Discussion Questions for “Reading Alexander 2” (616-627)

Plan for 30 minutes or more (minimum 90 minutes total) to answer three of the following questions.  Your answers should read like mini-essays, so you will need to incorporate part of the question in your answer and use TRIAC paragraphs. Publish your answers to these questions on a post called “Reading Alexander pt. 2”

  1. What are the key traits of the literacy Success story, and why do students tend to tell it more often than other literacy stories?  Does your sampling of the Rising Cairn literacy narratives confirm or complicate Alexander’s claim? PRO TIP: Use the data from Alexander’s Table 1 and her description of Jeremy’s and Anna’s literacy narratives to describe the content and stylistic characteristics of the literacy success story.  Draw on pp.  623-624 to explain Alexander’s speculations on the reasons students tend to write the “literacy success story” most often, explain which of her theories makes the most sense to you, and offer one of your own on why students tend to tell literacy success story more often than other literacy stories.
  2. What are the key traits of Victim literacy narratives, and what kinds of students are most likely to write them? For what reasons, in your view, might students who fit that profile write victim literacy stories. Support your claims with examples drawn from your Rising Cairn sample (“sample” means the set of literacy narratives from Rising Cairn that you have read).  PRO TIP: Use the data from Table 1 and Alexander’s discussion of Aaron’s and Kristy’s  literacy narratives. Draw on pp. 625-627 as well.
  3. What are the key traits of Rebel literacy narratives? How often do they appear in Alexander’s data set? What, in your view, might explain why rebel literacy narratives are so rare? Transfer strategies from earlier questions as appropriate.
  4. What are the key traits of Outsider literacy narratives? How often do they appear in Alexander’s data set? What, in your view, might explain why outsider literacy narratives are so rare? Transfer strategies from earlier questions as appropriate.