thiong'o's Wizard of the Crow, depicts a state where the state and its ruler are co-extensive, the subjects exiles. In this paper, I argue that as an external exile, Ngũgũ has become a global citizen. That global citizenship still exhibits a rooted cosmopolitanism. Ngũgũ reclaims his nation vicariously through empowered women who resist the corruption of the nation by the excesses of patriarchal power and global capital. Internally exiled in their own country, the women lead the struggle to …

Contemporary Memoir: A 21st-Century Genre Ideal For Teens, Dawn Latta Kirby, Dan Kirby

Faculty and Research Publications

A brief narrative description of the journal article, document, or resource. For the past 20 years, the authors have been reading and teaching literary memoir to students of all ages. In the mid-1980s, they began looking for ways to incorporate more nonfiction into their literature classes, hoping to find a fresh genre unflattened by instruction. They wanted to explore with students a genre that literary critics had not already overanalyzed and for which they had not created formulaic heuristics for student analysis. More than anything else, the authors wanted to find literary works that connected directly with students' lived experiences. …

Working For And With Latino/Latina Immigrant Newcomers In The English Language Arts Classroom, Bernadette Musetti, Spencer Salas, Theresa Perez

Faculty and Research Publications

The article discusses how the English language arts practitioners work with the Latin immigrants who are newcomers in learning English language in middle and high school in the U.S. Accordingly, practitioners provide more instructional time to contextualized learning and literacy on first and second language and advocate them to attain a high level of literacy. Moreover, it states that the literacy development of the newcomers must be anchored in patience, flexibility and conscientiousness.

My Own Private Library: A Peek Inside The Personal Library Of A Librarian, Kenneth M. Kozel

Georgia Library Quarterly

The author describes his personal library. His collection includes books by Stephen King, Anne Rice, Jane Austen, John Grisham, Joyce Carol Oates and Gary Larson. His books deal with art, illustration, classical literature , mysteries and horrors. He recounts rereading and cherishing his collection as he ages.

Coweta Encourages 'Reading Olympians'

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article presents information on the 29th Summer Olympiad program of Coweta County Library in Georgia from August 8 to 23, 2008. The public library system has presented two multicultural programs to stimulate interest in cultural diversity, the Olympics and sportsmanship. Its objective of the program is to encourage students to read. The library's other Olympics-themed event was the premiere of its new virtual travel program.

Delighting In The Written Word And Sharing A Love Of Learning, Fay Verburg

Georgia Library Quarterly

A personal narrative is presented which recounts the author's appreciation and interest for reading and learning.

Public Libraries 'Just Buggy' For 2008 Summer Reading Program

Georgia Library Quarterly

The article presents information on the highlights of the 2008 Summer Reading Program, entitled "Catch the Reading Bug," for public libraries in Georgia. The objective of the Worth County Library System (WCLS) is to increase the participation of teenagers. The Houston County Public Library System (HOUPL) has added teenagers as a new component to its Summer Reading Program. Information is given on the reading programs of the Southwest Georgia Regional Library system.

Register And Charge: Using Synonym Maps To Explore Connotation, Darren Crovitz, Jessica A. Miller

Faculty and Research Publications

To "help students think carefully about specific words and their uses," Darren Crovitz and Jessica A. Miller conceive a diagram that visually expresses the spaces and ties between words. Students eagerly explore contextual connotations and defend subtle shifts in word meaning, discovering how time, use, and circumstance all influence meaning.

Popcorn N' Picture Books: Promoting Children's Books In Academic Libraries, Laurie Charnigo, Carley Suther

The Southeastern Librarian

The educational value of children’s literature is supported by a numerous body of research. Helping children to read, write, develop fluency, critical thinking skills and multicultural awareness are just a few of the essential benefits children’s books provide. During the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, children’s book publishing has risen from a small publishing venture to big business. About 2,000 books were published for children in 1960. By the nineties, this number increased to 5,000 and has continued to rise. The “voluminous body of high-quality literature” published yearly makes selection by librarians difficult. As Bernice Cullinan and Lee Galda note, “Our …

Bias And The Teachable Moment: Revisiting A Teacher Narrative, Darren Crovitz

Faculty and Research Publications

Such responsibility may be vital for English teachers, especially, as we strive to establish communities of writers and spaces for critical thinking and conversation. When I sat down to write about this experience, I saw it as an opportunity to discuss a taboo situation and its positive aftermath, with the aim of demonstrating how it might be possible to use such events as points of departure in creating engaging writing assignments.

Achieving Balance In Graduate Programs: Negotiating Best Practices, Dawn Latta Kirby

Faculty and Research Publications

The narrative introduction to the graduate catalogue at the state university where I work probably reads pretty much like the one at your college or university. The program of study for the masters degree specifies that inservice graduate students are to engage in an extensive study of content- related literature, theory, and research. Despite the rhetoric of graduate catalogs, teachers who enter graduate school programs begin their advanced studies, expecting- and sometimes vociferously demanding- coursework that will provide them with a practical framework for teaching English language arts in secondary schools. Their interest in studying theory and research is often …