Family Literacy Month :: How Caregivers Can Boost Young Brains via Usable Knowledge

How Caregivers Can Boost Young Brains

Five simple steps for stimulating interactions with young children — at home, in daycare, or in preschool

GSE Harvard: 11.14.2017 by Usable Knowledge

Adapted from resources developed and tested by the Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University.

When adults react and respond to young children’s babbles, gestures, and cries, they are doing more than providing good, nurturing care. They're actually laying the groundwork for children's future growth and development — helping to build the neural connections in the brain that support communication and social skills. 

Ordinary back-and-forth interactions between a caregiver and child — called "serve and return" — can shape brain architecture in powerful ways, creating a strong foundation for future learning. Here are five simple ways for parents, daycare providers, and early educators to practice these interactions.

1. Notice What Grabs Your Child's Attention

Is your child looking or pointing at something? Making a sound or facial expression? Moving her arms and legs? Pay attention to what she is focused on.

2. Respond with Support

Return the serve by responding to your child. Offer comfort with a hug and gentle words, offer help, or acknowledge what he's doing. You can make a sound or facial expression — saying, “I see!” or smiling and nodding to let him know you’re noticing the same thing.  READ MORE >>

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Bloomington IL :: Walton Co FL :: Bakersfield CA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.

Literacy program deserves help

Pantagraph: 10.12.2017 Editorial

If you're reading this, congratulations: Someone taught you the squiggles are letters and together they can form words and, lined up in a row, they become a sentence you can read.

Not everyone is so lucky. Whether they learned English as a subsequent language, whether their teachers or parents didn't push hard enough, whether a learning disability kept them from progressing easily, the ability to use words and symbols in written form is something not all adults can do. Illinois is believed to have almost 2 million adults who can't read or write. 

But there's help.

The STAR (Sharing The Ability to Read) Adult Literacy program works with adults of all ages and backgrounds to help them learn reading, language and math skills. It happens with the help of one-on-one tutors who listen and encourage people reading aloud, learning to write and balancing their checkbooks. The tutors are not professionals; rather, although they are trained, they are everyday people of all backgrounds who want to share their time to help others.

The program, however, is short on those volunteers and the list is long of people who want help. At present, there are 44 volunteers for 49 people, with more students expected.

Literacy, or its lack, affects not just the individual but the local economy and government budgets. If you can't read easily, it's harder to find a good-paying job and you may need more government assistance for food, insurance and housing.  READ MORE >>

@SoundTrainingUK

Sound Program helps inmates refresh reading and writing skills

WJHG: 10.11.2017 by Danielle Ellis

A new program in Walton County is helping inmates build skills for when they get out of jail.

It's called the Sound Program.

"We come in once a week and spend an hour learning our vowels like a, e, i, o, and u," said Walton County inmate Samuel Hubley.

"This is like, my third session and I'm already making progress," said fellow inmate Arana Williams.

The Sound Program brings understanding words and reading back to the basics.

"This is a program that helps you learn where the words derive from and how to spell them a lot easier. Syllables are sound chunks. I never knew that and they taught me that," said Williams.

"You start out in week one. The first lesson is understanding the syllable, understanding your vowels, understand sounds. Then it moves on to putting together words, breaking down words for what it actually is and then you move forward and each week builds upon it for the next six weeks it just continues to grow," said Walton County Jail's Programs Manager Andy Watkins.  WATCH VIDEO

Kern Literacy

A community that reads together stays together

Bakersfield.com: 10.05.2017 by Justin Salters

I have childhood memories of visiting the Beale Memorial Library with my mom and brothers. I remember asking the librarians for assistance locating books, and look back fondly on the day I received my first library card, a yellow plastic card with my personal paper barcode pasted to the front.

I am fortunate to have parents that encouraged and supported their children’s literacy.

Literacy is a requisite component for engagement with ideas. It is through literature, biography and philosophy that we interact with the forces that shaped our past, understand the state of our current affairs and are able to direct ourselves towards brighter futures. Literacy is also critical to success in the workplace.

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Locally, the numbers are even bleaker:

• From 2010 to 2014, Bakersfield was the No. 1 least literate city in the United States

• In 2016, Bakersfield was the No. 2 least literate city

• 15 percent of Kern County adults have less than a ninth-grade literacy level

• 13.9 percent of Kern County adults lack the basic literacy skills to perform daily job functions

• 26.6 percent of Kern County adults over the age of 25 haven’t completed high school

• 42 percent of Latinas over the age of 25 lack a high school diploma or its equivalency

What is perhaps most alarming about these numbers is that illiteracy and low educational achievement are multi-generational crises.

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Fortunately, there are organizations and individuals invested in tackling these issues head-on.

The Kern Literacy Council has been serving our community for more than 50 years to “empower individuals to improve their quality of life through literacy education.” I recently spoke with Laura Lollar Wolfe, the Kern Literacy Council's executive director, regarding our community’s literacy challenge and the work of her organization.

This year, Council volunteers have provided more than 12,000 hours of free tutoring to 200 students. The Council offers programs in Adult Basic Education, General Education Development (GED), English as a Second Language, citizenship tests and family literacy.  READ MORE >>

5 Things I Wish Parents Knew About Reading via We Are Teachers

@WeAreTeachers

5 Things I Wish Parents Knew About Reading

Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body

We Are Teachers: 10.25.2017 by Megan Favre

I learned exactly how important reading was from my parents. They showed me with frequent trips to the library, always scrounging up money for the Scholastic book order, and, most importantly, ignoring me when they were caught up in a good book. Their “just one more chapter, and then we’ll go” or “let me finish this article before we start dinner” showed me that reading was a world that you could get wrapped up in and not want to leave.

These days, the pressure of reading levels, words per minute, and standardized testing has put a tremendous pressure on not only teachers and students, but also parents. Here are five literacy tips for parents that I wish I could share with all families:

1. This book is not too easy for your child.

Reading is making meaning not word recognition. Because accuracy is easy for us to see happening, it’s easy to assume that a reader that sounds good must be making meaning.

2. Reading levels are not a race to the top.

Oh, reading levels. Parents, I’m sorry we’ve done this to you. Understanding acquisition of literacy is difficult (it only takes a degree or two and lifelong professional development to get a handle on it), but understanding a progression of levels is easy. Parents hold onto levels because that’s all we really give them.  READ MORE >>

National Literacy & Library Events :: December 2017

National Literacy & Library Events :: December 2017

SCLLN

Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

- Local, California and National -

visit

the Southern California Library Literacy Network

for more information

@QBDTheBookshop

Dec. 04+   Hour of Code Global

Dec. 04+   Parent and Family Engagement Conference Austin TX

Dec. 05      International Volunteer Day

Dec. 06+   Getting In Touch With Literacy New Orleans LA

Dec. 06      LibraryCon Cyber Space 11a ET

Dec. 08      ‘Lollies’ Voting Closes Laugh Out Loud Book prize London UK

Dec. 09+   TIES Education Technology Conference Minneapolis MN

Dec. 13+    TASHl Conference Atlanta GA
Dec. 24     Jolabokaflod Day Great Book Flood

State Library Associations :: Conferences

African American Book Events

Book Fairs by State Library of Congress

Children’s Book Council Kid Lit Events

College Children’s & Young Adult Literature Conferences Festivals

Everfest Book Festival Calendar

ILA :: Literacy Calendar Worldwide

Storytelling Events

US Book Festivals

Literacy – Spanning the US :: Arkansas :: Des Moines IA :: Champaign IL :: King of Prussia PA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.

Adult Learning Alliance

Literacy Group Rebrands Itself In Effort To Reach More People

UARL Public Radio: 10.10.2017 by Colton Faull

The Arkansas Literacy Councils is changing its name this week to Adult Learning Alliance of Arkansas in an effort to better help adults who read below a fifth-grade level. 

"We felt the new name was a better way to communicate the work we do for Arkansans 18 years and older," says Executive Director Nancy Leonhardt. "Alliance represents that we are the umbrella organization for a network of about 27 community-based literacy councils around the state."

There are roughly 320,000 people statewide who are illiterate with 32,000 of those in Pulaski county, according to Leonhardt. "The focus nowadays is not just on the areas of reading and writing, we're also improving adult's health, digital, and financial literacy and soft skills."

The ALA serves as a foundation for adult education for low level learners, helping adults reach a fifth-grade reading level, he says.  READ MORE >>

Basic English Literacy Class Aims to Help Immigrant and Refugee Parents

WHO TV: 10.10.2017 by Christina Salonikas

A Des Moines Public School program aims to help immigrant and refugee parents adapt to the American culture and learn English.

According to DMPS Bilingual Outreach Coordinator Vinh Nguyen, the basic English literacy class focuses on topics that will help parents through every day routines.

“We target different topics for them. We will help them to learn numbers, the alphabet, how to spend money, how to go shop and how to fill obligations for employment and anything they need to. We are very targetful [sic] and true in those topics for parents to learn,” Nguyen said.

Nguyen said there isn’t a formal textbook, but rather work pages that have parents writing out letters, numbers, etc. The adult classes will incorporate technology to help with certain lessons.  WATCH VIDEO

Adult tutoring program Project READ returns to Parkland

Prospectus News: 10.11.2017 by EvyJo Compton

Project READ, a free tutoring program for adults, has returned to Parkland after a two-year gap in state funding.

Now that the program has started again, it is looking for volunteer tutors.

Project READ is for those over 17-years-old whom are looking to tutor or wish to be adult learners.

“Project READ is a volunteer tutoring program for adults in the communities of Parkland College district 505,” Amanda Harris, Project READ’s program manager, said. “Trained volunteer tutors provide free tutoring to help adult learners improve their skills in reading, basic arithmetic, or English as a second language (ESL). […] We invite adults over the age of 17 who want to improve their literacy, English, or math.  They should be separated from high school and score below the 9th-grade level in either math or reading.”

Once tutors and adult learners have been accepted into the project, the office of Parkland Adult Education matches the tutors with learners.  READ MORE >>

@RSVPMontCo

RSVP: Adult literacy volunteers change lives

RSVP program trains volunteers to assist adults who want to improve reading, writing skills

Montgomery News: 10.11.2017 by RSVP

The proposition seems simple enough: Meet an adult at a local library for 1-1½ hours once or twice each week to work on basic reading, writing and vocabulary skills. But in practice, volunteers in RSVP’s Adult Literacy program find themselves challenged and rewarded in surprising ways.

“It’s rarely what people think it will be,” said Janis Glusman, the program’s recently retired founding coordinator. “The student’s probably not going to have a eureka moment. It’s not a fairy tale. But there are those moments, and they’re very satisfying, when you feel that you have reinforced your student’s skills, that they’ve remembered new things, gained new confidence.”

The program works through Montgomery and Delaware County organizations such as the Abington Library Literacy Program, Delaware County Literacy Council, the Literacy Council of Norristown and others. “We are also stationed throughout the counties, at various locations,” said Glusman.

RSVP links volunteers with a literacy provider that often is located near their homes. They are trained and matched with adults seeking help. Some are learning English as a second language. Some are seeking a high school diploma. And others simply want to gain the ability to read and write well enough to hold a job.

“When you help someone learn to read or speak English, you enable that individual to take advantage of a new world of opportunities,” said RSVP Adult Literacy Coordinator Sandie Rollins. “Simply put, literacy changes lives.”  READ MORE >>

Sight Words Are So 2016: New Study Finds the Real Key to Early Literacy via Parent

Sight Words Are So 2016: New Study Finds the Real Key to Early Literacy

Parent: 4.12.2017 by Kate Koch-Sundquist

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Published in the January 2017 issue of the journal “Developmental Psychology”, the study concludes that the most valuable early literacy skill to encourage in kindergarten is neither alphabetic knowledge nor memorization of key sight words. In fact, it’s not a reading skill at all.

Cn u rd ths?

A Guide to Invented Spelling

Great Schools

The best indicator of future success as a reader is actually a child’s ability to use invented spelling as he writes.

Researchers assessed 171 kindergartners on measures of oral vocabulary, alphabetic knowledge, letter-sound association, word reading, and invented spelling. The same students were assessed a year later, and modeling revealed a causal relationship between invented spelling and increased literacy skills.

Simply put, children who used invented spelling developed stronger reading skills over time, regardless of their existing vocabulary, alphabetic knowledge, or word reading skills.

So, what exactly is invented spelling?

Invented spelling refers to a young child’s beginning attempts to spell words. Using what they know and understand about letters and writing, children who use invented spelling are encouraged to create their own spellings based on their own phonetic knowledge. As their phonetic knowledge grows, their invented spellings become more and more similar to actual word spellings.

For example, a very young child might begin writing words by using a series of non-letter scribbles. As that child progresses, he or she will begin to use random letters, and then consonants consistent with the first sound in a word. Eventually, the child will grasp both the first and last sounds, and finally the vowels or other syllables in between.

A child writing the word PEOPLE might progress from random scribbles to:

P

PPL

PEPL

PEEPL

PEEPLE

before finally reaching PEOPLE.

A recent article in Psychology Today underlines the importance of this process, pointing out that “reflection about how to spell a word allows the child to actively practice making decisions, rather than passively memorizing.” In this way, students internalize letter-sound associations rather than simply attempting to memorize the rules as instructed.

How can we help our children develop this integral skill?

To encourage development and progression of invented spelling, children should simply be encouraged to write. While writing has previously been thought of as a skill separate from reading, and one that can only be applied once a child has a basic grasp on reading, the new study suggests that writing and reading skills emerge concurrently, and that reading may actually rely more heavily on writing, rather than vice versa.  READ MORE >>

Family Literacy Month :: Reading Activities via Growing Book by Book

@growingbbb 

Reading Activities

Growing Book by Book

Here is an easy resource page for finding the reading activities you need.  I’ve divided them into categories to make your search even more helpful!

Need a good overview of activities to grow a reader at each developmental level?  Just click on the age range below.

Babies and Toddlers

Preschoolers

Kindergarteners and Early Elementary Students

(Beginning Readers)

Looking for specific topics?  See the categories below for activities, tips and ideas.

Family Literacy Month :: Simple and Fun Family Literacy Activities for Thanksgiving

@CLIUpdates

Simple and Fun Family Literacy Activities for Thanksgiving

Children's Literacy Initiative

Thanksgiving is just a few days away, and many families are busy preparing for the holiday with grocery shopping, cooking, and decorating. With your children home from school and underfoot, why not look for meaningful ways to keep them entertained while also practicing their literacy skills? There are plenty of ways to get kids reading and writing during the holidays, and you may end up creating some new family traditions along the way!

Try some of these simple, fun, family activities to bring even more literacy into your home this Thanksgiving.

> Ask your child to decorate the table by making place cards for everyone in the family.

> Put every letter from the word THANKSGIVING on pieces of paper, shuffle them, and ask your child to spell it out.

> Think of a favorite family recipe you want to share with your guests this Thanksgiving. Have your child write out the ingredients and steps, and then give the recipe cards out after dinner.

> Ask older children to help you in the kitchen by reading the steps in a recipe out loud to you while you cook. Younger kids can look at the pictures with you ahead of time to guess what the steps might be.

> Leave a few small books and puzzles at the kid’s table to keep them occupied during the meal. Ask older children to act as “storytellers” for the little ones and read their favorite books out loud.

> If your family is watching football this Thursday, why not have them create signs to cheer on their favorite teams? Families can also come up with creative cheers to do whenever their team scores a touchdown!

> If there are lots of kids in your family, ask them to put on a Thanksgiving skit for the adults after dinner. If they’re having trouble thinking of ideas, suggest they act out one of their favorite books or movies.

> If you post a picture of your Thanksgiving online, ask for your child’s help when writing a caption. If you’d rather text, have your child text a Thanksgiving message to a relative who can’t be there! They will love hearing from a younger member of the family.

> Why not get a little competitive? Invite family members to vote on their favorite dish of the day. Ask the children to collect the ballots, count them, and announce the winner! Kids can even write and decorate certificates for the winners. Kids can even write and decorate certificates for the winners.

No matter their age, there are so many ways to keep your kids reading, writing, and being creative this holiday! Making literacy a part of your Thanksgiving will help your children grow as readers, writers, and thinkers, and will create wonderful lasting memories for your family.

What are your favorite family traditions for Thanksgiving, and how can they be used to practice reading or writing? Let us know in the comments!