1. Conventions: What are three specific conventions associated with the discourse of your topics? 

Topic 1: Distance Learning

1. Turning your sound off when entering a zoom call because you don’t want to be disruptive 
2. Keeping a camera on to ensure your giving your undivided attention
3. No backgrounds because they are distracting 

Topic 2: Criminal Law

1. Reading affidavits in order to be familiar with all necessary characters and parts in a case
2. Dressing professional in court room setting to ensure respect 
3. Familiarizing yourself with case law to ensure you stay within your boundaries  

Topic 3: Modern Orthodox Judaism 

1. Regularly attending synagogue to show devotion and connect to community 
2. Keeping a strictly kosher diet as we’re not allowed to eat non-kosher
3. Wearing head coverings to always keep G-d on your mind 

1. Discourse community: Can you describe two memories in which you joined in conversation with members of the discourse community associated with these topics? 

Topic 1:

1. When Zoom first started,  I taught my teacher mom, how to set up her digital classroom. I explained how to use the interface. It made me realize that despite age, everyone had to learn how to use technology with a global pandemic. 
2. Recently, I was talking to a junior in college and they were saying how learning on Zoom has allowed them to stay more focused than they would in class because they no longer have the distraction of talking to other kids. 

Topic 2:

1. While I was on mock trial in ninth grade, I remember the captain explaining all the different case laws and terminology we must know to proceed with trial. There was even a game after this conversation where we asked to categorize different types of evidence. 
2. When I was the captain of the team, I spoke to my dad, who’s a lawyer, about different strategies we could use in order to win our trial. 

Topic 3:

1. I spoke to my dad recently about the struggles of staying religious while also wanting to branch out and stay on top of my work. There are so many different aspects of Judaism that play a role in my life, and  while I really value them, it’s hard to always keep them a priority. 
2. I had a conversation with a Rabbi last year about the purpose of wearing a yarmulke and keeping kosher. While the conversation was very long, he basically said that there is inherit value in doing acts that we don’t understand to subject ourselves to a higher purpose that we can’t see. He related it to the back of rug while it’s being made. If you look at the back, it looks like a mixture of all different fabrics that don’t fit together at all, but when you flip it over you see the beautiful pattern. He said the same is true for commandments we have but we don’t understand. 

1. Literacy sponsor: Can you describe two specific ways in which a literacy sponsor has introduced you to the discourse communities and/or conventions of these topics? 

Topic 1: When I was in 8th grade my teacher lived across the country and I that’s when I was first introduced to distance learning. Then, when COVID-19 first broke out my English teacher immediately taught us how to log onto zoom and use its various functions. 

Topic 2: My father constantly talks about his cases from work and uses law terminology in every day conversations.

Topic 3: My teachers at school taught me the Hebrew alphabet in first grade and I regularly studied bible which was in Hebrew.