[Dialogue] More on literacy

[Lifeline248 at aol.com]

Cynthia and other colleagues, 
    Since you got me going, a word of context.   I usually respond to 
individuals, not the whole listserve.   But, as I did to you earlier today, I am very 
deliberately sending this to all, especially now that I am getting feedback 
from interested colleagues who want to share what they are doing.    I applaud 
their interest in literacy and yours.   
    Dr. Fuller's website (ballstickbird.com) will introduce you to her 
accelerated methods.   Except for primary graders, when I introduce her books to any 
child, youth, or adult who cannot read fluently, instead of addressing their 
deficiency, I tell them that I was once a teacher who didn't know how to teach 
a child to read.   And I tell them that once I learned and taught my own 
sons, I resolved to pass on very simple methods that can turn anyone into a tutor 
eventually--IF (and only IF) they so choose   because we have a very serious 
problem in this country:   39 million Americans cannot read fluently.   (UNESCO 
stats, 2002)    It gives hesitant readers a very different context for 
improving their own skills and allows me to start from scratch where they can review 
what they have learned or should know, without the stigma of feeling 
ignorant.   Believe me, it works.    
    When I was on the LVA Camden County Board, and before I wrote my last 
book, I was invited to teach Fuller's methods to some 50 maximum security inmates 
at NJ State Prison (formerly Trenton State) who were already tutoring fellow 
inmates using the methods of Literacy Volunteers of America.   They wanted an 
alternative for peers who were not responding to the LVA approach.   I was 
astounded at how seriously the guys took it all in, never balking at the 
materials, as childish as Fuller's books look.   LVA, incidentally, has joined with 
Laubach LIteracy and they are now called ProLiteracy Worldwide, and in this 
country, ProLiteracy America.   Their website is on my website.   
    My own approach is to use all kinds of stories from the learner's own 
life experience, which I write down in caps for them on ruled paper.   From those 
stories come many sight words, words from the gut.   As I learned from 
Fuller, I start exclusively with sans serif (no little lines added) CAPITAL LETTERS. 
  Once new readers know all 26 capitals they will automatically know all but 
11 of the lowercase letters.   You thus forestall the problem of reversals, 
saving for last 4 of the 5 confusing bugbears made with a simple circle and line 
(to the left or right, above or below the line--ugh!!!) which early readers 
are often prone to confuse and reverse:   b d g q .   (The 5th one, of course, 
is p, identical to P which they've already learned if you start with uppercase 
only.)
    You asked for resources.   You will also find, on my website, a long page 
of all kinds of books plus websites, and, on my website's last page, sample 
pages you can download from my 3rd book, You, Yes YOU, Can Teach Someone to 
Read: A Step by Step How-to Book. 
    Keep the questions and comments coming.   I promise not to swear.
Lucille 

Lucille T. Chagnon, M.Ed.
Literacy Acceleration Consultants
6448 Arbor Lane   -   P O Box 438
Chincoteague Island, VA 23336-0438
757-336-5047      fax -1391
cell   302-561-4575
e-mail:   lifeline248 at aol.com
www.teachtwo.net        …check it out!
         
   


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