Access the Teacher Training Plus Project on ProLiteracy’s Website
Continue your tutor training by participating in free webinars for trained tutors. This resource from ProLiteracy provides best-practice instructional strategies. Four training areas are offered: Basic Literacy Instruction, English Language Learning, HSE Instruction, and Using Published Materials.
Webinars are about an hour long, and in follow-up, optional small-group coaching is available, as well as handouts and slide presentations. Webinars in each area are listed by date, and past webinars are also available for viewing.
Tutors must log in to their ProLiteracy account to access the webinars. Please let Wendy or Jane know if you need the Literacy Council’s membership number when creating an account.
Teacher Training Plus Classes in April, 2023:
- April 4 — Using Dialogs & Role-Play to Build Conversation Confidence (ESL)
- April 11 — “But Why?” Building Critical Thinking Skills Through Questioning & Practice (High School Diploma Preparation)
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April 13 — Effective Strategies for Working with Low-Level Basic Literacy Learners (Basic Literacy)
- April 19 — Using Published Materials in a Multi-Level Group or Class (Using Published Materials)
Recent Teacher Training Plus Classes
On March 4, to celebrate National Reading Month, we attended Severna Park Tutoring & Educational Advocacy‘s community literacy event to spread the word about our work with adults and to receive donated children’s books for our book fair. Thank you, Severna Park Tutoring!
National Reading Month
I hope you are enjoying a good book this National Reading Month. My most recent reading pleasure has been Agent Josephine by Damien Lewis, about the courageous work of glamorous superstar Josephine Baker as a spy during World War II. Reading has always been one of my favorite pastimes. It inspired me to sign up to volunteer with the Literacy Council in 2017.
Of course, the AACLC does much more than teach reading. We also offer ESL, math, diploma, ASVAB preparation tutoring, and more. There is a great need for these services in our county. Read this month’s newsletter for news on local support for our services and statistics on adult literacy.
Why did you and your student get involved with the Literacy Council? What books or stories are you reading? We would love to know!
Many thanks,
Jane
P.S. We update this list of community resources as we get new information: Community Resources 2023
Literacy Lights the Way artwork created by Literacy Council supporter and volunteer Anita Ewing, a local artist:
AACC Offers Free Income Tax Service for Taxpayers Earning Less Than $60,000
Black History Month • Valentine’s Day
- Congratulations to Literacy Council student Kelly G. who passed her ASVAB with a great score. Details HERE.
- All tutors can take advantage of the ProLiteracy Training Resources and learn about upcoming classes.
- AACC offers free income tax service for taxpayers earning less than $60,000
- Check out the many ways to celebrate Black History Month HERE.
- Save the date for our 2023 Book Fair on Saturday, September 30.
- Learn more about our Community Resources.
- Do you know the cost of low literacy? Here’s the answer…
- Did you know? The Banneker-Douglass Museum in downtown Annapolis is Maryland’s official museum of African-American heritage. Its mission is “documenting, interpreting, and promoting African-American history.” Visit bdmuseum.maryland.gov for information on all Banneker-Douglass Museum offerings, including art and history exhibits, activities, programs, a virtual tour, and a dedicated YouTube channel.
- Anne Arundel Community College is celebrating Black History Month with art exhibits, workshops, a spoken word evening where locals can RSVP to share their art, and movie screenings. To learn more about AACC’s plans, visit aacc.edu/black-history.
- On February 19 at 1 pm, Maryland Hall will host Freedom Way: A Blueprint of African American Resistance and Liberation in the United States. Freedom Way is an exhibition and presentation that was created and will be narrated by Bishop Craig Coates, a local pastor and historian. From Maryland Hall’s website: “Freedom Way is a music and art collection of boldly framed graphic posters, each depicting words and pictures of some of the many milestones and inhumanities experienced by Black people on the long road to freedom from enslavement.” For more information, visit https://www.marylandhall.org/
events/freedom-way-exhibition- presentation/2023-02-19/. - Visit Anne Arundel County Public Library’s website at aacpl.net/blackhistory for a calendar of events that celebrate Black history, as well as Black History Month Booklists.
“Adult literacy can change everything.” Bringing all adults to the equivalent of a sixth-grade reading level would generate an additional $2.2 trillion in income for the United States. — ProLiteracy.
Get more facts on adult literacy at https://www.proliteracy.org/
From the New York Times: In Memphis, the Phonics Movement Comes to High School
At high schools in Memphis, children are using reading strategies to improve their reading and understanding of the material in their classes, even science courses. This article by education reporter Sarah Mervosh explains how the Memphis program is part of a nationwide trend to teach children to read using what is known as “the science of reading.” Read the article here (gift link). The Laubach Way to Reading adult literacy materials we use, including Focus on Phonics, provide phonics-based instruction.
Podcast on the Science of Reading
In case you’d like to know more about how reading is taught in American schools and how things are changing, check out this listen:
Hard Words: a podcast from American Public Media (APM) and journalist Emily Hanford. What happened in Bethlehem, PA, when the school district adopted methods of teaching reading that honored research findings?