Literacy Sponsorship

1. What do you think, currently, about the primary threshold concept for this project unit? What do you think it means? Have you thought about this concept before reading about it in our textbook? If so, in what terms, or in what way, have you thought about this idea?

I have always believed that writing is impacted by prior experiences. I have thought about this concept before reading this in the textbook but in a different sense. In my third blog post I talk about reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding in high school. The events that occurred during the time that he wrote his book influenced the symbolism that he has in his book. The influences that he encountered played a vital role in how he wrote his book.

2. How does Brandt support her claim that sponsors always have something to gain from their sponsorship? Can you provide examples form your own experience? 

Brandt supports her claim that sponsors always have something to gain by saying that wether it is direct repayment or indirect, literacy sponsors are always receiving some sort of benefit from their sponsorship. In my own experience my literacy sponsors have gained from their sponsorship. A few of the literacy sponsors I mention are authors. These authors have direct gain from the sales that their writing has because of readers like me. 

http://www.bloncampus.com/columns/global-
manager/an-opportunity-hides-in-every-challenge/article9060929.ece 

3. Giving the examples of Branch and Lopez as support, Brandt argues the race and class impact how much access people have to literacy sponsorship. Summarize the kids of access Branch and Lopez had... and decide whether you are with Brandt's claim. Why do you agree or disagree? Whether you agee or disagree, what other factors might impact the amount of access people have to literacy sponsorship?

I agree with  Brandt's statement the race and class impact how much access people have to literacy sponsorship. Branch had access to literacy sponsorship in both the states that he lived in while Lopez was the minority in her schooling and community and had little access despite them both being the same age and living in the same town. I agree with Brant's statement because opportunity is not equally dispersed in the education system even today. Many times opportunity has to do with "who you know". A factor that impacted the amount of access that Lopez had was English being her second language, although this should not have been a factor.

4. Think about your religious literacy. How was your faith, religious literacy, etc., sponsored for you? What does it mean to be sponsored in religious literacy.

My faith and religious literacy has actually played a role in my literacy. Being sponsored in religious literacy means to have writings such as the Bible, or people, to teach me how interpret or write/speak about my faith to tell others about God's love. In school I used my faith in my writing to draw conclusions and form comparisons with information. The Bible and even devotionals have been influential in helping me understand God and how to draw conclusions about Him through readings. 

5. Name one concept from this lesson that you most struggled to understand. What about this concept, term, or idea was troublesome? What do you currently think it means, whether you feel certain or not?

I struggled to understand the concepts of misappropriating and appropriating the sponsorships of my literacy sponsors. I just had a difficult time figuring out what this meant. I think that to misappropriate a literacy sponsorship is to take advantage of the sponsorship. I think that appropriating a literacy sponsorship is to take what my sponsor has taught me and use it as my own without giving them credit, like plagiarism.