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Andrew's Literacy Journey
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Andrew is born
I was born in Queens, NY on January 30, 2006. -
Being read to as a young child
Sometime after I was a year or so old, I must have been able to communicate and listen to what my parents said to an extent. This is when my parents started reading easy children's books to me. These were essential to learning at a really young age. They were necessary for a child's mind to grow as a toddler. "Goodnight Moon", "The Cat in the Hat", "Corduroy". -
I remember reading Dr. Seuss and other books with my family
At a young age, my parents read books such as "Goodnight Moon", "The Cat in the Hat", "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish", "Corduroy", "No David", "Where The Wild Things Are", "Curious George". -
First Day of Preschool
This was the start of my preschool education. In this early learning environment, the teachers introduced me to books and more children's writing. This furthered my concept of books and stories. -
First day of Kindergarten
In Kindergarten, the teachers I had began to introduce more advanced children's books for students and I. Along with an introduction to math and science, reading was taken to the next level for me and children my age. -
Early chapter books that interested me
Chapter books such as "Magic Tree House" series, "Encyclopedia Brown", "The Boxcar Children, and "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" really fascinated me while growing up. While some of these books were not serious in any way such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, they made me like reading and made me want to expand my knowledge of books as I grew older. -
I came to love the "Who Is/Was" & "What is/were" Series
The "Who was" series is a children's nonfiction line of books that introduce children to real world people and accomplished humans in history. The series covers important people such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Harriet Tubman, Anne Frank, Dalai Lama, Jimmy Carter, Booker T. Washington, etc. These books gave me a better understanding of important people in the world. I learned about influential people who impacted society. -
My Fascination with a U.S. Presidents Book
Back when I was in elementary school, one winter I was sick and had to miss a week of school. While I was at home, my babysitter brought over some books. One in particular that I loved was a book filled with all of the nation's presidents up to that point. I was captivated by their stories and the very different times they lived in. I wasn't old enough to fully understand politics and what the presidents stood for, however it still really intrigued me and exposed me to important information. -
Moving to Connecticut
In late 2013, my family moved from Queens, NY to West Haven. I changed schools mid-year and adapted to a different school district here in Connecticut. My transition between schools came during 2nd grade, and I learned about different books as grew up in CT. -
Advancements in Writing and Grammar
During my 4th grade school year, my teacher went above and beyond with teaching the class proper grammar usage. My classmates and I practiced using correct sentence structures, and other important grammar rules. -
Writing explanations in intermediate school
While attending Carrigan Intermediate School, my 5th and 6th grade teachers developed students' skills at explaining pieces of writing. We were taught the Introduce, Claim, and Explain structure. Through this, I saw how to analyze pieces of writing and taking proper quotes from them. -
Learning proper essay structure in middle school
After attending Carrigan, my 7th and 8th grade school years came at Bailey Middle School. These years were important to my skills as they enforced proper essay structure. My 7th and 8th grade English teachers brought forth the formation of essays. This included concise introductions that stated the thesis and background information; as well as meaningful conclusions that followed the rubric. -
Becoming enthralled by Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events
The series titled A Series of Unfortunate Events by author Lemony Snicket fascinated me and my love for fiction in middle school. I read the series of books every chance I got and knew the plot like the back of my head. That series really hooked me on reading at a higher level. The author would often introduce bold words that I did not understand, forcing me to search for their meanings in dictionaries. I believe the series strengthened my reading skills and my understanding of certain words. -
My essay writing gets refined in High School
During my freshman year at West Haven High School, my understanding of essay writing got enhanced through my English and history teachers. They reinforced proper techniques, as well as introduced the MLA format. -
My Sophomore Year Writing Advancements
During my sophomore year of high school, my English teacher and U.S. History helped strengthen my writing and articulation in essays.