National Literacy & Library Events ▬ December 2020

National Literacy & Library Events

December 2020

Literacy & Library Events & Conferences

Events-National & International Events

Events-International: Language Magazine

Read a New Book Month

Jolabokaflod 

Christmas Book Flood Iceland

Dec. 01      2021 ‘Lollies’ Laugh Out Loud Book Prize UK

Dec. 01      Parent and Family Engagement Conf VIRTUAL
Dec. 01      TASH Conference VIRTUAL
Dec. 02      LRA National Reading Conference VIRTUAL
Dec. 04      Latinx KidLit Book Festival VIRTUAL
Dec. 05      International Volunteer Day
Dec. 07      Letter Writing Day
Dec. 07      Hour of Code Global
Dec. 10      Human Rights Day
Dec. 10      Rutgers Conference Reading & Writing VIRTUAL
Dec. 12      Impact Education Conference VIRTUAL
Dec. 20      Poet Laureate Day
Dec. 21      Crossword Puzzle Day
Dec. 21      National Short Story Day (UK)
Dec. 24      Jolabokaflod Christmas Book Flood Iceland

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 :: Wilmington NC :: Farmington ME :: Carlsbad CA :: Hopkinsville KY

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

@cfliteracy

The Ripple Effect
Wilmington Biz: 10.31.2020 by Danielle Saintard Valiente, Board Member-Cape Fear Literacy Council

I know you have heard the saying it only takes one seed...

Sometimes, we feel if we plant many seeds, but only one grows, then it was worth our time, patience, care and effort. The CFLC plants many seeds, and those seeds are monitored and cared for until they flourish, but what happens after they flourish? Oh, please do tell!

My husband Jean-Pierre was that one little seed. He moved from Santiago, Chile to Wilmington in 2006. He was 26 years old, raised in a Spanish-speaking household and attended a French school, but did not know any English. Actually, JP had failed English in elementary school, but here he was, moving to the United States as an adult, with no knowledge of the language.

When JP was in Chile, he was a successful personal trainer managing a fitness facility. He was competent, educated and intelligent. However, when JP came to the United States, he felt incompetent, uneducated and unintelligent. His employment opportunities were difficult because he was unable to communicate. He was depressed and discouraged, so he sought for help. He found free English classes at the CFLC, which he attended during the day, while he worked as a bus boy a night- a job that did not require him to speak.

After taking English classes for several months, JP was able to start working in gyms once again, but he was told he needed to shadow other employees and work unpaid until he improved his English. Even though he had the experience and the skillset, without knowing English, he felt he was being demoted for being less competent. The language barrier became a dream barrier.

JP remained consistent with his English classes at the CFLC so that he could work with clients again, giving him his career back, but in the United States.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

 

LVFSC

Literacy Volunteers Hold Annual Meeting, Recognize Contributions Of Volunteers, Donors
Daily Bulldog: 11.01.2020

Literacy Volunteers of Franklin and Somerset Counties held their 2020 Annual Meeting open to the public on Oct. 28. It was produced using “smart” television technology and the internet in all three of their learning center locations - Farmington, Livermore Falls, and Phillips - and following the Maine Center for Disease Control guidelines. This enabled participants to attend virtually as well as in person. There were 22 people in attendance.

The meeting featured poetry readings from four of this year's poetry contest winners: Margaret Bremner, Katrina Machetta, Nancy Romines-Walters and Anna Crockett. Annual business was conducted and members of the community were recognized with the Hope, Health and Happiness Honors.

“Pillars of Support” Honors went to United Way of the Tri-Valley Area, Franklin County Adult Basic Education, Spruce Mountain Adult Basic Education, and the Maine Humanities Council for their partnership in achieving the LVFSC mission (to empower adults through tutoring in reading, writing, math, technology, and ESOL and promote literacy in the community).

“Community Connectors” Honors went to volunteers who gave invaluable time, energy, ideas, courage, and tenacity to utilize their literacy work to strengthen the bonds of community. Collectively, they keep the learning going: mailing teaching packets, sorting and delivering books, trying new teaching tools and digital platforms, teaming to build programming, creating videos to share, making sure learners can get to class, and staying in touch. They are Rita Cantor, Becky Jasch, Emily scribner [sic], Dan Palmer, Maggie Davis, Brianna Rush, Elizabeth Cooke, Marlene Bryant, Danielle Hamlin, and Susan Thorson.

“Learners who Lead” Honors went to students who use their courage, tenacity, creativity, and passion to keep the learning going, despite many odds, and they are Brittanny Savage, Dorothy Richard, Lorrie Chicoine, Anna Crocket, Cindy Welch, and Matilda Holt.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)

 

@carlsbadlibrary

The Benefits of Reading in Difficult Times
Learning Connection: Oct/Nov 2020

Let’s face it— times are tough, and many of us may struggle to find a healthy coping mechanism to reduce our stress. The good news is, there are proven, research backed benefits that show reading may help!

Reading has been found to:

• Strengthen connectivity in our brains

• Increase our ability for empathy

• Increase vocabulary

• Fight age-related cognitive decline

• Reduce stress

• Promote a good night’s sleep

• Provide a healthy escape that may alleviate depression

• Increase life expectancy up to two years

So next time you’re feeling a little “blue,” grab a book and take your mind to a healthier space.

Introducing News Crew

Join us at our weekly News Crew meeting, Wednesdays from 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. on Zoom. Here, with Library Assistant Sandra, we will discuss current events and articles from News for You, a publication with easy-to read news stories. READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

 

@CCLitCouncil

Literacy Council To Have Virtual Community Reader Day
Kentucky New Era: 11.04.2020 by Tonya S. Grace

Organizers of Christian County’s annual Beverly Whitfield Memorial Community Reader Day wanted to find a way to offer this year’s event in spite of the restrictions of COVID-19.

They found it online, with a format that will feature 12 volunteers from the community reading two different books live on the Christian County Literacy Council’s Facebook page.

“We want to encourage children to read, (for) their curiosity to be peaked as well as (for) their parents and anyone around them just to encourage reading,” noted Francene Gilmer, the council’s new executive director who was hired in August to lead the organization.

Gilmer said the council wanted to be able to offer something for youth this year, and she noted that hosting a virtual event was the next best thing to having the in-person program.

“We invite anybody to check out our Facebook page,” the director said, noting that people can find information about the council, get book recommendations and tips for family reading.

She observed that the digital platform is another way to use the council’s services, and Gilmer added that members hope to pick back up with their larger team of reader volunteers in 2021.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 15

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

Literacy Awards Online Best Practices Conference 2020 ▬ Library of Congress

Literacy Awards Online Best Practices Conference 2020

Literacy Awards
Library of Congress

Library of Congress: November 2020

Learn and Share with Library of Congress 2020 Literacy Award Winners and Best Practice Honorees, November 19-20

Over the course of two afternoons, we will celebrate the five 2020 award winners and 15 Best Practice honorees, and host interactive conversations between them and members of the Literacy Awards Advisory Board. The conversations will address a wide range of topics from bridging the digital divide to family engagement and more.

Together, we will focus on identifying and sharing best practices both before and during COVID-19.

Welcome and Special Congratulations

The Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden; Director, Center for Learning, Literacy and Engagement, Shari Werb; as well as the Co-Founder and Co-Executive Chairman of The Carlyle Group, David M. Rubenstein welcome attendees to the 2020 Annual Best Practices Conference and congratulate the 2020 Library of Congress winners and Best Practice Honorees.

Literacy Blanket Poem

The U.S. Poet Laureate emeritus and current Literacy Awards Advisory Board member Juan Felipe Herrera reads the poem he wrote in honor of the 2020 Literacy Award recipients.

A conversation with The Immigrant Learning Center

2020 American Prize recipient Juan Felipe Herrera, U.S. Poet Laureate emeritus and Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board member, interviews Denzil Mohammed, Director of The Public Education Institute, The Immigrant Learning Center.

A conversation with the International Rescue Committee’s Pakistan Reading Project

2020 International Prize recipient Allister Fa Chang, Former Executive Director, Libraries Without Borders and Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board member, interviews Sanna Johnson, IRC Regional Vice President Asia, and Dr. Naeem Sohail Butt, Chief of Party, IRC’s Pakistan Reading Project.

A conversation with National Center for Families Learning

2020 David M. Rubenstein Special Response Awardee as well as recipient of the 2017 American Prize Dr. Ernest Morrell, Professor, College of Arts and Letters, University of Notre Dame, Director, Notre Dame Center for Literacy Education and Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board member, interviews Dr. Joshua Cramer, Executive Vice President, National Center for Families Learning.

A conversation with Pratham Books

2020 David M. Rubenstein Special Response Awardee as well as past recipient of the 2017 International Prize Dr. Chantal Francois, Assistant Professor, College of Education, Towson University and Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board member, interviews Suzanne Singh, Chairperson, Pratham Books.

A conversation with Room to Read

2020 David M. Rubenstein Special Response Awardee as well as past recipient of the 2014 David M. Rubenstein Prize and 2013 Best Practice Honoree Meg Medina, 2019 Newbery Award winner and Library of Congress Literacy Awards Advisory Board member, interviews Christabel Pinto, Senior Director, Room to Read’s Global Literacy Program.  WATCH 

Listening is the Black Sheep of Language Learning Skill ▬ Transparent Language

Listening is the Black Sheep of Language Learning Skills

Listening Skills

Transparent Language: 7.30.2018 

When learning a language, there’s one skill that’s more neglected than the others. It’s underestimated both in terms of its complexity and its utility. It’s less glamorous than speaking, and more difficult to master than reading. Listening, unfortunately, is the black sheep of language learning.

A recently-posted discussion thread on Quora began with the question, “Why is listening so difficult for people studying Spanish?”.

Although, in this case, the question was posed by a learner of Spanish, the sense that listening is a far more difficult skill to master than reading is a feeling shared by many language learners across the full spectrum of languages, and for good reason.

═════════►
Why do language learners struggle with listening more than other skills?

The problem comes in the fact that even though listening, as a skill, is much more complex than reading, most classroom-based listening activities fail to move beyond the kinds of highly simplified and inauthentic representations of spoken language that mask most of those complexities.

═════════►
A survey of the skill level descriptors for the receptive skills of reading and listening across a number of the most reputable proficiency scales, including the CEFR, ACTFL, and the ILR, would seem to suggest that there is very little difference between these two skills. Consider, for example, the following can-do statements from the CEFR’s self-assessment grid for level A2.

Reading A2

I can read very short, simple texts.

I can find specific, predictable information in simple everyday material such as advertisements, prospectuses, menus and timetables and I can understand short simple personal letters

Listening A2

I can understand phrases and the highest frequency vocabulary related to areas of most immediate personal relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).

I can catch the main point in short, clear, simple messages and announcements

One could almost get the impression that listening is just reading done with the ears, rather than with the eyes, when nothing could be further from the truth. The problem with these proficiency descriptors, and others like them, is that they focus more on the ways that listening and reading are alike than on the ways that they are different. This tendency to downplay the unique challenges of listening has led some to refer to listening as the red-headed stepchild of language proficiency.

Is listening really all that different from reading?

A good illustration of just how much more complex and demanding listening is than reading can be found in the news ticker that crawls across the bottom of the screen on most cable news broadcasts (sometimes called a chyron).

There’s no way to re-read or pause when listening in real time.

The fact that the text moves across the screen at a rate that can be challenging even for some native speakers, let alone non-native speakers, and then disappears into the ether never to be seen again, makes this kind of reading a significantly more challenging undertaking than reading the exact same information would be if it were encountered as static text on the page of a newspaper, where it can not only be read at a pace that is comfortable for the reader, but where it remains available for re-reading or review as the reader works their way through the text, constantly self-monitoring for correct understanding of the author’s communicative intent.

There are no visual clues (spaces, punctuation, etc.) when listening.

Now, let’s try to imagine how the experience might become even more challenging if we were to modify our crawling news ticker to reflect another way in which the spoken word is different from the written word by removing the capitalization, the punctuation, and all of the spaces between the words.

Listeners are exposed to many different accents, voices, and ways of speaking that aren’t present in the written word.

Let’s add another wrinkle to our scrolling news ticker by changing the block print to messy handwriting to simulate the differences in the regional accents and idiosyncratic vocal qualities of the various speakers we listen to on a daily basis.

Listening and speaking are inseparable skills.

When most people think about learning another language, speaking seems to be the skill that first comes to mind. We ask people how many languages they speak, not how many languages they read – and certainly not how many languages they can listen in! When we think about traveling to a foreign country, the first thing many of us think about buying is a phrase book that will teach us how to order dinner in a local restaurant, ask for directions, or talk to shop vendors in the market.

How can you improve your listening proficiency?

While there are no silver bullets that will suddenly or magically simplify the task of listening in another language, there are several practical strategies that can help to build this essential skill.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level) 

Native Educators Say Thanksgiving Lessons Can Be Accurate, Respectful, And Still Fun — NEA

Native Educators Say Thanksgiving Lessons Can Be Accurate, Respectful, And Still Fun—

An Indigenous Peoples'
History of the United States
for Young People

NEA: 11.11.2020 by Sabrina Holcomb, NEA Ed Justice

Dr. Star Yellowfish has a challenge for America’s schools and educators: whether you’re teaching tots or teenagers, celebrate your best Thanksgiving lesson ever by teaching an accurate history of the holiday.

Thanksgiving is a great entry point for learning about the culture of America’s first people, says Yellowfish, Director of Native American Student Services for Oklahoma City Public Schools (OKCPS) and a member of the Keetowah Cherokees.

Teaching truth, and learning from it, helps us honor all of our students and build stronger relationships with each other says Yellowfish, who shares tips and resources to help educators get started.

═════════►

What are some meaningful ways educators can teach their students about Thanksgiving?

1. Replace “Indians” and “Pilgrims” with more specific names: Wampanoag and English or Separatists. As responsible educators, we need to encourage our students to use more accurate terms.

2. Tell the story of the Wampanoag, who were instrumental in helping the English survive. It’s important for students to learn that Wampanoag still exist today.

3. Research Native tribes in your area and invite them to give a lesson at your school. There are over 500 tribes spread throughout the U.S. If you don’t have tribes close to you, build partnerships with Native American organizations and local museums and universities.

4. Focus on the importance of the harvest with young students. Teach them about the role of the three sisters—corn, beans, and squash—in Native cultures.

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)

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Erie & Niagara COs NY :: Redlands CA :: Invermere BC

Literacy In The News :: Spanning the US

@LiteracyBuffalo

Literacy Coordinator for Literacy Buffalo Niagara Discusses Need For Volunteers
WIVB: 10.26.2020

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many organizations in WNY- including the sole provider of free, one-on-one adult literacy services in Erie and Niagara counties.

More adults need to learn to read- but there are fewer volunteers to help.

Amy Mortiz, literacy coordinator at Literacy Buffalo Niagara “stopped by” News 4 on Monday to talk about how you can get involved.  WATCH 04:38

@AKSmileyPL

Redlands Celebrates Adult Literacy Program
Redlands Community News: 10.29.2020 by Shari Forbes

Revived 10 years ago, it sparkles in city’s crown of jewels

If Redlands is the Jewel of the Inland Empire, then the A.K. Smiley Public Library’s Adult Literacy Program is one of the brightest jewels in the city's crown.

For a decade, the program has changed lives and opened new vistas for hundreds of community members with its team of volunteers who provide one-on-one confidential tutoring in reading and writing to help learners in the Redlands community reach their literacy goals.

And it’s free.

“All it takes is a desire to improve your literacy skills and a commitment to meet with your tutor once a week for six months,” said Diane Shimota, coordinator of the Adult Literacy program.

“For many folks with low-literacy skills, there is often the stigma of embarrassment and lack of confidence. We provide a safe, non-threatening and confidential learning environment with a caring tutor who is focused solely on literacy goals.”

An added bonus is the learning venue. The beautiful architecture of the historic A.K. Smiley Library provides peaceful aesthetic settings for learner-tutor sessions.

Coping with COVID

The library reopened on Sept. 9 on a limited basis after being closed for more than six months because of the COVID-19 pandemic. This did not stop the literacy program. Learners continued to meet weekly with their tutors via Zoom or on the telephone. Now they can return to the library by reserving space in advance and adhering to COVID-19 guidelines.

Adult learner Guillermina Rangel met her tutor Katherine Gifford in person for the first time during the interview for this feature story. Until this physically distanced meeting in the library garden on Tuesday, Oct. 20, they had been meeting over the telephone.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 9

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 13-15 yrs. old

(Eighth and Ninth graders)

 

@cbaliteracy

Castlegar Literacy Programs Going Strong
Castlegar News: 10.30.2020 by Betsy Kline

The Columbia Basin Alliance for Literacy (CBAL) has come up with a number of ways to continue offering services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We got creative,” said Castlegar CBAL literacy coordinator Rhonda Palmer.

“Instead of just shutting everything down, we decided we were going to still have our programs.”

CBAL is a non-profit literacy organization offering services throughout the region.

CBAL usually offers services at their office, in schools and at the library, however a lot of their programming moved to Zoom throughout the spring and summer.

Early childhood programming now includes things like take-out craft and project kits, followed by Zoom meetings for the parents and kids to participate in together.

═════════►
English language classes and tech learning for seniors have both moved to in-person services again.

Immigrants wanting to improve their English skills can access services on Tuesday and Thursday mornings at the Castlegar and District Library, but participants must register for the service to ensure COVID-19 related protocols can be kept.  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)

Read At Double Your Normal Speed With This Free Chrome Extension ▬ ebookfriendly

Read At Double Your Normal Speed With This Free Chrome 

SwiftRead 

ebookfriendly: 11.03 2020 by Kasta Kowalczyk

With Spreed, [ now SwiftRead ] you’ll be able to double your normal reading speed – all without sacrificing comprehension.

It is estimated that the average person reads at around 200-300 words per minute, with anything quicker than that resulting in loss of comprehension.

Through habits like subvocalizing (sounding each word out in our heads), unconscious re-reading chunks of text and unnecessary eye movements, combined with constantly getting distracted by pop-up videos and ads, we are slowing our reading speed significantly without even knowing it.

But Spreed, the highest rated and most popular Chrome extension of its kind, helps eliminate these hindrances – and lets us enjoy reading news articles, blog posts, emails, Amazon Kindle Cloud Reader books, PDFs and ePUBs twice as fast without sacrificing comprehension.

How Spreed works

After installing Spreed Chrome extension, all you have to do is highlight the passage you want to speed read in Chrome and press Alt+V (or right-click and select Spreed selected text). A pop-up window will appear and immediately start “cleaning out” the text of the article for you.

Spreed displays the article word-by-word in a fixed position, highlighting one letter of each word in orange font to lock your eyes on.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 14

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 21-22 yrs. old

(college level)

Spreed PRO
Lifetime license $49
$29 Early-bird discount
One-time payment
8 Premium Fonts
12 Color Schemes Designed for Productivity
Fully Customizable Colors, Hotkeys, and Settings
Use Spreed to speed read books on Kindle Cloud Reader, with native PDF and ePUB speed reading coming soon
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How Simple Visual Cues Can Improve Your Teaching Materials ▬ Edutopia

How Simple Visual Cues Can Improve Your Teaching Materials

Visual Cues

Edutopia: 11.19.2020 

In a 2020 study, researchers demonstrated that annotating your instructional videos and slides can improve student retention.

When creating teaching materials like instructional videos or slides, a 2020 study concluded that adding annotations like arrows, text labels, or circles can provide "visual scaffolding" that clarifies your teaching priorities and guides student focus and attention. Students who were exposed to materials with visual cues outperformed students who saw the same materials without cues by about 9 percentage points.  WATCH 01:38

Literacy – Spanning North America :: Fort Worth TX :: Oakland CA :: San Diego CA :: High River AB

Literacy In The News :: Spanning North America

@TarrantLit

Through Virtual Internship, TCU Student Makes Real Impact on Adult Literacy
TCU News: 10.27.2020

Though social distancing protocols during the pandemic changed the look of Luise Hauptmann’s internship with the Tarrant Literacy Coalition, they haven’t limited the impact of her experience.

“Coming into TCU, I didn’t have any idea of what I wanted to be after graduation, so getting a foot into the world of employment has been an invaluable experience,” said Hauptmann, a junior political science/women and gender studies double major from Waxahachie. “Furthermore, it brings me a lot of joy to see just how my work influences the lives of fellow Tarrant County residents in a positive way. Adult education is important because it leads to better outcomes in all areas of a person’s life.”

A marketing and programming intern, Hauptmann creates posters, emails and lawn signs as well as helps design programming for Tarrant Literacy Coalition’s students — all virtually from her Fort Worth apartment.

“I have conducted interviews over Zoom with various volunteers, and I have created a quarterly newsletter that goes out to donors. Basically, if there is a need, I will figure out how to get it done,” she said. “I definitely think of myself as a jack of all trades, so it has been very fun having a variety of ever-changing tasks. Though I haven’t been able to meet with any students face-to-face due to COVID-19, it motivates me to know I am facilitating something positive in someone’s life.”  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)

 

@oaklibrary

Oakland Adult Literacy Students Find Ways To Continue Learning During The Pandemic
Oakland North: 10.27.2020 by Bashirah Mack

Riley Mitchell loves to cook. When the 55-year-old isn’t bragging about making the “best potato salad this side of the Mississippi,” Mitchell enjoys cozying up with a good book. Since the pandemic, Mitchell started to re-read classics like The Color Purple, mostly for pleasure. But since the library where Mitchell took adult literacy classes closed, being able to revisit some of his favorite books has helped him maintain his hard-won reading skills.

“When they first shut it down, I shut down too. It seemed like the pandemic tried to shut my goal down,” Mitchell says. “But I can proudly say, my tutor and I found a way that we can see each other once a week.”

Mitchell learned to read at Oakland Public Library’s Second Start adult literacy program. The program, which is free and open to the public, has been around for over 35 years. With the help of volunteer tutors, adult learners between the elementary and middle school level receive one-on-one support during weekly sessions to meet their reading, writing and math goals. Mitchell is one of thousands of Oakland residents whose adult literacy classes were complicated by the pandemic.

Kelly Frasier, senior literacy assistant of Second Start, says the program has served adult students from across a spectrum, including English as a Second Language (ESL) learners, persons in transition from prison, adults with learning disabilities, and older African Americans who received substandard education during and after Jim Crow. Black people make up 82% of the participants in the program.  READ MORE ➤➤ 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

 

@READSanDiego

San Diego Public Library Foundation Announces Technological Access Initiatives
Times of San Diego: 10.26.2020 by Christine Huard 

The San Diego Public Library Foundation announced a series of initiatives Monday aimed at expanding technological access for the county’s most vulnerable residents amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The foundation has funded three initiatives to provide computer access for those who lack broadband internet during a time when the pandemic has made it a necessity for school and work.

According to the foundation, about 100,000 children lack internet access, primarily among those living in the southern and northeastern parts of the county.

One initiative expands on a program to provide technology that students need for remote learning, which began by giving out 240 Chromebooks.

Computers have also been donated to participants in the San Diego Public Library’s Career Online High School program and its READ/San Diego adult literacy program. The library foundation said both programs lost access to computer labs when the pandemic led to library closures.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 15

Reading Level: difficult to read.

Reader's Age: College graduate

 

@FoothillsLFL

The Literacy for Life Foundation Is Back
High River Times: 10.28 2020 by Dan Marcinkowski

The Literacy for Life Foundation, who shut down operations in December 2019 due to reduced funding they were receiving over the previous couple of years, started operations once again in September.

With a new board, the committee has decided to focus on offering programs virtually, because of COVID-19. The programs have the same focus as always in building the essential literacy skills needed to lead a successful life in family, work and community.

“We were excited to get going again,” said Executive Director Nicole Levesque.

There has been a challenge re-connecting with the community.

“Having our doors closed for six months and not offering programs, and also with COVID-19, there has been a challenge for us re-connecting not only  with potential learners that would come to us, but even our community partners, who are also feeling the struggles and are not meeting with their clients as much,” said Levesque.

“Getting the word out and letting everyone know we are open again has definitely been a challenge.”

Fall programs are all virtually done on ZOOM. 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)