Literacy Narrative

This project begins with students composing a brief narrative, which may draw on a personal experience, a meaningful memory, or an anecdote they might share with friends or family. While the narrative serves as the foundation of a broader, multimodal project exploring the effects of genre, audience, and medium on rhetorical choices, instructors should encourage students to select a story they feel comfortable sharing and analyzing in both written and adapted forms. In the next phase, students will reimagine their narrative in a different medium or genre (i.e. a podcast, video, or comic) requiring them to consider how rhetorical strategies shift across modes of communication.

Literacy Narrative emphasizes rhetorical awareness, reflection, and multimodal composition. For more, see:

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Students are expected to select a medium and genre that align effectively with the story they wish to convey. Instructors should be prepared to engage in conversations about these choices, guiding students to make rhetorically sound decisions. Students are encouraged to draw upon their existing knowledge of digital platforms and social media tools, leveraging their familiarity to enhance the effectiveness of their multimodal composition. While instructors are not required to have expertise in the selected medium or genre, students must be able to clearly articulate the rationale behind their choices. Upon completing the adaptation, students will compose a reflective essay analyzing the revisions they made during the translation process, the rhetorical strategies employed to enhance audience engagement, and how these decisions were tailored to suit the intended audience. In the First-Year Composition curriculum of Northern Illinois University (NIU), the reflection component constitutes 50% of the final grade for each major writing project.

Requirements

Completion Draft

This draft shows students’ initial understanding of the core assignment requirements and may be revised and refined following instructor feedback to improve clarity, depth, and rhetorical effectiveness.

Remediated Narrative

Drafts of the revised narrative are not required to rely solely on written language. Students are encouraged to incorporate a range of multimodal elements—such as images, audio, video, symbols, or other forms of media—to convey their story. Each project must include at least one mode beyond alphabetic text, demonstrating thoughtful integration of alternative forms of communication to enhance rhetorical impact.

Reflection Piece

The reflection essay should be a minimum of 800 words and may be composed in a multimodal format, incorporating elements such as video, images, symbols, or audio to support or extend the written reflection. In the Literacy Narrative reflection, students are expected to examine the rhetorical decisions they made during the remediation of their narrative—specifically, how they adapted the content, structure, and mode to better engage their intended audience. As this is the first of four major reflective assignments in the course, instructors are encouraged to provide guiding questions to help students critically focus their reflections on the changes enacted during the adaptation process and the reasoning behind those choices, particularly in relation to audience awareness and rhetorical effectiveness.

Rubric

Literacy Narrative

Grading Criteria	Exceptional	Met	Not Met
Adaptation of Narrative	You have adapted your narrative to a new genre and have included new things or removed pieces of narrative to fit that genre.	You have adapted your narrative to a new genre.	The narrative is not adapted, or the adaptation includes only text.
Meeting Genre Goals	Your narrative fits well within the conventions of the genre as laid out in your reflection. The genre is recognizable.	Your narrative resembles the conventions of the genre as laid out in your reflection.	The narrative does not resemble the conventions of the genre as laid out in the reflection.
Use of Media	More than one non-written text mode is used in your narrative. Modes enhance the narrative.	At least one non-written text mode is used in your narrative. It helps to explain the narrative.	The narrative is written text alone or modes are included in ways that do not support the narrative.
Adapting to Your Audience	Your narrative is suitable and appealing for your chosen audience. Content has been adapted specifically to appeal to that audience.	Your narrative is suitable for your chosen audience.	The narrative does not suit the audience explained in the reflection.
Responding to Feedback	You have revised your narrative substantially and/or thoughtfully based on both your peers’ and your instructor’s feedback.	You have revised your narrative based on both your peers’ and your instructor’s feedback.	No revisions to the narrative have been made or only minor changes have been made that do not adequately respond to feedback.
Meeting Requirements	You have met or exceeded all the requirements for the narrative.	You have met all the requirements for the narrative.	One or more of the requirements for the narrative has not been met.

For a copy of the Literacy Narrative rubric, click here to download.

Reflection Piece

Grading Criteria	Exceptional	Met	Not Met
Reflecting on Your Genre Choices	You have clearly identified choices in your reflection that you made in your narrative that fit the genre you have chosen.	You have mentioned choices in your reflection related to genre conventions.	Genre conventions are not mentioned in the reflection.
Reflecting on Your Design Choices	You have clearly identified choices in your reflection that you made in your narrative that explain why you designed your project as you did.	You have mentioned choices in your reflection related to design choices.	Design conventions are not mentioned in the reflection.
Reflecting on Appealing to Your Audience	You have identified specific things in your reflection that you have done in your narrative to appeal to your audience or help them understand better.	You have mentioned things in your reflection that you have done in your remediation project to help your audience.	Audience appeal or adaptation is not mentioned in the reflection.
Reflecting on Your Rhetorical Purpose	You clearly explain your goal in making the narrative and explain how you met that goal.	You explain your goal in making your narrative.	The goal of the narrative is not mentioned in the reflection.
Responding to Feedback	You have revised your reflection substantially and/or thoughtfully based on both your peers’ and your instructor’s feedback.	You have revised your reflection based on both your peers’ and your instructor’s feedback.	No revisions to the reflection have been made or only minor changes have been made that do not adequately respond to feedback.
Meeting Requirements	You have met or exceeded all the requirements for the reflection.	You have met all the requirements for the reflection.	One or more of the requirements for the reflection has not been met.

For a copy of the Literacy Narrative Reflection rubric, click here to download

Literacy Narrative