VALF Grant Opportunity --due December 1 --DEADLINE EXTENDED TO DEC 15

VALF will be awarding another round of grants in 2015 to Florida's volunteer literacy programs. Go to the application to learn more.

This year we are providing our members a two-step process. A draft application is due on December 1 with a final application due in March. You must turn in the draft and a revised application in March to be considered.

In between, Jim Wilder, a VALF board member will provide technical assistance to help you prepare a more competitive grant.  This special opportunity is to help you gain grant writing skills.

Grant Opportunity for Libraries - due October 13

Deadline extended to Oct. 13 to apply for The American Dream Starts @ your library grant funding

Grants available to libraries to fund programs and resources for adult English language learners in Dollar General communities

CHICAGO – Monday, October 13 is the new deadline for libraries to apply for grants ranging from $5,000 to $15,000 to support programs aimed at enhancing adult literacy through The American Dream Starts @ your library® initiative. 

The American Dream Starts @ your library® is administered through the American Library Association (ALA) Office for Literacy and Outreach Services and has provided funding to over 100 libraries across the United States since 2008. Public libraries interested in improving services to English language learners through holding classes, tutor training, expanding collections, purchasing technology or improving public awareness are invited to apply. These grants mark the fourth round of grants made possible through funding from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation, which has renewed its commitment to the initiative through a $327,512 grant to ALA.

To be eligible for funding, the applicant institution must be a public library, or a public library with a bookmobile providing literacy services for adult English language learners, and must be within 20 miles of a Dollar General store, distribution center or corporate office.

October is Health Literacy Month. There are many resources available on health. The Florida Literacy Coalition has a health literacy curriculum that can be downloaded or print copies can be ordered.

GCF Learns Fun Reading Lessons

GCF Learns is a free, yes I said FREE!, online site to learn basic reading and speaking skills. You can learn other skills too, like microsoft products. The basic reading site focuses on 1,000 words with a variety of activities for different learning styles. It has a section for ELL and another for basic reading.

If your student is comfortable with games, he or she will like the reading game activities. This site is available on a smart phone. This means students can learn on the go, standing in line or waiting in the car to pick up their child and more.

Many lessons include video and/or audio. A student can use it even if they have lower reading skills. There is even a lesson on how to bake a cake.

Options for getting a GED in Florida

Librarians and adult literacy tutors need to warn students they can not earn a GED online. A company has just been found guilty of making millions of dollars by duping adults into thinking they can pay for a high school diploma with very little work required.  If it is too good to be true --it is. Tell adults this fact.

Here is the state link to information on taking the GED test in Florida.

Banned Books Week: Using Graphic Novels in Adult Literacy

The American Library Association just shared this press release about banned books week starting Monday. Graphic novels  can make reading more interesting for low level readers are highlighted by ALAthis year.  

Here are why (source ) graphic novels work with people with lower literacy.

Reading graphic novels:

• Engages reluctant readers & ESL patrons.
• Increases reading comprehension and vocabulary.
• Can provide a bridge between low and high levels of reading.
• Presents an approach to reading that embraces the multimedia nature of today’s culture, as 2/3 of a story is conveyed visually.
• Provides scaffolding for struggling readers.
• Presents complex material in readable text.
• Helps patrons understand global affairs.
• Offers another avenue through which individuals can experience art.

Here is the ALA press release. It lists the ten most banned graphic novels. Literacy tutors should  visit their library  with their student to browse the graphic collection together. The drawings will make it easier for a student to select one or more titles to read during tutoring and as practice between lessons. 

Share popular titles used in lessons with your student on this blog.

http://www.oif.ala.org/oif/?p=5133

It may surprise some to find out there are hundreds of reported attempts to ban books every year in the United States. It may be even more astounding for them to hear that since 1990, the American Library Association’s (ALA) Office for Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has received reports of more than 18,000 attempts to remove materials in schools and libraries for content deemed by some as inappropriate, controversial or even dangerous.

Banned Books Week, Sept. 21 – 27, 2014, reminds Americans about the importance of preventing censorship and ensuring everyone’s freedom to read any book they choose. According to ALA’s OIF, for every banned book reported, there are many more that are not.

This year’s Banned Books Week is spotlighting graphic novels because, despite their literary merit and popularity as a format, they are often subject to censorship.

DOS Hispanic Heritage Month

Florida Department of State Honors Hispanic Heritage Month

TALLAHASSEE— Secretary of State Ken Detzner joins Governor Rick Scott and First Lady Ann Scott to honor National Hispanic Heritage Month September 15 through October 15.  The Department of State encourages citizens to learn about Florida’s rich Hispanic history and cultural heritage during this time.

“Florida’s strength is found in our diversity,” said Secretary of State Ken Detzner. “As we celebrate and honor Hispanic Heritage Month, I hope all Floridians take the opportunity to learn more about the many cultures that make the Sunshine Sate such an incredible place to live the American Dream.”

This year, Governor Scott and the First Lady are celebrating Hispanic Heritage with the theme "Hispanic Culture: Living the American Dream in Florida." Maria Elena Elvira "Manena" was selected as the featured artist for Governor Rick Scott’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Manena was born in Medellín, Colombia and was recognized for her drawing skills at a young age. In 2002 she moved to Bogota, and eventually to Miami. In Florida, Manena has studied art at Miami Dade College and continues to create works of art. She has had numerous national and international exhibitions from the Carrousel du Louvre in Paris to New York's ArtExpo, from Houston to Miami, from Colombia to Belgium. Her artwork is on display in the R.A. Gray Building lobby in Tallahassee through October 15.

The Department of State will be adding to the national #HispanicHeritageMonth conversation on social media with historical and event information specific to Florida.

Find out more about Hispanic Heritage Month here.