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Multimodal!Collaborative!Inquiry!
AEN:!408!
Spring,!2014!
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Overview'of'Inquiry'
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This!collaborative!multimodal!inquiry!is!an!opportunity!to!inquire!into!the!lives!of!
the!adolescents!from!your!summer!reading!and!their!literacy!and!language!
acquisition!practices!as!they!relate!to!their!identity!construction!processes!over!
time.!
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The!goal!of!this!inquiry!is!to!explore!together!the!different!kinds!of!literacy!events,!
frameworks,!and!practices!the!adolescents!are!engaging!and!the!kinds!of!knowledge!
about!language,!texts,!their!local!communities,!broader!society,!and!their!identities!
as!people,!readers,!researchers,!and!writers!they!are!acquiring!in!the!process.!!!!
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Steps'to'Follow'
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1.!!To!get!started,!work!with!your!group!members!to!discuss!the!books!and!to!list!
and!choose!the!literacy!events!you!would!like!to!critically!analyze!that!show!a!
progression!in!each!adolescents!language!acquisition!and!identity!construction!
processes.!!Then,!for!each!literacy!event,!please!use!the!following!questions!to!
analyze!the!language,!literacy,!and!identity!learning!taking!place.!
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! What!is!the!range!of!literacy!events!the!adolescents!in!the!summer!readings!
encounter?!
! What!kinds!of!literacy!practices!do!they!engage!in!these!literacy!events?!
! What!kinds!of!language!do!they!use!and!develop!in!these!literacy!events?!
! How!does!their!language!in!these!events!function!for!them!and!for!others?!
! What!kinds!of!relationships!with!themselves,!with!others,!with!texts,!and!
with!the!world!do!they!construct!through!that!language!within!those!events?!
o! How!do!they!learn!words!and!the!structure!and!spelling!of!words,!
sounds,!grammatical!principles,!sentence!structures,!and!how!to!
communicate?!
o! What!do!they!use!words,!phrases,!spelling,!grammatical!principles,!
and!sentence!structure!to!do?!
! What!is!the!broader!social,!cultural,!and!institutional!context!of!these!events?!
! How!does!the!broader!social,!cultural,!and!institutional!context!of!these!
events!inform!what!language!they!use!and!how!they!interact!with!others?!
! What!kinds!of!discourses!about!themselves!as!readers,!writers,!and!
researchers!do!they!acquire!and!construct!for!themselves!in!these!events?!
! What!kinds!of!identity!kits!do!they!acquire!and!construct?!
! What!do!those!identity!kits!mean!for!them!and!for!others?!
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! What!kinds!of!agency!do!they!have!to!explore!language!and!their!identities!
and!to!take!on!new!roles!and!identities!within!these!literacy!events?!
! What!are!their!purposes!for!reading,!writing,!and!research!within!these!
events!and!how!and!why!do!they!change!over!time?!
! What!identities!are!they!constructing!for!themselves,!as!readers,!writers,!
communicators,!people!over!time?!
! What!identities!are!they!constructing!for!others!over!time?!
! What!understandings!of!the!world!are!they!constructing!over!time?!

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2.!!Once!you!have!analyzed!several!literacy!events!and!the!progression!of!each!
adolescents!literacy!practices,!language!learning,!and!identity!construction,!discuss!
similarities!and!differences!in!each!adolescents!language!and!identity!development.!!!
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3.!!Decide!on!what!multimodal!format!you!would!like!to!use!to!capture!each!
adolescents!story!of!literacy,!language,!and!identity!development!over!time,!
working!from!his!or!her!perspective.!!Storyboard!how!you!would!like!to!put!these!
adolescents!stories!into!conversation!with!one!another,!thinking!also!in!terms!of!
what!collective!or!larger!story!about!our!society!these!authors!together!are!telling.!
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Perameters'of'Inquiry'
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4.!!In!order!to!pursue!the!individual!and!collective!stories!of!these!adolescents!and!
of!our!society,!I!ask!that!you!work!together!to!locate!key!passages!in!each!work!that!
help!you!identify!key!literacy!events!and!the!story!you!interpret!the!adolescent!to!be!
telling!about!his!her!literacy,!language,!and!identity!construction.!!Think!in!terms!of!
passages!that!reveal!how!the!adolescents!(and/or!writers)!are!telling!their!stories,!
through!what!rhetorical!devices!and!why!these!specific!devices?!
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These!can!include!but!are!not!limited!to:!
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! Looking!closely!at!the!word!patterns!they!use.!
! The!types!of!nouns,!verbs,!adjectives,!syntactical!structures,!semantics,!
rhythms,!phonology,!clauses,!phrases,!etc.!
! What!words!and!ideas!are!emphasized!and!through!what!genres!and!styles!of!
writing.!
! How!their!language!practices!function!in!specific!social!contexts.!
! Their!social!languages.!
! Their!first!and!second!languages.!
! The!connections!between!their!grammatical!decisions!and!the!discourses!and!
identities!they!are!enacting.!
! The!discourse!kits!that!the!adolescents!are!taking!on!through!their!language!
acquisition,!clothing,!relationships,!symbol!systems,!and!literacies.!
! How!the!discourse!kits!and!the!smaller!d!discourses!they!are!constructing!
are!connected!with!larger!conversations,!other!kinds!of!texts!and!social!
practices.!
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Possible'Storytelling'Formats!
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You!may!use!any!multimodal!format!you!desire,!including!iMovie,!pod!casts,!video!
taping!of!skits,!through!poetry,!choral!readings,!creating!tableaux,!etc.!
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Whatever!modes!you!use,!I!ask!that!you!stay!close!to!the!language,!the!purposes!of!
the!writers,!and!the!adolescents!in!terms!of!what!you!think!is!the!story!they!are!
trying!to!tell.!
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The!six!overarching!questions!you!will!want!to!consider!for!each!adolescent!are:!
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1.! What!story!is!this!adolescent!telling!about!the!kinds!of!identities!as!
writers,!readers,!researchers,!learners,!and!people!available!to!him!or!
her?!
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2.!!!What!story!is!the!adolescent!telling!about!the!kinds!of!identities!through!!
!!!!!!!writing,!reading,!and!learning!the!adolescent!is!acquiring!and!developing?!
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3.!!!What!is!the!adolescent!learning!about!him!or!herself,!texts,!language,!
!!!!!!other!people,!and!the!world!through!the!literacy!frameworks!they!are!
!!!!!!encountering!in!their!reading,!writing,!and!research!endeavors?!
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4.!!!How!is!he/she!telling!the!story!and!why!does!he/she!tell!the!story!using!!
!!!!!!!his/her!specific!rhetorical!strategies?!!!
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5.!!!How!would!you!tell!the!story!for!or!with!the!adolescent?!!!
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6.!!What!story!is!the!author!telling!about!society!through!this!adolescents!!
!!!!!!story?!
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Group'Collaborative'Written'Inquiry'
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As!you!engage!in!this!inquiry,!I!ask!that!you!keep!a!reflective!journal!on!how!at!each!
stage!your!inquiry!is!shifting!and!changing,!what!new!insights!you!are!accessing!
about!these!adolescents!and!their!literacies!and!how!they!are!acquiring!language!
and!what!that!language!is!doing!for!them.!
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You!will!have!an!opportunity!to!present!your!multimodal!inquiries!to!your!
classmates!and!to!hear!what!came!through!to!them!in!your!design.!!Using!their!
feedback,!your!final!task!will!be!to!write!a!collaborative!written!inquiry!analyzing!
the!multimodal!text!and!reflecting!on!your!individual!and!collaborative!writing!
processes.!
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