Health Literacy Month Ideas and Resources

Health Literacy Month Logo

Resources on Health Literacy

October is Health Literacy Month.  You can download this Logo free at http://www.healthliteracymonth.org/.  This site is provided by Helen Osborne, a health literacy consultant in the medical field, and thus promotes her books here.

Women's Health Booklet -- Easy to Read PDF published by the Florida Literacy Coalition in 2010. They also have one on stress.

Did you know you can load a pdf onto your kindle file.  If you have a personal kindle account, you can email a pdf through the kindle email account that comes with it.  This can put the many free easy to read items at your finger tips during a lesson. If you also have an I-phone, it will show up there in your kindle account.  Here is more on how to do it. It's pretty cool and an easy way to add reading opportunities for students.

 Want to know more about integrating health literacy into lessons, go to the Harvard School of Public Health. 

 

The National Assessment of Adult Literacy Survey included health literacy in their 2003 survey. More research is available, because this is one of the few areas in adult literacy which has been well researched --from the medical perspective. Here is more research cited and posted in 2010.

 

  Health Literacy Grants and Cheap Health Literacy Books

Florida Grants for Health Literacy -- Florida Literacy Coalition has partnered with Blue Cross and Blue Shield to award $5,000 grants each spring.  To see a list of the 2012 grants and learn more about the program go to this link.

Complete PreGED Lesson Plans Free

Tutors looking for complete preGED lesson plans with activities, pictures and a lot more can go to Florida Technet and print off or download this free material. The lesson plans are in pdf formats and are aimed at those who read at a 6th grade level but could be adapted to use with a lower level student who wanting to pass the GED test. 

It is not too early for tutors to start building ways to learn prior knowledge on subjects like science or social studies.  The current test --which will only be available through 2013--does not require this prior knowledge. Students must pass all components of the current test by the end of next year, or will have to start over.

Tutors and students can start working together to build a learning environment that goes beyond reading and writing.  Successful students need to take advantage of all opportunities--tutors, adult education classes, independent learning opportunities on their mobile phone and through their local library.

Share below how you and your literacy program are building in ways for students to learn prior knowledge.

Fun Learning Prior Knowledge Needed for the GED

Are you looking for free online tools to make learning more fun, then check out How Stuff Works...

Howstuffworks was created in 1998, with multi-platform ‘edutainment’ site with an android  free app that puts a whole lot of knowledge on you computer or in your hand via a smart phone. 

All kinds of interesting information is in categories like science, auto, money, home and garden and more.includes games, facts by authorities and much more. 

Check out the biggest lies in history and more. Sign up for their newsletter today.

Tell our VALF readers what you think of the site. Could it be used in lessons or for independent learning?  We want to hear from you.

GED Computer Literacy Test Taking Skills

To pass the new GED test --starting in 2014, students will need computer literacy test taking skills.  Many libraries have online programs VALF.  Search earlier posts to learn a little more. 

If tutors want to see a quick review of the new test, watch this video.  Students entering literacy programs today will likely be taking the new test and should work toward it. 

They will need prior knowledge.  Watch for another post on how to learn prior knowledge.

Twitter is Greek to Me!

Twitter is often used to advertise events, share links and give updates--all very short.  If you want to know how to shorten your tweet, learn some of the shorthand.