Oriol 1

Oriol Puig Forn

Professor Rebecca Agosta
UWRT 1101-035
15, October 2015
Narrative paper
My literacy life started eighteen years ago. The first month after I had been born, I
didnt have any litercy events because i was to much young. My brain and my
subconsciencious were not already preparate.
After the first 3 months babies are biggers and their brain has grown up. At this
time, childs start to learn thinks. They think about what they do every single day, such as,
drink milk or sleep, but they do not the name of this. After the first year I started to learn
what I had to do if I wanted something (draw attention).
At the age of two, i said my first words: mum, dad, sist and few more words. My
literacy started to grow up. Day by day my parents started to teach me. Normally, they
explain commom actions in my day and also new easy words. They used big pictures and
then they said the name. They did not use written words because I did not know read but i
knew listen. I have to say that this was not easy for my parents because I was and I am a
very busy boy, and was complecated be focuss in pictures without movement. At this first
years, apart from pictures, televesion taught me too. I could see literacy programs for
babies which helped me a lot. I remeber my favourite programe was Bob el manetes and
also i watched Teletubis or Club Super 3.

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In september of 1998, I started to go to the nursery. It was in front of my house and

I went four hours every day. I was there one year and it was good for me. I made my frist
friends and my first relations there. Was good becasue I learnt live with other people of my
age, make friends, play, work wih others and more other things. So this was the beging of
my litercy. I rember, and also as my mum says, i liked go to the nursey. The professors used
funny methods, like use toys. Was a good year for me. During the year my parents also
teach me a lot of thinks. From an early age I was taught to behave me, was something that
they stress me much.
After this, when I was 3 I started the school. That's where I really started my
literacy. I went to Cervet school and my first three years I did simple thinks: learn the
letters, sing, play some games in the playground, draw and learn new words like food or
family members among others. I had class Monday to Friday from 9am to 4.30pm. I have
to say that between 12 and 3pm we were eating and sleeping. I have to say that my native
llenguage was Catalan.
After this three years, when I was 6, I started to write. We had been learning the
letters and simple words during the three previous years so we were ready to write. We
started with simple words and after this we continue writing small and eas sentences. At the
same time we were learning spanish lenguage and numbers in math. Was really tough but i
had a really good teachers who were always willing to help me and they made all more
easy. Also I started to read some sentences. All the books had pictures and small sentences.
The pictures helped me to understand better the sentences. I usually read TEO. This book
shows in easy words the life of this guy, Teo. There are different books about it: Teo goes to
the zoo, Teo learns to play football, Teo goes to the beach, and many others. After school I

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worked to at home, doing the homeworks. The next couple years my literacy improved
more. I could wirte long sentences new words. At the same time my reading was improved.
One of the things that I did to improve, was write a lot of sentences. I think that was good
for me because with practice you can improve better and faster. Also I get my first exams,
were really easy but at that age was hard. I was doing a good work, because my marks were
excellent. My parents and teachers were proud of me.
One year later, when I was doing fourth of priamry school I did my first essay. I had
to talk about my hollidays. After this I started to do more essays every year. Day by day
my essay was better, because I could use more vocabulari, more expressions and better
grammar. Also I read more books. At this age, between 10 and 12 years was when I read
more. I read books from school but the majority wasnt my type. I read books at home, in
my free time. I could felt and imagine a lot the things that I read and I think this help me to
read more.I read different books: sports books, specially about tennis, Harry Potter books
(cience ficcion), Geronimo Stilton (fantasy adventures) and more adventure books. I read
those books because I loved sport, specially tennis, and i like adventures. Ater this two
years I started to play more with the video games and play more sports and I started to
forgot the reading books.
At the end of primary school, when I was twelve I participated in my first literary
contest. I had to write about peace in the world because I think there had been a recent war
that year. I didnt won but was a new experience which helped my literacy level.
Next year, I started secondary school. I took English for first time. Its true that I
had did english in primary school but was only one hour every week so was like nothing. I
had good teachers. At the beging was tough learn two lenguage (spanish and British

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English) and also speak another one. I remember that sometimes I was changing words
from one language to another. During the four secundary years I learnt a lot and my literacy
improved a lot. My school helped me a lot. I practised tennis every day, but they gave me
more time to study, less class or extra classes if i needed. This was really good for me and
for my grades. I have to say that my parents helped me too. They taught me if I didnt
understant something from class. Was a tough years, but I work hard and my literacy
improved.
In fourth of secundary I made a reaserch project with two more guys and we get and
excellent. This was good for me because i had to use expressions, specific vocabulari, good
grammar. And then, after give the work, we did an oral exposition in front of maybe twenty
guys and three professors. Was hard, but we get an excellent. We made a tecnological
project, in which we created a sustainable house. This was the last hard thing from
secundary school, but next year we get into high school.
High school was really tough. We had a lot of class, homeworks, and for the exams
we had to topics. During this years, I went to extra english class because I wanted to
improve my english level in order to come to USA. This improved faster my english level. I
had particulary class and we did a lot of listenings and readings. I think that is what I
needed because in school we studied a lot of grammar and vocabulary but we didnt spoke
so much and listenings neither. I think practice is the best way to improve in anything.
To further improve my english, next summer (2014) i went two weeks to England. I
stayed with a family in Brigton. It was really helpfull. I was working in a store, motorbikes
sore, during the mornings and the afternoons were free. I was working there because my
family has a company and they had a good comercial in this city. I could talk with a lot of

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people in the store and practise my English with them. Also I could learn some tipical
expressions that my family said. The good think for my literacity was that there were not
any spanish or catalan guy, so I had to speak in English all the time. I know that two weeks
it is too short, but was better than nothing, and I can say that my english family was a good
sponsor for me.
Finally, at the end of high school, this year, I have done another reaserch project.
This time I have done alone and it was more hard. I did too a tecnological project. My
father helped me a lot and the project and the exposition had gone really well. I wrote with
good grammar, specific vocabulary, good puntuation, etc.
Thats all, now im here in UNC Charlotte, USA, putting into practice my skills and
studying a major. Im in college and im eighteen but my english literacy has to improve
more. I have to be able to speak with other people and understand them, that they could
understand me, learn american expressions, new vocabulari and many other thinks. We can
learn new things every day, and in my case, now more, because I have new sponsors and
new professors who can teach me a lot of interesting thinks. To improve our literacy we
have to be able to listent the other people and want to improve.