[Dialogue] More on literacy

[FacilitationFla at aol.com]

Thanks Lucille,
and keep swearing!
Cynthia
 
In a message dated 10/26/2007 9:50:50 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
Lifeline248 at aol.com writes:

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!






Cynthia N.  Vance, M. A.
Strategics International Inc.
Miami, Florida Office:  305-378-1327
Venice, Florida Office: 941-483-9165
_http://members.aol.com/facilitationfla_ 
(http://members.aol.com/facilitationfla) 

Want  to build your own facilitation skills? 
Want to meet facilitators from around  the world and in your own backyard? 
Mark your calendar for the International  Assoc. of Facilitators Conference 
2008
Atlanta, Georgia -- April 10-12, 2008  See _www.iaf-world.org_ 
(http://www.iaf-world.org/) 




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