Friday, October 31, 2008

Family Literacy Day: November 1

Family Literacy Day

T.V.
If kids are entertained by 2 letters,
imagine the fun they'll have with 26.
Open your child's imagination.
Open a book.

Anon
Family Literacy Benefits Everyone

Here are 5 easy tips for reading aloud to young children
~ Read to your child every day . . . for at least 30 minutes in total~ Read for a few minutes at a time . . . children may only sit for a short time~ Make the story come alive . . . create voices or sing about the pictures~ Ask questions about the story . . . let your child ask questions too
~ For infants . . . choose simple, colorful cloth and vinyl books
~ For preschoolers . . . choose books with repetition and rhyme



Every year, 35% of American children start kindergarten without the language skills they need to learn to read. In fact, studies of individual families show that supporting literacy in the home is more important to a child’s success in school than family income or education level.


During November, parents are encouraged to read aloud to their children, participate in literacy events and consider books when choosing gifts for children during the holidays and other special occasions.

. . . a few family literacy programs around the U S

DC: The Kennedy Center invites all children, parents, and educators to the 13th anniversary year of the annual free Multicultural Children's Book Festival.

Celebrate Family Literacy Day on Saturday, November 1: 12 pm - 6 pm on the Roof Level, in the Atrium, Galleries, Theater Lab, and Millennium Stage of the Kennedy Center.


Books come to life in this afternoon-long series of readings by authors, illustrators, and guest celebrities; book signings; and other interactive performances and events.
Maine Family Literacy Initiative

State of Washington Department of Early Learning

The Carnegie Center for Literacy and Learning

California
. . . what's happening in your city or state ?

Parent's Guide to Literacy for the 21st Century: Pre-K–Grade 5
Janie Hydrick - NCTE, 1996
As schools adapt to meet today's changing definition of literacy, parents often are left with lingering questions: What's going on in my child's classroom, and why? What do terms like "authentic assessment," "emergent literacy," and "process writing" mean?


Becoming Teammates:
Teachers and Families as Literacy Partners
Charlene Klassen Endrizzi - NCTE, 2008
offers a new look at how teachers and families can work together to build family-school relationships that value and respect each other’s perspectives on literacy.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Adult Learning in Focus

Adult Learning in Focus: 2008

This report by the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning compares how states perform on educating adults. Shows that significant numbers of Americans have been left behind. In 35 states, more than 60% of the adult population has not completed an associate degree or higher.

Despite the fact that adults comprise a growing share of the total enrollment in postsecondary institutions, 32 states cannot catch up to the best performing countries internationally by relying solely on traditional 18-to-24-year-old-students.

Recommends a new emphasis on those aged 25 or older to improve enrollment and graduation rate. It also finds that the barriers to higher education remain high for many adults.

Higher levels of education are associated with:
~ decreased reliance on government financial assistance
~ growth in personal income yields greater returns to states in the form of tax revenues

Jobs that are expected to support our economy in the coming years will depend on a skilled workforce that is able to learn and adapt quickly to new challenges. Yet, the U.S. has lost its position as education leader of the world.

Demographic patterns demonstrate that relying on the traditional K–16 pipeline to meet the educational and workforce needs of our states and the nation will not be enough.

Has: Individual State Profiles and Downloadable Data


Friday, October 17, 2008

2008 Acts of Caring Award Winners: Libraries

National Association of Counties
2008 Acts of Caring Award Winners: Libraries



The Acts of Caring Awards are part of Counties Serve America, a long-term project that the National Association of Counties carries out in partnership with Freddie Mac. It is designed to raise public understanding and awareness about county government.

The Acts of Caring honor community-based, government volunteer programs that provide a legacy for the future.

What is an Act of Caring?An "act of caring" is a community service provided by a county-sponsored volunteer program that enhances or preserves the quality of life.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Hoberman Picked as Poet Laureate

Hoberman Picked as Poet Laureate
Publishers Weekly: October 9, 2008 by John A. Sellers

As part of its fifth annual Pegasus Awards, the Poetry Foundation has selected Mary Ann Hoberman as Children’s Poet Laureate. Hoberman inherits the two-year position, which comes with a $25,000 prize, from Jack Prelutsky. The purpose of the award is to raise awareness of poetry among children.

Hoberman received the honor at an awards ceremony earlier this week in Chicago. “Generations of readers who first discovered poetry in the books of Mary Ann Hoberman remember it not as a dry textbook encounter but as a moment of joyous play,” said John Barr, president of the Poetry Foundation, in announcing Hoberman’s appointment. “Her poems tease young minds even as they please young ears with rhythm and rhyme.”

In August 2009, Little, Brown will release Hoberman’s next book of poetry, All Kinds of Families ! READ MORE

Read On @ Your Local Library: CalCat or WorldCat

You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You
Little, Brown, 2005
~ very short Mother Goose tales to read together

The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems
Harcourt Brace, 1998
~ covering everything from centipedes to whales, from swinging on swings to ice-skating in winter, from eating applesauce to celebrating birthdays, the delightful poems in this collection convey the experiences of childhood

The Cozy Book
Browndeer Press, 1995
~ a delightful look at all the warm, delicious things that make up a cozy day

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Hennen's American Public Library Ratings 2008

Hennen's American Public Library Ratings 2008

HAPLR 2008 is featured in the October 2008 issue of American Libraries, a publication of the American Library Association. The ratings have been published there since 1999.

Hennen's American Public Library Ratings –HAPLR, identify the public libraries in America with the highest input and output measures. The HAPLR Index uses 6 input and 9 output measures. The author added the scores for each library within a population category to develop a weighted score. The population categories
change at 1,000, 2,500, 5,000, 10,000, 25,000, 50,000, 100,000, 250,000, and 500,000 residents.

The HAPLR Index is similar to an ACT or SAT score with a theoretical minimum of 1 and a maximum of 1,000, although most libraries score between 260 and 730.

The revised data can be found on this website in the Ratings section and at the American Libraries web site. This edition, published October 2, 2008, was delayed a year by the late release of the 2005 federal data. The next edition using 2006 data should be available in early 2009.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Adult Learners - Live Homework Help

Does your Library have Tutor.com ?
Do you have a Library Card ?


You have FREE access to 1000's of professional tutors from your Library’s website !

Now - Adult Learners can get help with:
~ Grammar
~ Resume writing
~ Adult Ed courses
~ GED~ plus math and science

Tutor.com has also expanded to grades K- 3.


If your Library has Tutor.com and if you have a Library Card, click on Live Homework Help and a trained, professional tutor will work with you online. Now students from 5 to 85 can connect to a tutor for one-to-one help.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Health Literacy Month

October: Health Literacy Month

Health literacy is defined in Healthy People 2010 as: "The degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process, and understand basic health information and services needed to make appropriate health decisions".

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services included " improved consumer health literacy " as Objective 11-2 of Healthy People 2010. Identifying health literacy as an important component of health communication, medical product safety, and oral health.

More info about Healthy People 2010 is available @ the National Network of Libraries of Medicine:
~ Definition & Skills Needed

~ Economic Impact of Low Health Literacy
~ Role of the Consumer Health Librarian
~ Health Literacy Organizations and Programs
~ Web Resources & Bibliographies
~ Listservs


Health Literacy Out Loud 3-CD Set includes:
~ Readability & Understanding
~ An Adult Learner's Perspective
~ Creating & Using Excellent Written Materials


Ask Me 3
Good Questions for Your Good Health
~ a quick, effective tool designed to improve health communication between patients and providers.