Literacy – Spanning the US :: Fond du Lac WI :: Elkhorn WI :: Port Henry NY

Literacy: Spanning the US

@FDLPL

Amid Pandemic, 6,000 Fond du Lac Residents Struggle With Illiteracy. This Group Is Helping

Fond du Lac Reporter: 8.12.2020 by Melanie Steinert

One in seven adults in Wisconsin and around 6,000 adults in Fond du Lac struggle with low literacy.

That's according to statistics compiled by the Wisconsin Literacy Program.

Since 1982, Fond du Lac Literacy Services, 32 Sheboygan St., has been trying to reduce illiteracy rates with its volunteer based tutoring program.

Through the organization, volunteers tutor adults who struggle with reading, writing and math skills. About 75% of students are trying to learn or better English as their second language.

“Just last year, 96 students began tutoring,” said Juana Montes-Hernandez, literacy coordinator. “Many students have graduated some type of schooling and we are helping them work toward their goals of pursuing higher education, bettering themselves in the workplace or just with life skills in general.”

The pandemic has created a strain on the program. Many students have had to suspend their tutoring sessions.

“Right now, literacy is especially important with so many people out of work, so we are striving to make this time easier for our students,” Montes-Hernandez said.

Before the pandemic, the organization was hosting two classes of around 25 students each, in a conference room at Eden Stone Co., with hopes to start back up this fall. For now, however, the organization has set up virtual tutoring and one on one meetups with social distancing guidelines in place.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

WCLC

Walworth Immigrant From Vietnam Becomes Role Model With Hard Work

Lake Geneva News: 8.15.2020 by Connor Carynski

For the benefit of her children’s education and her own ability to vote, Oanh Llewellyn has overcome many obstacles on the road to learning English and achieving U.S. citizenship.

About three years ago, the Vietnam native, still unfamiliar with the English language, saw a flier in the Walworth Memorial Library advertising English as a second language courses offered by the Walworth County Literacy Council.

Llewellyn called the council and began learning English with the help of a tutor, while juggling her job cleaning offices at the Aurora Health Center during the evenings. She also worked at Walworth Elementary, helping in the kitchen, before the coronavirus halted school operations.

At times, the Walworth resident did not have access to a vehicle, and would bike to work and her tutoring sessions.

Having never completed formal education of her own, Llewellyn wanted to learn English to be able to interact with administrators and teachers for parent conferences at Walworth Elementary — where her two sons attend school — and to be involved in the education her children received.

“I had to learn a lot,” she said. “It was very hard.”

For her dedication and successful work at both literacy and citizenship, Llewellyn has been recognized by Wisconsin Literacy, a statewide literacy nonprofit, with a special website post featuring her as a Wisconsin success story.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

(Twelfth graders)

Literacy Volunteers 

Essex &Franklin Cos

It's Never Too Late To Learn

Sun Community News: 8.17.2020 by Maria Burke, Dir., Literacy Volunteers of Essex/Franklin Counties

Back to school time is a second chance for adult learners.

Families across the United States are preparing to send their children back to school with new book bags and school supplies. Back to school is also a time for some of the 30 million American adults who cannot read beyond a third grade level to consider taking steps to overcome their literacy challenges.

Many of these adults find ways to hide this fact from their coworkers and friends — even their own families. Common avoidance techniques include finding an excuse to steer clear of reading aloud, hiding their writing from others, or committing everything to memory to avoid jotting things down.

As children and teens go back to school, this is the perfect time for adults in need of educational services to take this important step to improve their own literacy skills. Being illiterate is not a joke and can be difficult to recognize and admit. Our organization helps adults address their literacy challenges. Trained tutors work one-on-one with adults who need help with basic reading, English-as-a-second-language (ESL), and math skills. We also provide literacy programs in local correctional facilities- Moriah Shock, Adirondack in Ray Brook, Bare Hill in Malone, and we recently partnered with Franklin County Jail as well.

Literacy Volunteers of Essex/Franklin Counties is an affiliate of Literacy New York, one of the state’s largest nonprofit organizations dedicated to advancing the cause of adult literacy and basic education.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

(Twelfth graders)