Please respond to the following prompt:
Compose a paragraph using the MEAL strategy that examines the purpose of Deborah Brandt’s “Sponsor of Literacy”
Examination can mean:
-summarizing
-explaining
-discussing
-reflecting
Please respond to the following prompt:
Compose a paragraph using the MEAL strategy that examines the purpose of Deborah Brandt’s “Sponsor of Literacy”
Examination can mean:
-summarizing
-explaining
-discussing
-reflecting
In the article Deborah talks about how different things in society affects people in many ways in reading. and that’s why she uses the word sponsor as a figurative language. That’s why when it was world war 2 literacy increased and people started to change and making themselves better because before they didn’t have the opportunity to. she had different example how people did. Also politician was involve and after all of that people grew to express themselves and be free in what they read and wrote
Thanks Anabel for getting to this early. Your focus here is about the use of examples Brandt uses to talk about reading and society. Here are some suggestion I have to make this point clearer:
In the article Deborah talks about how different things in society affects people in many ways in reading. **phrases like “different things” and “many ways” seem like they’re doing a lot, but in fact, they’re too general. What if you were to instead say a specific thing Brandt believes effects reading? This then will become a more particular Main idea sentence.
and that’s why she uses the word sponsor as a figurative language. **She’s using sponsorship literally, it’s not a figurative.
That’s why when it was world war 2 literacy increased and people started to change and making themselves better because before they didn’t have the opportunity to. **This is a great example, I wonder if you altered your main idea sentence if this example would be more powerful.
she had different example how people did. **how people did what?
Also politician was involve and after all of that people grew to express themselves and be free in what they read and wrote **I get a little lost here. Which politicians?
You might consider revising and reusing the MEAL strategy to help you flesh out ONE idea related to society and reading.
DW
Sponsor literacy and Deborah Brandt.
Literacy sponsor to me is the ways or sources through which people learn writing and reading. Deborah Brandt’s text summarizes these tools by which people acquire skills in writing and reading. On page 170, Brandt recalls a hitory of Raymond Branch who witnesses that he is a successful freelance writer of software and software documentation because at twelve years old, he had gotten a Christmas present from his parents as a computer.
We reflected on this paragraph in class. Just as a reminder, I believe your second sentence is really your main idea sentence. After you give the example of Raymond, you might do more analysis and indicate what Raymond’s Christmas present tells us about literacy tools.
DW
A section in “Sponsors of Literacy” by Deborah Brandt focuses on the rise of literacy standards due to competitions between institutions. Deborah states that people are expected to do more with their ability to read and write. For example, Dwayne Lowery, who graduated among the last students in his class and who then worked as a line worker, received a union-sponsored grant to Washington, D.C. for union activity training. Overwhelmed with the amount of reading he endured due to his limited reading in high school, he ultimately learned to talk and present the union side exceptionally. His major transition occurred here, where he was now a representative for a major public employee union. Lowery states, “It was no longer just sit down and talk about it. Can we make a deal? Instead, all activity became rendered in writing…”(Brandt 175). This shows how Lowery’s experience not only benefited him greatly but the literacy sponsors as well. The rise of literacy standards can be seen through Lowery’s experience because there was no longer a way to talk about anything, everything had to be in writing. Due to this, the standards of writing continues to rise. The fact that everything needed to be in writing even connects to today because for most cases (in jobs or schools) a written letter is required for many things such as absences in advance.
Thanks for sharing Fathima, can you reread Dwayne’s quote here– I don’t think he’s saying writing and reading was a redemptive part of union work, I think he’s lamenting/complaining that union meetings can’t be done just through convos and heated discussions. Instead, so much of the work has to be through writing memos. In fact, he struggles with this.
”Sponsors of Literacy” by Deborah Brandt discusses the different sources of how people learn how to read and write and it outcomes. For example, the author states ”An analysis of sponsorship systems of literacy would help educators everywhere to think through the effects that economic and political changes in their regions are having on various people’s ability to write and read, their chances to sustain that ability, and their capacities to pass it along to others”, (pag. 173). This shows that analyzing sponsorship systems will predict the capacity of people’s literacy and will affect how much they know and if they’re able to teach others. Being able to learn properly and to teach others is very important because this is the base of education of any society that will later on affect other aspects of the community such as political, social and economic features.
Thank you Estefania. You follow the MEAL paragraph here quite well. I’m really impressed by your note about sponsors being “sources” that determine how we will read and write. Very true! Based on your final sentence, I wonder if your next paragraph might talk about how education affects community.
DW
Deborah Brandt’s “Sponsor of Literacy” talks about how larger, richer, and more knowledgeable organizations and people can play a huge role on literary success. There are some people who have easier access to well known sponsors than others, mainly due to education and family. Educational factors include going to a good school, and also ending school with better grades. Familial factors include having parents who were rich and successful, since income has played a factor in literacy during the 20th century. If someone wants to become a good writer and does not have a decent source of sponsorship, they can become successful, but it will be more challenging.
Thanks Max. Your first sentence describes the relationship sponsors have in another’s success. Your second sentence presents a new idea about people having easier access to sponsors than others. Your next few sentences give examples of what makes sponsors accessible and “good.” I’m wondering if instead of starting with your general sentence about literacy success, you might’ve started with “There are some people…” This might’ve also given you space to reflect more why education and family are so important to literacy and what it means if everyone’s access to these two things is so varied.
DW
The main idea of the authors point Brandt was that people in the industry of publishing don’t always start off at the top. Also, people in the industry of print shops is very competitive and sometimes can be unfair to many of it’s workers, especially its apprentices. Apprentices only get so much experience because it’s limited on what it can do in the workforce. For example, the author states “As a result, print jobs were outsourced, the processes of editing and printing were split, and , in tight competition, print apprentices became low-paid mechanics with no more access to the multi-skilled environment of the craft-shop (Kett 67-70mm).” Another example, is “The reading and writing skills of print apprentices in this period were the achievements not simply of teachers and learners nor of the discourse practices of the printer community.” Many print shops would probably want to elevate there apprentice but can’t do to the competitiveness and the cost of printing. My suggestion is that printing companies come up with a fund raising for it’s apprentices and give them more experience on the job. At the end of the day all workers whether apprentice or regular workers have to start somewhere when it comes to literacy so, everyone should be giving a chance.
Hey Johnnie, you might want to reread and resubmit a paragraph. You’re right to mention publishing, but Brandt’s focus isn’t on publishing. She uses the print press as an example of how technology/material things can change the way we think about reading and writing.
In page 172 the first paragraph, “Raymond Branch in computer programming and Dora Lopez in biliteracy. But she had to reach much further ahead for the material and communicative systems needed to support her learning” this talks about how easy of a path Branch had because he is the son of an academic, and how hard it was to find resources for her path for Lopez because she didn’t have many of the benefits that Branch had. Brandt says that the material in a persons society has a huge effect in how a persons future moves forward. Branch did not have a hard life because he was able to get a lot of sponsors all because of his dad so he was able to better his career way faster, but it was hard for Lopez to even find a newspaper in Spanish just so that she can better her parents first language. I agree with Brandt because yes if you do not have easy access to material than it will be really hard for the person to learn and move forward in life.
Thanks Mentor. You’ve done a great job of dissecting Dora and Raymond’s purpose in Brandt’s article. I’m not sure the MEAL strategy is at work here– though I do think your paragraph is in need of a Main idea sentence. What are you describing here? What is the purpose of this paragraph? The answer might be your first sentence. I think your main idea sentence is here: if you do not have easy access to material than it will be really hard for the person to learn and move forward in life.
DW
In Deborah Brandt’s text “Sponsors of Literacy” she explores the influence someone can have in one’s writing. As technology evolved, literacy looms were created and became “great engines” in the writing industry (166). These machines benefited normal citizens because books were more accessible and less expensive. Therefore, reading and writing rates increased. As more people became writers, they also became sponsors. A sponsor is someone who can “enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress or withhold literacy- and gain advantage by it in some way” (166). Sponsors don’t have to be a famous author or writer and don’t have to be wealthy. Sponsors can be anything from teachers to parents or even colleagues. As stated in the definition a sponsor is someone who influences an individual. Essentially, Brandt provides many examples and stories of someone who had a sponsor. In her text, she explores the differences of people’s sponsors. Some like Raymond Branch were fortunate enough to have better access to information therefore resulting in more opportunities. He had better access to information because of his parents jobs. On the other hand, others like Dora Lopez had little to no accessibility to universities and jobs, however, her parents were her sponsors. Brandt explores influence one can have on others lives’, however, privilege and accessibility can also influence who their sponsor is.
Wonderful job here Rebeca. I especially appreciate your note about privilege and access. So important! Do you think your first sentence is accurate? In other words, does this paragraph talk about “influence someone can have in one’s writing” ? Or are you perhaps looking at two ideas– evolution of technology and its impact on writing AND role literacy sponsors have in the people’s lives?
DW
The purpose of Deborah Brandts ” sponsor of literacy” is through the years society been struggling with machines and people couldn’t afford . Also i feel that the printer made it easier for people in those days. people increased their reading and writing after the 20th century. the way Deborah define sponsor was like a teacher. people learning through out the world how to read and write now. also literacy is in everything so without writing and reading in the world then you’ll won t know what to to do
Thanks Anabel. You’re right, the printer did make it easier for people to read. Here are some suggestions I have:
The purpose of Deborah Brandts ” sponsor of literacy” is through the years society been struggling with machines and people couldn’t afford . **I’m unclear on two things here– are you saying the purpose of this article was to SHOW that through the years society struggled? IF so, use a verb like SHOW to make that clearer. Second, people couldn’t afford what?
Also i feel that the printer made it easier for people in those days. *How? This is an example of an M sentence in need of examples and analysis.
people increased their reading and writing after the 20th century. *How?
the way Deborah define sponsor was like a teacher. *Examples?
people learning through out the world how to read and write now. also literacy is in everything so without writing and reading in the world then you’ll won t know what to to do. *This is very true, but how is it connected to your main idea?
I would review MEAL again and revise this paragraph. You’re focusing on so much here that it makes it difficult for you to explain one thing fully.
DW
In the Literacy sponsor Article Deborah’s purpose for writing this was to represent the variety of ways that the literacy of a person can be influenced by and why some have more advantage than others. For example she compared Raymond and Dora. Raymond coming from parents who were well involved in the institute he attended and the extra advantage at educational resources that Dora did not have because her parents were not as involved in the institute. Dora’s parents were simply workers in the bookstores or other areas of the institute that were not really displaying educational resources that could be of use to her. It was visible that something that Raymond would need in order to advance his education he could get but in Dora’s case she would struggle because her family could not afford things as easily. This point is one of the points Deborah wants to show to her audience so we can learn the different things that affects a persons capacity to be more advantaged in literacy than others. To continue another way Deborah showed her audience that a persons literacy can be affected is by the way the people who surround you go about their own literacy.
Excellent work here Jessica. I wonder if your M sentence might talk more specifically about the idea you examine in your paragraph. You’re not interested in “variety of ways” that literacy is influenced, you’re interested in the role parents and money have in literacy. Why not say that directly?
DW
What Deborah Brandt’s is saying in “Sponsors of Literacy” is that literacy as a resource and a supply is largely influenced by the Sponsors of powerful groups or figures. This is evident in the passage when Brandt brings up ” As I have been attempting to argue, literacy as a resource becomes available to ordinary people largely through the mediation of more powerful sponsors”. Through the competitive nature of the United States, it forced the people of the United States to read and write more post World War 2. This is important because it is a fact that what is being read changes as time passes because the priority of sponsors change. We learn through the evidence alone that a major event influence the what is being written and read largely due to what the sponsors deem important. In this case, it made the general public increase its skill of reading and writing. In conclusion, reading and writing is influenced by the sponsors pushing that content, which can then be further influenced by an event, in this case it was for the better due to there being more required readings.
This sentence is SOOOO fascinating: This is important because it is a fact that what is being read changes as time passes because the priority of sponsors change
I would love an example of this-even if it’s your own example and not from Brandt’s article.
You’ve explored the significance of sponsors here, I do think this paragraph is in need of concrete examples. For example when you write: We learn through the evidence alone that a major event influence the what is being written and read largely due to what the sponsors deem important. *what examples of this can you think of? does Brandt share an event that influenced what is being written and read?
DW
Deborah Brandt in her article “Sponsors in Literacy” states that the connection between economic literacy and individual literacy development comes from literacy engines providing profit and a competitive advantage for the people. “This analysis of sponsorship forces us to consider not merely how one social group’s literacy practices may differ from another’s, but how everybody’s literacy practices are operating in differential economies, which supply different access routes, different degrees of sponsoring power, and different scales of monetary worth to the practices in use.”This meaning that the needs of literacy are shaped due to the interest of others in which shapes the interest of sponsors. Competition shapes and regulates both the economic and individual literacy development in people’s everyday lives.
I commend you for getting into a really dense topic so directly– yes, Brandt is talking about the intersections of economy and literacy. I have two suggestions. First, Could you be more concise in your first sentence. For instance, what if you got rid of “connection between…development.” Second, could you insert examples either of your own or from Brandt that flesh out what you mean when you say “interest of others in which shapes the interest of sponsors.” I find concrete examples so useful as a reader.
DW
Deborah Brandt’s text is about ways or sources through which people get to learn writing skills. writing skills are acquired by teaching, reading newspapers, interesting in software practice and so on. For example, on page 170 Brandt recalls a history of Raymond Branch which relates how Branch became successful freelance writer because he got a computer as a Christmas present from his parents. This software device helps him to success in his writing skills. Literacy sponsor is not limited since new technologies are developing. A century or two centuries back, maybe software was not a tool of literacy sponsor as it is in the twenty-one one. New generation has plenty chances to improve his writing life.
Great work here Pende, an improvement from your initial summary. I have a suggestion– why not talk more about how the device helped him succeed and save your point about “software” not being a tool in previous centuries for the linking sentence. This would mean your preparing your reader for another paragraph that will talk more about tools we have now vs. a century ago.
Deborah Brant discusses in her article the different experiences people encounter with literacy. For example, Deborah states “At the same time, people’s literate skills have grown vulnerable to unprecedented turbulence in their economic value, as conditions, forms, and standards of literacy achievements seem to shift with almost every new generation of learners.” This example she explains that a lot of new learners have difficulty with literacy because of how they understand literacy or how it may have been taught to them. Some may find it harder because of how things might speak to you. People also come from various aspects of life (cultural, economical, and physical) and may struggle with the context of how literacy can help improve not only for education but with life.
Thanks Porshe. I can see your focus is on the way literacy can be a struggle depending on where we’re from and what tools we have available. I’m unsure of your first sentence. Saying people “encounter literacy” is an interesting phrasing but one that needs explanation. I think of literacy as something we get or take. So maybe another way to say it would be, “the different experiences people have in becoming literate” ?
DW
The document by Deborah Brandt about literacy describes the general challenges experienced by people in developing writing and reading skills. In this piece, Brandt used different methodologies to explain and support her views regarding these common problems. For example, she described the literacy situation using workers access of press and how the press affected the community after the systems where changed by new automation type press. Since competition was increased in printing and old system put out of business, writing and reading culture was also affected. On the other hand, Brandt explained her analogy using literacy in children brought up in two different case of life. While those in higher case of life able to access most of their needs and modern accessories including computers and the like, those in the lower case of life are not. This makes them different than the rest and their literacy levels also tend to differ. Because of all these factors, i have a feeling that literacy is highly impacted on the life style someone is brought up in, the community, parents level of education and the teaching someone received in their initial stages of education.
Excellent work here Erick. You manage to talk about changing economies AND access to literacy sponsors in the same paragraph because your main idea sentence incorporates both. I would like a bit more clarity on “higher case of life.” I’ve never heard this phrase before. Does it mean “higher class” or higher access?
I agree with your final sentence of reflection– lifestyle and community are two features in developing individual literacy practices.
Deborah Brandt’s “Sponsor of Liberty” talks about how there are special individuals known as “Sponsors” that share their knowledge and experiences with others, which helps them to become more literate. Brandt describes that with each new generation of learners comes new standards in literacy. Sponsor are the ones improve it’s “economic value.”
Thanks Bryan. You’ve got a powerful M sentence here. Now you want to give examples of where Brandt talks about these sponsors and perhaps analyze these examples to show the way sponsors can help people become more literate. I think your second and third sentence are NEW ideas that need to be in new paragraphs.
DW
“Literacy Sponsor” discusses the impact that sponsorship, access and learning has in literacy. As well, the different types of backgrounds towards relocation, immigration, technological change, government retreat and other conditions by which literacy potentially develops. For example; the difference between the parallel experiences of Raymond Branch and Dora Lopez and how both of them even when they were both educated in the same institution, the background in which they lived influenced in the literacy and writing experience they both had. This analysis shows us how everybody’s literacy practices are operating in differential economies, in which all supply access routes, degree sponsoring power and scales of monetary worth differently. As well we can observe literacy learning in two powerful ways and the huge impact that it has nowadays and will continue having.
Thanks Yarielid. You’ve done a great job of sharing Brandt’s important points on sponsorship and access. I wonder if you could concise your language so your meaning is more apparent. For instance, you write: As well, the different types of backgrounds towards relocation, immigration, technological change, government retreat and other conditions by which literacy potentially develops. *though it doesn’t appear this way– this sentence is actually a fragment because you don’t offer a verb. Your subject is “different types of backgrounds…” but you don’t indicate what this different types of backgrounds are doing. Sometimes our sentences can get wordy if we don’t indicate a subject and verb immediately. For example, your last sentence is clear because you have “WE” and “OBSERVE.”
Additionally, your sentence that reads “This analysis…” has parts that are directly from Brandt’s piece. Be sure to ” ” quote other people’s work.
DW
On “Literacy Sponsor and Deborah Brandt the main ideal is to teach people how to approach an exploring economies literacy and how to writer and read skills from different angels and learning how to approach them. For example, “call sponsors of literacy. Sponsors, as I have come to think of them, are any agents, local or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, model, as well as recruit, regulate, suppress, or withhold literacy-and gain adv”. when you write you wanted to thinks of the different aspect of things and not in only one subject. Deborah’s Sponsors also, how it comes from different variable she used history from the 20th century to support this ideal.
Hey Reina, thanks for sharing. I wondered if we could dissect your first sentence:
On “Literacy Sponsor and Deborah Brandt **Why start with on? If you’re referring to the article, you want to use IN because the ideas are within the article not on top of. Additionally, you want to give the title of the article in quotes and use the preposition “by” to indicate the article was written by Brandt. “In ‘Sponsors of Literacy” by Deborah Brandt….”
the main ideal is to teach people how to approach an exploring economies literacy **what do you mean by “approach an exploring economies literacy.” Do you maybe mean ‘approach and explore economies literacy? If so, what is economies literacy?
and how to writer and read skills from different angels and learning how to approach them. **hmmm…can you write and read skills? Or do you perhaps mean reading and writing skills?
I wonder if you might work on identifying the different forms of words. For instance, read and write are verbs that you use when you want to indicate someone is performing this action. Reading and writing are verbs too, but are also the noun/gerund form that is used when talking about the idea of reading and writing. As in, “Reading and writing is fun…”
In this article Deborah is referring to the changes and improvement of literacy through out history. She interviewed people born between 1900 and 1980 to analyze their different ways of writing and reading and how different times plays a roll on how an individual acquires literacy knowledge. Times have changed and evolving is part of life.
Great start Saul. Check the article again– it wasn’t between 1900 and 1980. Your focus here is on the changes of literacy throughout time. That’s great! I wonder if you could’ve given examples of how literacy is different now versus 1920.
DW
Deboral Brandt proposes that “reading and writing has been aided by technological advancement, which has also helped to improve literacy rate. This is because with the invention of technological tools, reading and writing has been made so much easier”. she also added that “since there are so many literacy sponsors, reading and writing are not only aided by teachers’ efforts but also through other sources like the radio, television etc.”
Great focus here. Consider analyzing after every quote/example you provide. Analysis involves: explaining what the quote means, explaining its significance, connecting the quote to a larger idea mentioned in your first sentence.
Sponsors of Literacy by Deborah Brandt talks about how people are able to learn to read and write by using different sources. For example, the author Deborah Brandt explained “An analysis of sponsorship of literacy would help educators everywhere to think through the effects that economic and political changes in their regions are having on various people’s ability to write and read, their chances to sustain that ability, and their capacities to pass it along to others.” (page 173). This quote means the sponsorship system will have an impact on how much people know and the system will have effect on how people use the different sources. Learning to read and write properly is very important because there are people who does not know how to read and write, so we can teach them and this will be helpful for them to learn to read and write in the future.
Great improvement Aktia. I noticed you immediately provide an example of the idea in your first sentence. Great work! I would be interested in hearing more about “sources.” Are sources different from sponsors?