Edward Fry: created Fry Readability Graph

Educator, 85, created Fry Readability Graph
Coastline Pilot: September 9, 2010 by Barbara Diamond

Educator, author and environmentalist Edward Fry died in his Laguna Beach home Sept. 2, surrounded by his family. He was 85.

"He lost his battle with leukemia, but we all know how he loved life," his wife, Cathy, wrote friends. "He especially loved teaching, whether in a Rutgers classroom or up in the hills hiking with a grandson. It was a learning experience and he made sure he learned something new every day."

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"I always thought of Ed as a gentle, thoughtful and wise person," said City Councilwoman Verna Rollinger, a member of many of the same organizations. "He was a person always involved in good works."

Near the end of his life, a doctor asked him if there was anything he would like to do, if he could.

There was one more book he wanted to write, Fry replied.

He wrote more than 31 books and more than 100 articles, including "How to Teach Reading," developed for the Peace Corps; "The Reading Teacher's Book of Lists," with Jacqueline Kress; and a video series for series for Time Life, narrated by Dick Cavett and Bill Cosby.

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In 1950, Fry married Carol Addison. Fry became an expert in teaching. He invented the Fry Readability Graph, which is a widely used tool for assessing the readability level of almost any type of reading material. He was on the faculty of Loyola University in Los Angeles and Rutgers University in New Jersey where he became a full professor.

During 22 years at Rutgers, he was president of the National Reading Conference, the International Reading Assn., and the New Jersey Reading Assn. He is a member of the Reading Teacher Hall of Fame. READ MORE !

Literacy Tribune Newsletter: September 2010

Literacy Tribune: September 2010
The Adult Learner Network Newsletter

United Literacy, a non-profit organization, provides resources and support to adult literacy learners in the United States. Its aim is to make literacy education accessible and worthwhile for adult learners.

Main Story: Back to SchoolSeptember marks the beginning of a new school year.

A History Lesson: The Great Depression
The Great Depression began on October 24, 1929—“Black Thursday.

Member Spotlight: September 8: International Literacy DayEvery day, around the world, adults like you are learning to read. And every day, around the world, adults are struggling with illiteracy as you once did. Illiteracy is not only an American problem. It is an international problem.

Organization Spotlight: A Letter to ReadersThis issue of The Literacy Tribune marks our third anniversary. I, along with the staff and board of United Literacy, want to thank you for your continued support

Technology Watch: Ninite Websiteby Daniel Pedroza, Writer and Learner

Ninite is a service that lets users install popular Windows applications automatically.

The Literacy Tribune is looking for adult learner writers.
Are you an adult learner ?
Do you want to write ?
Do you want to publish your writing ?

You can write about:
Your road to literacy
Your literacy organization
Literacy resources you like
You can write book reviews, poetry, short stories
You can write articles about health, finance, or technology

You can write just about anything !

International Literacy Day 2010

International Literacy Day
September 8
Make A Difference !



Room To Read - Tweet For Literacy

Literacy Day 2010Literacy has the power to lift families out of poverty in one generation and change the fate of entire communities, particularly in the developing world. Let's make this International Literacy Day really mean something and help more people learn to read. Check out the information below on what else you can do to make a difference!

Tweet a scrambled message to your followers so they know what it's like to be illiterate. They can click on the link to decipher it:

Wehn yuo cnnaot raed, noe hruendd ftory ccrhaetars maen noinhtg.

Hlep ptoorme goalbl latceriy.

International Literacy Day: 7 Easy Ways To Spread The Word
Huffingtonpost.com: September 7, 2010
You love books every day of the year, but there's only one that highlights the 774 million adults worldwide that UNESCO estimates are illiterate.Luckily, there's an easy way for even the busiest bibliophiles to share their love for reading with others who need a little help.

Here are just a few (see Slide Show).

Ten Tips for Parents to Help Children Learn to Read Outside the ClassroomOn International Literacy Day, Save the Children Shares Simple Steps All Parents Can Take to Boost Children's Reading Skills
Save The Children: September 8, 2010To mark International Literacy Day and promote reading among children globally, Save the Children today shares 10 steps all parents can take to boost early reading skills among their children. The ten tips are part of a community strategies flipbook for parents and children that Save the Children developed for its global "Literacy Boost" program.

"Learning how to read should not be confined to the classroom," said Amy Jo Dowd, Ph.D., education research advisor for Save the Children. "There are many fun ways that parents, community members and even children can support other children in developing language and literacy skills as part of their daily life.

"Save the Children research from 2007 to 2008 found that children in developing countries were struggling to learn to read, even in classrooms that were child-friendly and in which the teachers used an active teaching and learning method. For example, 36 percent of the third graders tested in Ethiopia could not read one word correctly in a minute. In Nepal, that percentage was nearly 50 percent of the school-age children tested.

THE GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH CENTERThings to do on the World Literacy Day:
~ Use your newsletter to spread the word about the importance of literacy.
~ Sponsor a book fair, using the proceeds to enhance your program’s outreach to learners.
~ Give a book as a gift. Include a note about the importance of literacy in adult life.
~ Establish a book discussion group with adult learners.
~ Form a reading promotion partnership with a public library or another basic skills/literacy program.
~ Take a field trip to a local literary landmark.
~ Make a collection of student writings. Get your local newspaper to review it.
~ Bring teachers, volunteers, and learners together to talk about favorite books.
~ Read books aloud with adult learners. READ MORE !

Canada Celebrates International Literacy Day
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada HRSDC

Canada joins countries around the world today to celebrate International Literacy Day. Established in 1965 by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), International Literacy Day is celebrated on September 8 with the goal of raising awareness about the importance of literacy and adult learning around the world.

Literacy and essential skills are important for all Canadians. They help us participate fully in the workplace, in families and in the community. The nine essential skills are: reading text, document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, working with others, thinking skills, computer use and continuous learning. It is important to note that these skills complement and build on each other.

While overall, Canada has a highly-educated and highly-skilled population, there are still too many Canadians who lack the literacy and essential skills needed for full participation and success in the work force and in their daily lives.

Last year, Human Resources and Social Development Canada announced the creation of the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills to support the development of skills Canadians need for life, work and learning. Working with a network of partners and stakeholders, the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills helps Canadians build their literacy and essential skills.

We can all do our share in promoting literacy and essential skills within the family, workplaces and the community.

For a list of activities being held to mark International Literacy Day, visit NALD.

The Humble Library, A Valuable Resource

The humble library, a valuable resource
With the information available at your public library, there's no such thing as a "cold call."
Star Tribune: September 5, 2010 by HARVEY MACKAY

When Ben Franklin founded the first public lending library in America in 1731, he probably had no idea what he would inspire. There is no better bargain than a library card, and what better time to sign up for one than September, library card sign-up month.

Studies show that children who use the library tend to perform better in school. They are also more likely to continue learning and exploring throughout their lives.

If you don't use the library for business, now is a good time to start. We can obtain a high percentage of the information we need via search engines using our home or work computers. But there are a lot of hidden business jewels available at your local library, and many of them can be accessed online.

The average small business or job-seeker is penalized by having limited research capabilities. Big companies with big budgets pay for expensive databases. With a mouse click, they can instantly gain access to company data, sort through research reports, and locate newspaper and trade journal articles. Small companies and individuals who can't afford premium access are left out. Unless they have a local library card.

Most libraries pay for premium subscription databases that you can use for free. Want to use Dun & Bradstreet, ReferenceUSA or Hoovers to research companies, competitors and build lead lists? There's a good chance your library subscribes to a company search database. Want to see if the company where you're making your next sales call or job interview has been featured in an article? How about if the person you're meeting with has been cited as an expert in an industry trade journal? The library most likely has the information.

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And as you know, a library card is still great for checking out books! Haven't read any good books lately? There's no time like the present to start. I love the convenience of my Kindle, but the feel of a real book in my hands is unmatched. You can even check out an audio book for your commute.

Book-club guidance, computer classes, periodicals, story time for the kids -- all through the doors of your library. And one of the most amazing features I like best: live technical help when I need it. Your library card is your ticket to the past and to the future.

Mackay's Moral: The library is a truly amazing resource -- check it out. READ MORE !

Harvey Mackay is a Minneapolis businessman and author.

Improving literacy can save lives in the workplace – literally

Improving literacy can save lives in the workplace – literallyThe Conference Board of Canada
News Releases 11-10: July 21, 2010

Employers are more confident than workers or labour representatives in the ability of employees to understand health and safety policies, according to survey results published in What You Don’t Know Can Hurt You: Literacy’s Impact on Workplace Health and Safety by The Conference Board of Canada.

“This gap in perception creates the potential for accidents in the workplace to occur. Because employers are confident in their workers’ literacy levels, they are less likely to see the need for training to upgrade employees’ knowledge and understanding of health and safety practices,” said Alison Campbell, Principal Research Associate.

Many employers create manuals and other documents to set out health and safety practices, but relying on written materials leaves organizations open to the risk that their employees may not be able to read and understand them. When incidents occur, the typical response is to review policies and practices – rather than verifying whether individuals have the literacy and basic skills to fully understand or follow set procedures.

“Without even realizing it, some individuals with low literacy skills put themselves, their co-workers and the public at risk,” said Campbell.

The report summarizes the results of a two-year project for Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, including a literature review, national survey, interviews with stakeholders and case studies.

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The report outlines seven steps to take as an organizational action plan:1. Review past incidents through “a literacy lens”
2. Review organizational health and safety policies and practices
3. Examine policies and practices from the perspective of an individual with lower literacy levels
4. Brainstorm solutions to help users understand health and safety documents
5. Measure and track health and safety incidents and improvements
6. Recognize outcomes
7. Reward efforts to improve literacy skills.

. . . . . a site of related interest:

Workforce Competitiveness CollectionNational Institute for LiteracyLiteracy Information and Communication System (LINCS)

The August edition features the Workforce Competitiveness Collection, which covers Workforce Education, English Language Acquisition, and Technology. Each month, Collections News features one of the three LINCS Resource Collections – Basic Skills, Program Management, and Workforce Competitiveness – and introduces research-based resources that you can use in your adult basic education and family literacy programs and classrooms.

What’s New in the Workforce Competitiveness Collection?

The products, materials, and papers in the Workforce Competitiveness Collection can introduce you to strategies useful in building students’ Eng¬lish language skills; provide information on integrating technology into your program; and help you develop effective, work-focused programs. Additional work-focused resources, organized by career clusters or oc¬cupational categories, can be found in the Career Pathways Instructional Materials Library. You also can subscribe to online topical discussion lists to interact with experts, ask questions, and share ideas with colleagues. Subscribe to the National Institute for Literacy Online Discussion Lists.

Summer Reading

Fun, Sun and Good Books: UT Experts Say Summer Reading Keeps Skills Strong
Tennessee Today: July 21, 2010

To children, the summer slide means water, garden hoses and slippery plastic sheets. To teachers, the “summer slide” is the noted decrease in reading skills after a vacation without books.

University of Tennessee, Knoxville, faculty members Richard Allington and Anne McGill-Franzen have completed a three-year study showing a significantly higher level of reading achievement in students who received books for summer reading at home.

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According to the professors’ research, the summer reading setback is the primary reason for the reading achievement gap between children who have access to reading materials at home and those who do not. Students who do not have books at home miss out on opportunities to read. Those missed opportunities can really add up.

“What we know is that children who do not read in the summer lose two to three months of reading development while kids who do read tend to gain a month of reading proficiency,” Allington said. “This creates a three to four month gap every year. Every two or three years the kids who don’t read in the summer fall a year behind the kids who do.”

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Their study ran three years from 2001 to 2004; the students chose their books; and targeted students in first and second grade at the beginning of the study.

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“Research has demonstrated that choice makes a very important contribution to achievement,” said McGill-Franzen.

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“We found our intervention was less expensive and less extensive than either providing summer school or engaging in comprehensive school reform,” Allington said. “The effect was equal to the effect of summer school. Spending roughly $40 to $50 a year on free books for each child began to alleviate the achievement gap that occurs in the summer.”

To get books into the hands of all children for summer reading, Allington and McGill-Franzen suggest keeping school libraries open during the summer break, sending books home with the students, and building on children’s prior knowledge by providing books on pop culture and local animals and habitats. READ MORE !

The researchers’ study will be published in the fall issue of Reading Psychology.

I Love My Librarian 2010

I Love My Librarian Award

Nominate your favorite librarian in your favorite library !
Nominations for 2010 are open through September 20.

There are nearly 123,000 libraries nationwide, and librarians touch the lives of the people they serve every day. The award encourages library users like you to recognize the accomplishments of exceptional public, school, college, community college, or university librarians. We want to hear how you think your librarian is improving the lives of the people in your school, campus or community.

Up to ten winners will be selected this year and receive a $5,000 cash award, a plaque and $500 travel stipend to attend an awards reception in New York hosted by The New York Times. In addition, a plaque will be given to each award winner’s library.

The award is administered by the American Library Association with support from Carnegie Corporation of New York and The New York Times.

Nominate a librarian in a:
School Library
Public Library
College, Community College, University Library

Follow 'I Love My Librarian' on Facebook for updates on the award throughout the nomination process.

See the 2009 winners here.