Build a list of how “being literate” is different for you than it was for the residents of Trackton in the 1970s. Write down all the differences you can think of. Then write a brief (half-page) introduction to your list summarizing what has changed in the intervening forty years. Consider technology, certainly, but also perhaps habits, attitudes, and so on.

Interview your parents about your own literacy learning, comparing your recollections with theirs. Briefly summarize the interview, noting in particular any artifacts that were either discussed or presented (books they read to you, pictures you drew, your first writings, or the first storybook you read, for example). Compare your summary with those of classmates and list similarities and differences. What do you make of the comparison? Also, consider: Did you hold anything back (that is, not share it with your class)? If so, what, and why?

Briefly describe five literacy events in your everyday life and compare them to those of the residents of Trackton.