Learning Outside the Lines: attend the free conference

Learning Outside the Lines:

Strategies for Parents, Teachers and Students
A Conference Featuring Jonathan Mooney

Jonathan Mooney is a dyslexic writer and activist who did not learn to read until he was 12 years old. He is a graduate of Brown University’s class of 2000 and holds an honors degree in English Literature. A winner of the prestigious Truman Scholarship for graduate studies in disability studies and social change, Jonathan was also a finalist for the Rhodes Scholarship. With the publication of Learning Outside The Lines (now in its 14th printing) when he was 23, Jonathan has established himself as one of the foremost leaders in LD/ADHD, disabilities,and alternative education. For more information about Johnathon Mooney

A variety of breakout sessions will also be offered for parents, educators, service providers, and people with learning disabilities.

March 5, 2010
South Towne Expo Center
Registration Available On-line @ www.ldau.org

Holiday Literacy Activities

Since many tutors and students won't be meeting regularly over the Holiday season, we have put together several literacy activity ideas for students to work on on their own if they have some free time. This way, students have the opportunity to continue developing their reading and writing skills even over a long break. Tying these activities into Christmas makes them all the more enjoyable and relevant to students.

So here is our list of activity ideas, which we will be updating periodically as we come up with more of them. Please feel free to post comments sharing your own ideas for holiday literacy activities with other tutors and students:

• Have your student write in a journal each day throughout the holidays, describing Christmas traditions and activities in which they are participating.
• Give your student a holiday book to read over the break.
  
• Give students a list of holiday vocabulary words and have them look one up each day.
• Have your student watch a holiday movie or play and then write a review about it as if they were a critic.
• Ask your student to look up Christmas jokes to share with you and have them be able to tell you what the jokes mean.
• Find Christmas story starters for your student so they can write a few Christmas stories of their own. http://www.abcteach.com/free/s/storystarters_christmas.pdf has some good story starters.
• Give your student a Christmas Crossword Puzzle or Word Search to do over the Holidays. http://holidays.kaboose.com/xmas-word.html is one website with such games.
• Students can make Christmas cards for their family and friends.
• Have your student look up information about a particular holiday tradition to learn more about it.
  
• Students can write letters to Santa (and practice addressing an envelope).
• Create a Christmas Mad Lib for your student.

Some websites with additional Christmas activities:
http://www.esl-galaxy.com/holiday.html
http://www.kented.org.uk/NGFL/festivals/xmas.htm#act

There are many more possible Christmas activities. Please post a comment with your ideas!

Short-Term Goals

I had an excellent question today from a tutor about setting short-term goals, so I thought (of course) that I'd blog about it. Long-term goals are important, obviously, but it's hard to stay motivated if you're reading at a second-grade level and you want to get a GED--it's going to be awhile. You need to make sure that you and your student are setting small, achievable goals so progress can be seen--this gives more opportunities for celebration!

A few goal setting tips:

1. Define your goal and write it dow. Be precise--make it measurable with dates, times, and amounts (e.g. learn 5 new vocabulary words before my tutoring session next Tuesday--know the definition, spelling, and one possible use of the word in context).

2. Set priorities--dont set so many goals that it is overwhelming.

3. Set goals your student has control over. Base the goal on personal performance, skills, or knowledge to be acquired. Gain information about your student before setting a goal--know what she or he is capable of doing. A goal can be as basic as learning the letter sounds. (Examples: learn the alphabet, learn 10 new vocabulary words, read 15 minutes/day, watch close-captioned TV).

4. Set goals for yourself as well. For example, if your student has a learning disability, set a goal to learn more about it. If your student is from another country, set a goal to learn a few traditions from that country.

When you achieve your goal, celebrate! Play games for an entire tutoring session. Go out for ice cream. Submit student achievements to be posted in the Project Read newsletter. Some of these things may be things you are already doing--so frame it as a goal and then celebrate!!!

Happy goal setting.

Getting Students to Write by Judi Fenton I’ve always hated writing on demand. When I go to workshops and professional development sessions, I get frustrated when we are expected to reflect in writing about the topic at hand. I stare at the blank page and cannot connect my thoughts, my teaching practice, and my life with what is supposed to be on it. I glance at all the prolific writers around me filling up their pages and I feel completely inadequate. I write best at odd times, usually when I don’t have a pen in my hand—in the shower, in the car, vacuuming. That’s when I get my ideas. I run downstairs from the shower to my computer and my mind goes blank again. I’ve debated getting a voice-activated tape recorder, but I’m not sure that it would help me. Sometimes, there’s something about having the tools to write with that gives me writer’s block. It leads me to wonder about how, in our classrooms, we expect our students to write on our prescribed literacy block schedule, in their assigned spots. I wonder if, through this structure, we are not serving their learning needs well. I try to think about what kinds of writing opportunities would help me in a learning situation. Here are a few ideas that may helpl your reluctant writers. Keeping a writer’s notebook Enabling students to keep a writer’s notebook shows deep respect for our students. It tells them that we trust them to write when they are moved to write, that when they see something in the world that interests them they will want to record it for safe-keeping, perhaps to use later. Journaling My friend tells me that we need to exercise our writing muscles by writing 10 minutes a day. She believes that we get better at writing by writing, yet we don’t want to burn ourselves out. By writing for only 10 minutes a day, I usually leave myself wanting to write more, instead of exhausting myself. If there is one more sentence or idea that you have (and won’t lose) save that to help you get started next time. Definitely a great trick! Responding to text I love to write based on quotes from some of my favorite books (usually books about how to create learning communities in schools!) Students may have favorite books, fiction or non-fiction. Have them write about whether they agree or disagree with an author, how a text is meaningful (or not) to them in their daily lives, or what a piece of text makes them think of. Make it purposeful by encouraging them to actually send their responses to the author. Comfortable writing spots Who really sits at a desk to write anymore? Let students write all over the room, wherever they are comfortable. If they need to write at a computer, try to make one available for them. If they want to lounge on the rug, let them. If they need to talk about their writing, allow them to. If they need absolute quiet, let them use earplugs, if they can’t use a nearby empty classroom. Work with another teacher during independent writing time so you can have one silent classroom and one noisy one. Help students brainstorm writing ideas Be available for your students to confer during writing time, as well as other times throughout the day. When they say something interesting, let them know that it would be a fabulous writing topic. When they have a problem, encourage them to write it out to determine what next steps to take. Help them notice the writing ideas and stories around them. Be their mirror (or magnifying glass) when you notice something that they seem interested in and give them some resources to follow up on their interests and ideas. Being flexible and excited about when and how our students write may be the most productive gift we can give them.

Holiday Writing Mini-Contest!

We're excited that so many of you are excited about our Holiday Writing Contest! We invite you to answer this question to help with the brainstorming process:

"My favorite Holiday tradition is ..."

Just make a comment below and we'll award a prize to the most thoughtful, funny, or original response. Check back next week to see who will win free bowling at Fat Cats - one of our amazing sponsors!

Remember that submissions for the holiday booklet are due next Thursday, November 20th! Here are some more prompts if you are trying to come up with a topic:

• What I Like the Most About The Holidays
  
• My Favorite Holiday Memory
  
• The Best Holiday I Could Ever Imagine
• "The Girl Who Didn’t Know Christmas"
• The Gift that Changed the World
• What Christmas Means to Me
• My favorite Holiday treat
  
• Why It’s Important to Celebrate
  
• How I Can Help Others This Holiday Season
• A Poem about Snowflakes
• Why We Should/Should Not Do Away With Santa Claus?
• Are Holidays too commercialized?
• What Is the Christmas Spirit?
• The History of Christmas Traditions in America
• Christmas in… (choose a country)

November Newsletter Items

Kissing Record

Which country set the record for the most people kissing in one place at one time? Mexico! Mexicans broke the record when 40,000 couples kissed in Mexico City on Valentine’s Day this year.

In addition to the kissing record, this year Mexicans also set a record for the world’s largest cheesecake (55 cooks baked a 2-ton cake!) and for the world’s largest mariachi band (549 musicians). Mexico sure is setting the bar high!

Tips on Writing Letters to Legislators

Http://www.sfnapnap.org/id29.html and http://www.indiananurses.org/pdf_files/writing%20your%20legislators.pdf are two really good websites which contain tips on how to effectively write to legislators. They also have sample letters you can take a look at. Here are just a couple of suggestions they offer:

• Keep your letter short

• Tell the legislator who you are and make sure they know you are a constituent who lives in their district

• Include rational for your point of view (including facts and statistics if you have them)

• Personal anecdotes and concrete example are powerful

• Always include your name and address in the letter

• Do not send a form letter; handwritten letter are nice if they are legible

• Direct letter to legislators in key decision-making positions

• Time your letter to coincide with key events in the legislative process (such as the legislative session coming up this January)

• Avoid emotionalism or righteous clichés (i.e. “as a citizen and a taxpayer”)

• Be courteous and positively recognize legislators’ past efforts

Your student says: "I don't like to write". Well, have them write anyway.

Writing is important! If your student balks at writing, or doesn't want to write about an assigned topic, have them pick something they want to know or write about. Or, give them a prompt: "I don't like to write because", or, "Today I got up and ...." or, I want to learn how to...".

Submit Holiday Memories Stories!

Mail it, email it, fax it, drop it by the office, or even just slip it under the door. One way or the other, make sure the Project Read office gets your student's submission for the Holiday Memories booklet!

One of the most satisfying experiences for learners is to see their work in print and to share it with others. Now, your students have the chance to do just that! Have your student write about a favorite holiday memory and submit it to the Project Read office by November 13th to have it compiled in a booklet and shared with other tutors and students at our Holiday Party (December 4th).

Ideally, students should be spending close to 40% of their tutoring sessions writing or doing writing activities. Creating a story about their own holiday memories is an exceedingly enjoyable way for students to spend this time and practice their writing skills. They get to revel in their memories, share a little something about themselves, feel connected to other students as they participate in a program-wide activity, and catch a small glimpse of what they are capable of. They also get the chance to see how far they've progressed since coming to Project Read, which is often a difficult thing for them to see as their learning usually occurs so gradually.

For a taste of what some of our students are capable of, here is a story written by one of our students for our summer writing contest:

Memories of the Sea

Looking at the sea waves from this old and beautiful porch on the highest of these hills facing the ocean. I can see in each wave’s movement how the years start going back in time and all of a sudden, I imagine myself running on the beach with my bare feet, playing on the shore, happy, full of love, and having a lot of dreams.

Memorable fishing days, trips to the beach, beautiful sunsets, playful afternoons, incredible parties, and everlasting friendships come back to my mind, these are experiences that fill my soul with happiness. Fond memories and experiences that are forever engraved and are evoked every time I lay my eyes in the beautiful sand or waves of the sea.

Special Thanks: Lexis Nexis

We’d like to extend an enormous thanks to our Spelling Bee Silver Level Sponsor: LexisNexis. The LexisNexis Commitment to “demonstrate responsible leadership and a commitment to the well-being of societies” was demonstrated through a $500 donation fundraised internally by LexisNexis employees. That donation was then matched by the corporate office, resulting in $1000 awarded by LexisNexis.

We enjoyed watching three LexisNexis teams compete at our 3rd Annual Spelling Bee and truly appreciate the donation. Sponsors like LexisNexis are helping us reach more of the 21,000 illiterate adults across Utah County who could benefit from our program.

Project Read continues to be committed in providing affordable literacy tutoring services for the adults of Utah County. With costs that far exceed the $10 subsidized program fee, Project Read relies on generous donations throughout the community.

Lesson Plans

Many tutors were able to turn in their lesson plans with last month’s hours. Many did not, and some of you are new tutors to the program. At training on Saturday, I found that our link to browse and upload your lesson plan as part of your tutoring report had mysteriously disappeared. Lest you worry, the tutor report form (http://project-read.com/report.html) now includes a place where you can upload your lesson plan and it will go directly to the Project Read staff. I would like to give a few lesson planning tips:

Lesson planning is clearly a critical aspect of tutoring. Without careful preparation and flow from one lesson to the next your student will not progress as rapidly as they may be capable. How do you put together an effective lesson plan? Planning is dynamic. It involves preparing the lesson, doing the lesson with the learner, and evaluating the results. It is not a linear process; rather, it is a series of connected loops, as one lesson leads into another, building on previous material and preparing for lessons to come.

Plan the lesson.

In preparing each lesson plan, consider these questions: What are the learning objectives? What will the learner accomplish? What materials will you use? What activities and teaching techniques will you use? How can you integrate listening, speaking, reading, and writing in the lesson? How much time will you spend on each activity? How will you and the learner answer the question, “Was it a good lesson?”

Do the lesson.

Evaluate the lesson.

Assess the effectiveness of the lesson by talking with your student, asking your student to record thoughts in a journal or dialog journal, making notes in your tutor log, and/or writing ideas for the next lesson.

If you need additional ideas or tips or sample lesson plans, please refer to your Tutor Training Manual or ask the Project Read staff for a sample lesson plan.

Happy tutoring!

Resources Available

I had a question in Tutor Training about the resources available in the Project Read Office. The commnent was made that most tutors do not have time to come in and spend a lot of time sifting through the (literally) thosands of materials available to tutors. Don't worry! We understand, and we have tried to do a lot of the work for you.

Each month in our newsletter, The Candlestick, we spotlight a different material resource that is available to our tutors. Some are online resources, but the majority of the spotlights are about books or manuals available in our office. You can click here to go to the Material Spotlights page of our web site and view all the spotlights since 2003. Unfortunately, we do not yet have a topical list available, but you can click on the year and it will then bring up a list of the spotlights for each month (including the title of the resource). If you click on that link, it will take you to a brief description of the resource.

We hope this helps! If you find a resource you are interested in using, please just ask a Project Read staff member and we will be happy to direct you to the resource on our shelf. Happy tutoring!

Spelling

We had a great question from a tutor on a recent tutoring report, so I thought I'd post it here with my response:

Question: I'm not sure how to help [my student] improve his spelling. Word-by-word he learns quickly, but he is really memorizing the way the word looks as a picture. So when he tries to spell it some time after we last reviewed it, it's shaped right but spelled oddly. How do I help him associate meaning of letters within the word rather than the word as a picture?

Great question!

Answer: I found some great tips on the web site Spelling It Right - Learn How to Spelling Confidently. Here are a few ideas:

To improve and develop their spelling, you need to:

• develop an interest in words
• feel safe about trying new words (not just words you're sure about)
• learn about
  the way words are built up using syllables
  basic spelling patterns of English
  memorizing strategies
  the meanings of words
  prefixes and suffixes
• write for their own enjoyment without the fear that they will be criticized
• read for pleasure

Tutors can help their students by:

• encouraging them to look closely at words and talking to them about words
• encouraging them to try new words
• playing word games with them, such as:
• hangman Click here for some interactive hangman games
• Boggle
• Scrabble
• encouraging effective memorizing strategies
• encouraging good reading/writing posture
  sitting up - eyes 12 to 18 inches away from the work
  forearms making a triangle with the torso insist upon it (friendly nagging if necessary!)
• encouraging spare time reading
• pointing out interesting newspaper items
• respecting "good mistakes" - those which use letter patterns which do make the right sound, even though they are not right for that particular word. So, for "purpose":
  "purpus" would be a good guess - like "focus"
  "prupose" would be a less good guess
• ensuring a dictionary is on hand for homework

One of my personal favorite ways to teach spelling is using the LOOK - THINK - COVER - WRITE - CHECK method (I used this with my son and it worked wonders).

LOOK carefully at the new word. How can youbreak it into smaller bits? Do any of the smallerbits remind you of the patterns of letters fromother words?

THINK about the parts of the words which mightcause problems - double letters for instance, or avowel that isn't pronounced as you would expect.

COVER the word and close your eyes. Try to see itin your mind's eye.

WRITE the word down without looking back.

CHECK to see if you're right. If not, look carefully at where you went wrong and try again.More

Hot Tips
Whenever you have to copy a new word from theblackboard, from a book, or from the dictionary, alwaystry to write the whole word in one go. Don't keep looking back after every few letters.

Try finger-writing: while you're THINKing about the word, pretend to write it with your finger, on your desk or on your hand or even "paint" it on the wall in front of you.

3rd Annual Spelling Bee a Smashing Success

Once again, the 3rd annual Project Read Spelling Bee thrilled audience and team members alike. Almost double in size from last year, 21 teams of 3 competed to be named Spelling Bee champions. In addition to the title of "Project Read Spelling Bee Champion," teams competed in the "Best Team Name" and "Best Team Costume" competition, with names ranging from "Word Stock" to "The Nelson Nerds" to "The Spellors" to the "Bee-Leavers" and teams dressed as ninjas, hippies, gangsters, etc. What an event! Provo City Library Director Gene Nelson was once again in attendance as the bumblebee mascot. Provo City Community Relations and Public Information Officer Helen Anderson also came dressed and ready to perform her role as a judge. Pronouncer Lee Bartlett gave participants each word, and MC Dana Robinson kept things light. And of course, we raised some much-needed funds for Project Read. Congratulations to our champions, the Mnemonic Mamas!

Of course, we couldn't have done it without the help of our sponsors:

Silver Level:
LexisNexis

Bronze Level:
FexEx Office
Hale Center Theater Orem
Novell
NuSkin
Provo City Library at Academy Square

Additional Sponsors:
Carrabba's Italian Grill
Daily Herald
Goodwood Barbecue Company
Les Olson Company
Magleby's
Mullett-Hoover, Inc.

Team Sponsors:
Sue Bartlett
Janette Beckham
Shauna K. Brown
Bryan Bennett
BYU Linguistics Department
East Shore High School
Empire Pension Consultants
Genesis PURE
LexisNexis
Gene Nelson
Provo City Library
Provo School District
Reading Horizons
Jeri Swalberg
United Way of Utah County

We couldn't do it without the support of faithful board members (Renata Swanson & Karen Brown):

Board member Valerie Roberts also helped out:

Judges Helen Anderson (Provo City), Tad Walch (Deseret Morning News) and Wendy Baker (BYU Linguistics Department) kept everyone in line:

Pronouncer Lee Bartlett was responsible for the word list, chosen from the Scripps Consolidated Word List:

MC Dana Robinson preparing for the event:

Participants sign in at the registration table:

Hannah won the 3rd round of the "audience spell along":

Competitors brought supporters to cheer them on:

The Spelling Buzzy Bees

Accessories in Crime

Bee-Leavers (audience-choice award for Best Team Name)

Bookworms

The Nelson Nerds (4th place & audience choice award for Best Team Costume)

Concessions were available for purchase throughout the event (thanks to board member Cory Bench & his daughter Abby for their help):

The Mnemonic Mamas (Spelling Bee Champions)

Otorinolaringologos

When you don't know how to spell the word, get creative!

The Dumblebees

The Prodigious Linguistic Connoisseurs

Word Stock (Best Team Name & Costume)

Kung Fu Cannons

The Spellors

Bee-Witched

Word to Your Mother

LIVE UNTIED (Give. Advocate. Volunteer. We always appreciate the support of United Way)

The Mighty Mayors (all 5 candidates for Provo City Mayor competed on two teams--The Mighty Mayors & The Miraculous Mayors)

The Merriam-Webster Group (2nd place)

The Miraculous Mayors

Dream Team Deleyne (2008 champions)

Thanks everyone for making this a great event! See you next year . . .