Making Literacy Visible?

How does someone make these plants grow? Does he water them frequently? How comfortable is he/she just waiting for them to grow? How not to be afraid of making someone you interviewed public? How is it possible not to be afraid to let an interviewee shine in writing? In the Research Writing class, the students are challenged to make their interviewees' voices visible and recognizable.

Goal: to rearrange the writing into a narrative (without big direct chunks)

Directions: Rearrange the text to meet the instructions (= the way you will do with your recordings). Write down your answer on the wall. Then, report to the class (25 min).

Deciding on the Focus

• What is the focus of the story (a certain theme, like “work” or “childrearing” or “war”)? – SEE THE INTERVIEW PROTOCOL

• What specific personal details does the interviewee share? How cultural artifact is helpful to convey his/her character? (if not, add from your group (= develop the story)

Deciding on What’s to Keep

• Listen to the recording. Write up moments of meaning (convey the message of the subsection – background and then each theme)

• Look for a strong beginning (quote from the interviewee)

• Align your narrative with the themes (see Interview Protocol)

• Keep the interviewee’s voice (do not change any word for a better meaning. Leave it authentic (including multilingual moments)

• Read the written piece out loud capturing the main focus (you want)

• Check with the person interviewed (show the piece to him/her)