The Volunteer Learning Program - VLP - is part of Adult High School Completion, Department of Special Services, Fairfax County Public Schools. VLP is committed to helping its adult learners achieve their academic and life goals, and to providing its tutors with a rewarding and well-supported volunteer experience.
Have you been reading about the Common Core Standards? Recommendations have been made for their adaptation for adults. See the new section on Common Core Standards under "Helpful Resources."
Under New GED Test 2014 and also under Technology Skills for Online Tests and Texts, a long list of websites for online test-taking practice, not only for the GED but for all online testing such as the SOLs.
How have you helped your learner to read and understand better? Please identify special resources or materials used, and your strategies. Let us know what books you and your learner are reading.
One of my learners and I are working through some of the Arnold Lobel books (currently Frog and Toad are Friends). My learner reads the story silently before we meet (visual comprehension). Then, during our tutoring session, I read the story out loud (auditory comprehension and pronunciation/intonation modeling), after which my learner reads the story out loud (pronunciation/intonation practice). Later, I dictate a few sentences for my learner to write down (auditory comprehension, spelling/grammar/punctuation awareness/practice).
The vocabulary and sentence structure is very basic, so it's a wonderful way to develop the basics with low stress and relatively high interest (The stories are simple but also quite humorous and cute.) This is a great series of books to work with if the Learner doesn't mind reading children's books.
I'm looking forward to hearing about books and other resources some of you are finding helpful and enjoyable.
Debbie Hill, former VLP Tutor and current reading specialist in the GED program, gives the following advice on how to use a fantastic website - Marshall Adult Education - to help your learners with their reading skills. Debbie has offered to answer your questions about this! Her number is 703-660-2007. Thanks, Debbie!
"There is a wonderful website that covers the strategies used in reading instruction, and it is very easy to use. The stories can be printed out or listened to online. There are questions for discussion before reading, vocabulary (feel free to add unknown words), the story, comprehension questions and a writing prompt. These are stories that are interesting topics for adults, and are leveled for reading ability. The website is: www.marshalladulteducation.org. Go to the top right hand corner, and click on Reading Skills for Today’s Adults. Scroll down to level 4.5, for example, and look at the titles of the stories. The best way to use this program is to discuss the pre-reading questions, discuss the vocabulary, ask the learner to read the story and time the learner, then read the story again together. Then ask the learner to verbally answer the comprehension questions and write the answer. If there is time, discuss the writing questions. The learner can complete the answers in writing for work outside the tutoring session. Then ask him/her to read the story again, time him/her and check if s/he was able to read it faster. These strategies should help improve the learner’s reading fluency and comprehension."
Hi everyone! One tip for readers who are a little more advanced is to get the accompanying audio CD (book on tape) for any book you're reading. This helps the learner hear how the words should be pronounced, and some learners process better if they can both hear and see the words. Also, if possible, try to get books with stories the learner can relate to.
My learner and I recently read "My Life" by Helen Keller and she was very touched and moved by Helen's story. Seeing her reaction to it made me realize that other learners may also benefit from such stories - so they know they are not alone in trying to overcome difficult circumstances. She still talks about the book and has become even more interested in biographies because she can learn from others and how they improve their lives. Hope this helps and it's great to see all the resources here! Carol
My learner was reading a very challenging book on her spare time, for leisure. She is a second language learner so she was coming across many new and complex words. We changed her book to a pre-intermediate book of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. She said she really likes mysteries and horror stories, so I thought this would be perfect, and still challenging enough for our activity in reading.
On our first meeting I asked her to write down 3 new words every time she reads her book, and to write the definition for it as well. (In that way she is creating her own vocabulary dictionary). I also asked her to e-mail me those words together with a sentence in which she uses them. (I set this as a piece of homework that I expected every week)
We started this 2 weeks ago and I've already received 3 e-mails from her, with about 15 words. I think this is extremely useful in many ways; She uses the new words, and therefore she's more likely to assimilate them; I can stay in touch with her during the week, and keep up with her progress; she understands that "learning" doesn't occur only in our meetings.
I have a similar issue. I have found this website, www.esldesk.com to be quite helpful. I take a netbook with me to my tutoring sessions and pull up this website. This site was designed by a lady that learned English as a second language. It has vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and timed tests to help develop memory as well. My learner likes this site a lot. The spelling tests can be specially designed or you can use what they already have. In addition, I find that assigning a book to read once every two weeks is helpful as well. My learner just read a book about George Washington Carver. I can not remember the author's name but it was signed by the author. We located it at Sherwood Hall Lane Regional Library. I have her make a list of all words that she has trouble pronouncing or does not know the meaning of. Then, she looks them up and also list synonyms and antonyms as well. After reading assignments, I have her write a 4-6 sentence paragraph synopsis of her material. Building vocabulary and basic grammar is key to understanding/comprehending reading material.
Tutor Constance Reres sent me the following, and she agreed to my sharing it with you. So many of our struggling readers are literal readers - and so many of those having difficulty passing the GED Reading test have trouble with literary texts and interpretation. See what Constance did: "[My learner] continues to be a literal reader so is capable of recalling the events within the story. What I am attempting to accomplish with him is to move beyond the literal interpretation of the reading. So, on the 6th of Nov. I sent him home with my movie, "Scrooge," to view since there was an excerpt on one of the worksheets related to that story and he had never seen the movie or read the book. We discussed it the following week. Then I had him check out the book, The Pearl, by Steinbeck to read for the following week. We discussed it and again he told me what happened. Then I used a Venn diagram to compare Scrooge with Kino (main character in The Pearl). We brainstormed together how they were different (old man/young man, rich/poor, bachelor/married, business man/farmer, etc.) Then I asked him how they were alike and he actually told him that they both "changed." When I asked him to elaborate on how they "changed," he told me that Scrooge could see that his ways were ruining his life and Kino also saw that the pearl was ruining his life. We also concluded that both had "losses" in their lives and discussed those. Finally, I asked him what the message was in both stories and he actually told me that money will not bring happiness in a person's life and sometimes it makes your life miserable."
VLP tutor Eileen Meeks recently told me that her learner had learned several new words such as calamity, startled, and figures. I thought those were really interesting words, and told Eileen so. She responded:
[The words are] from her Reading book. If I see that XXX is struggling with words in a passage, then after she finishes answering the questions from that passage I ask her if she wants to add any new words to her vocabulary study list. I try to limit her to no more than 1-2 words per passage so that her study list doesn’t become overwhelming.
When I first started tutoring XXX, I noticed that her vocabulary skills were weak and that she often didn’t know what I was saying. To overcome this we started a vocabulary study list and have just kept adding to it. At first XXX told me that she would never be able to learn these words. Now she does very well and feels proud of her achievements and feels that she can learn these words.
I then wanted to know how the learner “learns” these words. How do she and the learner use the vocabulary list? Eileen described the process:
XXX writes each new word on an index card (word on one side; word and definition on the other). I make sure that her definitions are simple and concrete. Part of her homework assignment is to study and learn the words, so we begin each lesson with a quick vocabulary quiz. I’m not fussy about her answers and I give her plenty of time to guess. If her answer is close, I count it as correct. I also try to make sure that I quiz her on ones she knows as well as ones she is just learning, so that she gets most of the words right and feels good about her accomplishment. Once she learns a word, I quiz her on that word less frequently. Once she really knows a word, she gets to cut up the index card. Each week she also gets to put a “gold star” (a sticker) on a word that she answered correctly.
When I first started this, XXX told me that she could NEVER learn these words, but each week I kept asking and eventually she surprised herself and learned them. Also, at the beginning I kept the list very short until she built up her confidence.
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteOne of my learners and I are working through some of the Arnold Lobel books (currently Frog and Toad are Friends). My learner reads the story silently before we meet (visual comprehension). Then, during our tutoring session, I read the story out loud (auditory comprehension and pronunciation/intonation modeling), after which my learner reads the story out loud (pronunciation/intonation practice). Later, I dictate a few sentences for my learner to write down (auditory comprehension, spelling/grammar/punctuation awareness/practice).
The vocabulary and sentence structure is very basic, so it's a wonderful way to develop the basics with low stress and relatively high interest (The stories are simple but also quite humorous and cute.) This is a great series of books to work with if the Learner doesn't mind reading children's books.
I'm looking forward to hearing about books and other resources some of you are finding helpful and enjoyable.
Thanks!
LJ
Debbie Hill, former VLP Tutor and current reading specialist in the GED program, gives the following advice on how to use a fantastic website - Marshall Adult Education - to help your learners with their reading skills. Debbie has offered to answer your questions about this! Her number is 703-660-2007. Thanks, Debbie!
ReplyDelete"There is a wonderful website that covers the strategies used in reading instruction, and it is very easy to use. The stories can be printed out or listened to online. There are questions for discussion before reading, vocabulary (feel free to add unknown words), the story, comprehension questions and a writing prompt. These are stories that are interesting topics for adults, and are leveled for reading ability. The website is: www.marshalladulteducation.org. Go to the top right hand corner, and click on Reading Skills for Today’s Adults. Scroll down to level 4.5, for example, and look at the titles of the stories. The best way to use this program is to discuss the pre-reading questions, discuss the vocabulary, ask the learner to read the story and time the learner, then read the story again together. Then ask the learner to verbally answer the comprehension questions and write the answer. If there is time, discuss the writing questions. The learner can complete the answers in writing for work outside the tutoring session. Then ask him/her to read the story again, time him/her and check if s/he was able to read it faster. These strategies should help improve the learner’s reading fluency and comprehension."
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteOne tip for readers who are a little more advanced is to get the accompanying audio CD (book on tape) for any book you're reading. This helps the learner hear how the words should be pronounced, and some learners process better if they can both hear and see the words. Also, if possible, try to get books with stories the learner can relate to.
My learner and I recently read "My Life" by Helen Keller and she was very touched and moved by Helen's story. Seeing her reaction to it made me realize that other learners may also benefit from such stories - so they know they are not alone in trying to overcome difficult circumstances. She still talks about the book and has become even more interested in biographies because she can learn from others and how they improve their lives.
Hope this helps and it's great to see all the resources here!
Carol
Hello all!
ReplyDeleteMy learner was reading a very challenging book on her spare time, for leisure. She is a second language learner so she was coming across many new and complex words. We changed her book to a pre-intermediate book of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. She said she really likes mysteries and horror stories, so I thought this would be perfect, and still challenging enough for our activity in reading.
On our first meeting I asked her to write down 3 new words every time she reads her book, and to write the definition for it as well. (In that way she is creating her own vocabulary dictionary).
I also asked her to e-mail me those words together with a sentence in which she uses them. (I set this as a piece of homework that I expected every week)
We started this 2 weeks ago and I've already received 3 e-mails from her, with about 15 words. I think this is extremely useful in many ways; She uses the new words, and therefore she's more likely to assimilate them; I can stay in touch with her during the week, and keep up with her progress; she understands that "learning" doesn't occur only in our meetings.
I look forward to reading more helpful resources!
Carolina
Hi there,
ReplyDeleteI have a similar issue. I have found this website, www.esldesk.com to be quite helpful. I take a netbook with me to my tutoring sessions and pull up this website. This site was designed by a lady that learned English as a second language. It has vocabulary, grammar, sentence structure and timed tests to help develop memory as well. My learner likes this site a lot. The spelling tests can be specially designed or you can use what they already have. In addition, I find that assigning a book to read once every two weeks is helpful as well. My learner just read a book about George Washington Carver. I can not remember the author's name but it was signed by the author. We located it at Sherwood Hall Lane Regional Library. I have her make a list of all words that she has trouble pronouncing or does not know the meaning of. Then, she looks them up and also list synonyms and antonyms as well. After reading assignments, I have her write a 4-6 sentence paragraph synopsis of her material. Building vocabulary and basic grammar is key to understanding/comprehending reading material.
Tutor Constance Reres sent me the following, and she agreed to my sharing it with you. So many of our struggling readers are literal readers - and so many of those having difficulty passing the GED Reading test have trouble with literary texts and interpretation. See what Constance did:
ReplyDelete"[My learner] continues to be a literal reader so is capable of recalling the events within the story. What I am attempting to accomplish with him is to move beyond the literal interpretation of the reading. So, on the 6th of Nov. I sent him home with my movie, "Scrooge," to view since there was an excerpt on one of the worksheets related to that story and he had never seen the movie or read the book. We discussed it the following week. Then I had him check out the book, The Pearl, by Steinbeck to read for the following week. We discussed it and again he told me what happened. Then I used a Venn diagram to compare Scrooge with Kino (main character in The Pearl). We brainstormed together how they were different (old man/young man, rich/poor, bachelor/married, business man/farmer, etc.) Then I asked him how they were alike and he actually told him that they both "changed." When I asked him to elaborate on how they "changed," he told me that Scrooge could see that his ways were ruining his life and Kino also saw that the pearl was ruining his life. We also concluded that both had "losses" in their lives and discussed those. Finally, I asked him what the message was in both stories and he actually told me that money will not bring happiness in a person's life and sometimes it makes your life miserable."
Vocabulary (Word) Lists: How One Tutor Uses Them!
ReplyDeleteVLP tutor Eileen Meeks recently told me that her learner had learned several new words such as calamity, startled, and figures. I thought those were really interesting words, and told Eileen so. She responded:
[The words are] from her Reading book. If I see that XXX is struggling with words in a passage, then after she finishes answering the questions from that passage I ask her if she wants to add any new words to her vocabulary study list. I try to limit her to no more than 1-2 words per passage so that her study list doesn’t become overwhelming.
When I first started tutoring XXX, I noticed that her vocabulary skills were weak and that she often didn’t know what I was saying. To overcome this we started a vocabulary study list and have just kept adding to it. At first XXX told me that she would never be able to learn these words. Now she does very well and feels proud of her achievements and feels that she can learn these words.
I then wanted to know how the learner “learns” these words. How do she and the learner use the vocabulary list? Eileen described the process:
XXX writes each new word on an index card (word on one side; word and definition on the other). I make sure that her definitions are simple and concrete. Part of her homework assignment is to study and learn the words, so we begin each lesson with a quick vocabulary quiz. I’m not fussy about her answers and I give her plenty of time to guess. If her answer is close, I count it as correct. I also try to make sure that I quiz her on ones she knows as well as ones she is just learning, so that she gets most of the words right and feels good about her accomplishment. Once she learns a word, I quiz her on that word less frequently. Once she really knows a word, she gets to cut up the index card. Each week she also gets to put a “gold star” (a sticker) on a word that she answered correctly.
When I first started this, XXX told me that she could NEVER learn these words, but each week I kept asking and eventually she surprised herself and learned them. Also, at the beginning I kept the list very short until she built up her confidence.