December 1998
The "What's New!" page is intended to showcase current news, events, publications, projects, and any other items that concern literacy and the Region IV Hub.
Families for Literacy (FFL), California's statewide library-based literacy organization, helps break the cycle of illiteracy by providing services that address adult literacy needs, emerging literacy needs of children, interactive/intergenerational literacy, and parenting. FFL serves the most "at risk" families, those adults with limited literacy skills, by offering one-on-one and small group literacy tutoring.
Beginning with 22 programs in 1988, FFL now has 59 programs throughout California. These programs build pride in ownership by providing children's books for each family. Nearly 30,000 books were given away in 1996/97 to children of FFL families.
Continuing this popular program, Families for Literacy has collaborated with Amazon.com so donations of books can be made over the Internet to local literacy programs. Each literacy program has been given a Web page where they have chosen a number of children's titles that are particularly helpful in developing reading skills. These books are targeted to that program's specific needs. The site allows for clicking on a book to buy as a donation to that program. The FFL book donation Web site is at http://www.bookdrive.org.
Western/Pacific LINCS awarded two additional mini grants for promoting LINCS resources and producing adult literacy material.
1. South Seattle Community College: Going to the Doctor- Resources for Immigrants and Refugees: A Web Project by and for Multi-level ESL Students
This project is aimed at educating multi-level ESL students on some practical aspects of healthcare in the United States. It is also aimed at educating healthcare professionals about attitudes held by patients from other cultures. The web site will include a content driven resource guide for immigrants and refugees for dealing with healthcare professionals. The Guide will contain topics on how insurance works, practice dialogs for dealing with health professionals, and curriculum for teaching and practicing simple health care vocabulary.
2. Adult Success Center, Idaho State University : Accessing Labor Market and other Related Information: An Integrated Curriculum for ABE Students
The Adult Success Center will develop curriculum for introducing teachers and students on how to access available labor market information for career development and job hunting. The Center will use Idaho Department of Labor personnel training materials as a base for ABE and literacy practitioner for the online material and self-paced training.
This month in "In My Own Words", read the story of James Robert Shoults, and his successful literacy journey. He was the 1st Place winner of the Family Literacy Outstanding Adult Learners, California Outstanding Adult Learners of 1996 at the CA Adult Learners Conference.
BASIS (Basic Adult Skills Assessment System) is the intake assessment tool used most often in Oregon's human services, employment, basic skills, and corrections systems. The System is designed to screen functional skill levels in basic reading comprehension and basic math computation.
The two versions of BASIS are:
- Employability, which tests the application of reading and math skills in an employment context, and
- Life Skills, which tests the application of reading and math skills in the context of daily activities
The site also offers BASIS Newsletters and the BASIS Office Staff List, BASIS Steering Committee, and Training Schedules.
Is there a literacy question that's keeping you up late at night? Questions about literacy manners, literacy relationships, literacy trivia? Caroline has the answers! Email her at cdobison@literacynet.org.
Dear Caroline:I am an adult ESL Instructor with lots of students interested in science, but I cant seem to find age appropriate resources on the Internet. Do you have any ideas of where I can begin my search?
Signed,
Science Illiterate
Dear Science Illiterate,
Coincidentally, this month two new site which may be of interest to you and your students debut: the WPLN Science & Technology Special Collection and the WPLN Adult ESL Special Collection. Surprisingly there are many adults who feel they are literate in science, but really aren't, myself included. They're finding out things they never knew through our new web site.
I was especially impressed with the information provided on current science news events, such as El Nino, a phenomenon, we are getting to know all too well. You will also find Teaching Materials, Discussion & Distribution Lists as well as Electronic Field Trips. Check it out!
I welcome any additional suggestions on science or ESL resources on the net.
