Literacy Net - Has curriculum and printable PDF files for your use. Provides activities of interest to individuals living in California and/or interested in history. Has even more valuable links!
PBS Literacy Link - Resources for tutors whose learners want to pursue a GED. Has online practice materials, workplace readiness, and a forum.
Center for Media Literacy - A great topic to incorporate in a lesson plan. Presents a better understanding of media and modern advertising. Literally, "media literacy."
Worldwide School - Free reading materials online funded by Project Gutenberg.
Google Educators - Resources for tutors: New Google Earth 5.0, Picasa, SketchUp. Provides excellent activities to introduce learners to online resources. Shows you how to incorporate Google's programs onto lessons. Interactive learning.
Regional Educational Laboratory - Web-based tutor training.
Great Start 5 - Provides innovatiove materials workshops and support to community-based literacy providers, business and industry. Please contact Literacy Services for the username and password to access restricted sections.
Verizon Thinkfinity - Features four different classifications of material which could be considered relevant to literacy tutors: "Teacher Resources,""Thinkfinity Literacy Network," and "Parent Resources." In addition, the "Content and Web Projects" sub-section beneath the "Rollout Network" classifier features numerous additional resources for tutors working with students of any age in any subject matter. "Teacher Resources"; Features a database of resources primarily geared towards helping educators develop lesson plans. However, the majority of these lessons are likely not implemented in today's formal classroom setting due to the strictness of California state standards. There are numerous creative and challenging lessons that can pique any learner's interest in any facet of the language arts. Check the ReadWriteThink sub-section of "Teacher Resources" to find these lessons. "Thinkfinity Literacy Network": Features material specific to adult and community literacy. Under the "Teach" sub-section, lesson plan ideas are provided for learners of all ages, as well as Spanish resources for WSL learners. "Parent Resources": Actually links to the same page of links as the "Teacher Resources" "Featured Reources" page. Additionally, the site also features a series of free training courses designed to assist new tutors in finding ways to reach out the their students at the following link: http://literacynetwork.verizon.org/Free-Online-Corses.21.0.html
Proliteracy Worldwide - This website is primarily geared towards program coordinators, but does feature several pages of statistics relevant to learners, which could perhaps be used by utors to impress upon their students the vital importance of becoming literate.
LiteracyWorks - LiteracyWork is an organization which incorporates multimedia technology into its mission to increase literacy at a nationwide level. They are responsible for developing websites for literacy projects across America, which can be found under the "LiteracyWorks Projects" tab. Links to these projects can also be found in the "Literacy Links and Resources" tab.
National Institute For Literacy - "America's Literacy Directory." Mainly a search engine for learners and/or tutors to find literacy programs. Unfortunately, the site does not feature any loca programs. NOTE: Could be advantageous to submit information about the Monrovia Public Library's literacy program to the site.
Southern California Library Literacy Network - Networking and training information for literacy programs and tutors.
Americorps - The AmeriCorps website features a search engine for tutors seeking any additional opportunities for community service. The website provides detailed information regaeding all of their programs, as well as a rather lengthy path to the following link, which contains a collection of articles regarding effective practices both for recruitment and for actual tutoring (http://www.mationalservceresources.org/epicenter/practices/index.php?epaction=search&search=literacy)
VolunteerMatch - A database and search engine for any tutors who are interested in seeking other opportunities. Can also be used as a tool for recruitment.
Other programs with which we we collaborate:
1. Pro-Active Tutoring for At-Risk Students
Mission statement: The goal of this program is to reduce the number of at risk students who are failing two or more subjects. We will also help students who have been referred as at-risk. Our pro-active tutoring program includes tutoring, weekly progress reports, parent and teacher contact, counseling and mentoring. The mentor will act as an Ombudsman for the at-risk student monitoring their on-going progress. We identify each student's weakness in reading, language and math using their individual SAT-9 or CAT test profiles. We then work with those individuals to correct these deficiencies before they fail and become at-risk. Defining At-Risk: Beside the above identification of student's weaknesses, at-risk students are identified by several means:
1. In September a survey form is given to each teacher and staff person where we ask him or her to identify and list any student already showing signs of academic problems.
2. All students who scored below the 39 percentile on their most recent sat-9 test scores are identified.
3. We also review all referrals on potential at-risk students by staff and parents.
4. At each grading period (six times a year) we make a list of all students who have two or more failures.
Mentoring (tutoring) - Our next step is to customize an individual program for each of these students. The tutor is more than just a tutor; he or she is also a mentor or big brother or sister.
Tutors in the Classroom - To emphasize our PRO-ACTIVE aspect of tutoring, many of our Citrus College tutors have been placed in the classrooms of strategic reading and math classes. They are working with the teachers, learning their curriculum and tutoring students both in the classroom and in our tutoring centers. The response from the teachers has been overwhelmingly positive.
Parent Contacts - Essential to any pro-active counseling program is parent contact. In our program parents will be contacted on an individual basis so we can discuss ways to help the students at school and home. A weekly progress report can be initiated if necessary.
Progress Reports - If a student continues to struggle, a regular progress report can be initiated by the mentor or parent. The student presents this report to each teacher her or she has for each period of the day. The teacher makes a quick notation of grades, work, and deportment for that week. Our program counselor then analyzes the report and contacts the parents accordingly.
Academic Restriction (Ineligibility List) - All students who fail more than one subject are placed on the ineligibility list for A.R. (Academic Restriction). This mean they cannot participate in any extra curricular school activity. This includes sports, music, assemblies, school dances, etc. the only way to be removed from this list is by having no failures on their mid-grade progress report (with a 2.0 grade point average) or by passing six out of seven subjects on their next report card.
For more information, please contact Duke Freyermuth at
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.
2. Monrovia READS - http://www.monroviareads.org
Monrovia Reads is a non-profit organization committed to creating and supporting an environment where reading is valued and resources are provided in order that all community members know how to read and do read. In addition to overseeing the Literacy Van, Monrovia Reads gives books away to Monrovia school children, provides books for classroom libraries in Monrovia, and sponsors the Pro-Active Tutoring program. Monrovia Reads organizes and supports a number of programs including:
- A twice yearly Read Across Monrovia which brings school children and community together in a shared experience with literature. The read-ins are held in October and March between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. at all the local public elementary schools in Monrovia with community leaders, business people, and volunteers sharing some favorite works from literature with the students.
- A literacy van that provides a circulating library and a daily preschool story and activity time at designated stops in the community where young children and their families have little or no access to the Monrovia Library.
- A Pro-Active-Tutoring (PAT) program at the middle schools and high school that supports struggling students and assists others in college preparatory programs. Many of the tutors are local college students in work-study programs preparing for teaching credentials. Some are community volunteers.
- A program of regular distribution of new books to families with children in poverty or lower socioeconomic status. Twice yearly the clients of the Unity Center (Back-to-School and Christmas Events) receive new books because we know many of these homes have little or no reading material.
- Mini-grant program for teachers of the middle school and high school that provides class sets of selected literature books when lack of funding in the school budget prevents purchase. Paperback books provide students with their own copies to help complete reading assignments that may be kept for their own personal libraries.
Monrovia Reads, PO Box 1033, Monrovia, CA 91017
Contacts: Joanne Spring: (626) 358-1952, Diana Knight: (626) 357-9500
