Huntington Beach Library ◯ 6 Word Stories

6 Word Stories

Literacy Volunteers HBPL: 5.14.2020

Today's tutoring tip is 6-word Stories!

There are many ways to "play", what other ideas can you come up with?

Have fun and keep staying safe!

Here are some we've collected so far:
Patience comes and goes every day. ~ A.R.
Older and isolated but not alone. ~ Jim
Daily remaining content in all things. ~ Pat
Finally, time for War and Peace. ~ James
I long for eating out again. ~ Mary

Six Word Memoirs

Telling a short story in just 6 words.

San Diego Public Library ◯ READ San Diego ◯ Google Read and Write

Google Read and Write

READ/San Diego Adult Literacy Program: 5.06.2020

Check out this reading aid from Google- "Google Read and Write."

Read and Write for Google

Summary of the Read and Write for Google

R&W for Google is an extension for Google Chrome that is primarily a reading support, but also provides writing supports.  There are two different versions of R&W for Google, a free version and a premium version.  The Premium version is available for free for teachers to explore and costs $99 for a yearly subscription for student accounts.

Free: The free version provides text to speech and dual highlighting (yellow & blue) for any text on any website! (AWESOME!)  It also provides an in the text translator.

Premium: The premium version provides the same text to speech, dual highlighting, and translator features.  It also includes supports for Google Docs, specifically, multi-highlighting options for active reading, extracting highlights, a vocabulary chart, a regular and picture dictionary, and word prediction.

Limitations

Premium Version: $99 a year for students
➧ Premium version will read PDFs in Google Docs, not free version

Free version - limited options

➧ Text to speech ONLY READS TEXT (no flash supported)

➧ Tools run on internet speed, causes a lag for word prediction and text to speech.

➧ Word choices have to be clicked with a mouse (no number hot keys or arrow down and enter to select)

➧ Limited voice speed options (only 4)

Conclusion
I would highly recommend the free version of Read and Write for Google to be downloaded on every computer so that ALL students can have access to speech to text while reading ANYTHING online (for pleasure or school assignments).  If your school district works heavily with Google Docs I would also recommend the premium version to reinforce active reading and studying. But, take advantage of the FREE version for teachers and explore away!  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. old

(Twelfth graders)

San Diego Public Library ◯ READ San Diego ◯ Families for Literacy: Arts and Crafts/Hopes and Wishes Box

Families for Literacy ◯ Arts and Crafts/Hopes and Wishes Box

READ/San Diego: 4.08.2020

Craft: Hopes and Wishes Box for Healthcare Workers

Families for Literacy Program

In addition to providing individual one-on-one tutoring for adults, READ also conducts Families for Literacy. This program is designed to break the cycle of intergenerational low-literacy. They do this by teaching low-literate parents and caregivers with preschool children the skills they need to be their children's first and most important teacher. Families for Literacy also provides age-appropriate books to help families build home libraries - a critical component for improving literacy for the whole family.

22 Creative Ways Kids Can Respond to Books ◯ WeAreTeachers

22 Creative Ways Kids Can Respond to Books

@WeAreTeachers

From mint tins to cereal boxes to T-shirts.

We Are Teachers: 2.25.2020 by Elizabeth Mulvahill

Reading about other people and perspectives helps kids learn beyond their own experiences. Students don’t need to dive deeply into every single book they read, but occasionally showing them how to dive in can help them view reading in different ways. Digging into characters (or settings or themes) from the books they read can really help them learn how to look beyond the prose. Here are 22 creative book report ideas designed to make reading more meaningful:

Fictional Yearbook Entries

Ask your students to create a yearbook based on the characters and setting in the book. What do they look like?

Current Events Comparison

Have students locate 3-5 current event articles a character in their book might be interested in.

Book Alphabet

Choose 15-20 alphabet books to help give your students examples of how they work around themes. Then ask your students to create their own Book Alphabet based on the book they read.

Reading Lists for Characters

Ask your students to think about a character in their book. What kinds of books might that character like to read?

Create a PSA

If a student has read a book about a cause that affects people, animals, or the environment, teach them about Public Service Announcements.

Be a Character Therapist

Therapists work to uncover their clients’ fears based on their words and actions.  READ MORE  ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

Online Poetry Activities for National Poetry Month ◯ Knowledge Quest AASL

#NationalPoetryMonth

Online Poetry Activities for National Poetry Month

Knowledge Quest AASL: 4.16.2020 by Maureen Schlosser

National Poetry Month is celebrated in April to remind us that poetry matters. Poetry can offer solace during trying moments, and now might be the time to show our learners how that works. Below are some lesson ideas that might inspire learners to document their thoughts and feelings with poetry.

16 Words: William Carlos Williams & “The Red Wheelbarrow”

Are you familiar with the poem “The Red Wheelbarrow” by William Carlos Williams? I learned about this poem by reading 16Words by Lisa Rogers and Chuck Groenink. This fascinating book is a real treasure, one that I highly recommend for your learning community.

It’s a story about how Williams crafted “The Red Wheelbarrow.” Readers will discover how Williams turned his everyday observations into carefully worded poetry. He was a doctor who noticed the world around him as he walked to visit patients. He jotted his thoughts on paper between appointments and turned his notes into poetry during his off hours.

Daniel Finds a Poem

You are going to love this video of author Micha Archer reading her book Daniel Finds a Poem. Archer invites viewers to act out key points in the story as she reads. Each action is part of a cumulative poem that Daniel presents to an audience at the end of the story.

Invite learners to use the sights, sounds, and textures around them to define the meaning of poetry.

Poets.org

If you need more ideas on how to teach poetry online, read “30 Ways to Celebrate National Poetry Month at Home or Online” on the Poets.org website. READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: fairly easy to read.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. Old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

Huntington Beach Library ◯ Picture Prompt Exercise

Picture Prompt Exercise

Literacy Volunteers HBPL: 4.07.2020

Happy Tuesday Tutors! Looking for ideas to help you stay in touch with your learner? Try this "Picture Prompt" exercise, it's easy and something you can do every day!

What other ways can you and your learner come up with to build on this exercise? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below. Enjoy!

 

Financial Literacy Month ◯ 15 Websites to Teach Financial Literacy ◯ Ask A Teacher

15 Websites to Teach Financial Literacy

Ask A Teacher: 4.06.2020 by Jacqui

#FinancialLiteracyMonth

#SmartMoneyWeek

When kids read that America’s $23 trillion+ debt is accepted by many experts as ‘business as usual’, I wonder how that news will affect their future personal finance decisions. Do they understand the consequences of unbalanced budgets? The quandary of infinite wants vs. finite dollars? Or do they think money grows on some fiscal tree that always blooms? The good news is: Half of the nation’s schools require a financial literacy course. The bad new is: Only half require a financial literacy course.

If your school doesn’t teach a course about personal economics, there are many online sites that address the topic as mini-lessons. Some are narrative; others games. Here are fifteen I like. See if one suits you:

Banzai is a personal finance curriculum that teaches high school and middle school students how to prioritize spending decisions through real-life scenarios and choose-your-own adventure (kind of) role playing.

Hands-on Banking

Age group: Upper elementary

This game-based website covers budgeting, needs vs. wants, savings vs. checking, credit, banks, and where money comes from.

Living Wage Calculator

Age group: Upper elementary, middle and high school

Put out by MIT, Living Wage Calculator estimates the cost of living in your community or region. The calculator lists typical expenses, cost of living, and typical wages.

iOS Apps

Because more often than not, 18-24 year olds are on a mobile device rather than a computer, here are six apps that can be played from anywhere:

Bankaroo – Using this free virtual bank for kids, students learn to manage their allowance while saving for goals. To track learning, they earn badges for their accomplishments. This app works on desktops as well as mobile devices.

Motion Math – As students struggle to run their own pizzeria, they must balance budgets, think proportionally, buy ingredients, design the pizzas, and sell to customers. The app also includes which Common Core Math Standards are addressed by the gameplay.

Savings Spree — Students learn how the choices they make each day can add up to big savings or expenses depending on their spending decisions. Kids see how they can save for short-term goals while investing for future needs.

Time is Money – This free Chrome add-on converts prices on a webpage to hours worked.  READ MORE ➤➤

Using Your Cell Phone for Instruction ◯ ProLiteracy

Using Your Cell Phone for Instruction

ProLiteracy Blog: 4.02.2020 by Jessica Gilmour

ProLiteracy has an excellent list of resources you can use with students during this period of social/physical distancing including instructional resources and tools. Let’s talk about some of those resources and tools. Let’s start with a tool that you and your students all most likely have—a cell phone.

If you’re working with ESL students, one of the easiest ways to use a cell phone is to set up regularly scheduled calls where you can talk with students and they can practice their conversational English. Aim for at least a 10 minute conversation two times a week. Before you end your call, determine what you will talk about for the next call so the student has a chance to think about what he or she wants to say and can practice the relevant grammar and vocabulary. If you need topics, I suggest using current events topics from News for You. News for You Online is providing the courtesy password 22667F through June 30, 2020, so anyone can access News for You Online.

If you want to have a phone call with more than one student at the same time, you can google “How to make a conference call on my [insert whatever phone you have].” Though the instructions are different for each phone, they are all straightforward and easy to find. READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. Old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

High Interest - Low Reading Level Books for Reluctant Readers via Thought Co

High Interest-Low Reading Level Books for Reluctant Readers

Thought Co: 1.09.2020 by Elizabeth Kennedy

It's been proven that kids reading below grade level are more likely to read a book that's at their reading level as well as their interest level. If your young children or teens are reluctant readers, they may be frustrated because they read below grade level and can’t find books that interest them. If this is the case, the answer to the dilemma might be "hi-lo books" (“hi” stands for “high interest,” “lo” stands for “low readability,” "low vocabulary," or "lower reading level") specifically geared to encourage reading. Hi-lo books and reading lists focus on titles that engage readers' interest level but are written at a lower reading level.

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Hi-Lo Books for for Reluctant Readers in the Upper Elementary Grades

This list from the Seattle Public Library offers ALSC School-Age Programs and Services Committee offers hi-lo books for reluctant readers in Grades 3 to 6 and has been expanded to include graphic novels and a wide range of subject matter such as comedy, sports, the arts, and science-related topics, to name only a few.

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Multnomah County Library Kids Picks and High-Interest Books for High School Students

Formerly titled "Shorter Books for Taller Readers," this list from the Multnomah County Library in Oregon offers a list of 30 hi-lo books for kids in Grades 6 to 8 (reading levels for each book are cited).

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Bearport Publishing offers educational and nonfiction books for readers from kindergarten level through the 8th Grade. An adjustable slider on their site's search function allows you to select the appropriate reading and interest levels for your young reader.

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Books for Reluctant & Struggling Readers from HIP

High-Interest Publishing (HIP) publishes novels for reluctant readers from grade school through high school.

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Capstone Press has numerous imprints that encompass a range of grade levels. Browse by brand or by genre.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 13

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 18-19 yrs. Old

(college level entry)

10 Lesser Known iPad Apps To Learn English Language ◯ ebookfriendly

10 Lesser Known iPad Apps To Learn English Language

ebookfriendly: 2.25.2020 by Piotr Kowlczyk

Are you determined to improve your English speaking and writing skills?

Check out these helpful but lesser-known iPad and iPhone apps:

Recommended iPad apps to learn English

eGrammar – the best way to practice English tenses

eJoy – advanced video-based app for learning English

Oxford English Grammar – grammar rules in one place

Hello – learn English from your mother tongue

ABA English – the most advanced way to learn English

Instead of popular language learning iPad and iPhone apps, find in this list only the one that are most helpful to master English language at every level.

You can find several English learning courses online (and some of them are free, at least to a certain extent), but why sit at the computer every time you have a few spare minutes for personal development?

Your iPad and iPhone can be a great companion in your determination to improve your English, no matter what level you are currently at.

The thing is that most round-ups of language learning apps for iOS include the ones that help learn multiple languages, and English is only one of them. Most of these apps are addressed to native English speakers who would like to learn or master a new language.

Instead of featuring popular language learning apps you already know about, such as Duolingo or apps offered by British Council or BBC, we’ve focused on lesser-known apps that don’t appear on the top of search results in the App Store.

Many of the apps that are featured in other roundups have not been updated for a long time. We list only the ones that were added or updated in recent months. They are compatible with the latest version of iOS, and use the latest language learning technology.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 12

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 17-18 yrs. Old

(Twelfth graders)

20 Video Project Ideas To Engage Students ◯ Ditch That Textbook

@jmattmiller

20 Video Project Ideas To Engage Students

Ditch That Textbook: 12.09.2019

Integrating video projects into the classroom can be as simple or complex as you want. Cell phone cameras can shoot high quality video and the webcam and microphone on laptops and Chromebooks will record video quickly and easily.

Video projects equal instant engagement. Students love to bring their own video project ideas to life. And when they get to share their video projects with their peers, the interest skyrockets. That power has huge potential to be harnessed for educational gain.

But you don’t even need to use a video camera to create video projects! Lots of great, free web tools and apps let you create flashy video with text, images and existing video. Many apps are built to create fun videos that can demonstrate learning.

We have collected over 20 video project ideas for you and your students. So just grab a phone, digital camera or tablet and your students are on their way!

10 Video project ideas for (almost any class):

1. Create a personal narrative 

Everyone has a story, and when we share our own experiences, they can be a motivating factor for others -- and help us reflect on our lives and choices

2. Record interviews (in person or virtually)

The people around us and around the world are living history. Their experiences, information, and advice is a treasure trove waiting to be mined.

3. Create a whiteboard animation

Set up something with a camera so it won't move (on a tripod or otherwise). Aim it at a whiteboard or chalkboard.

10 video project ideas for specific subject areas

1. Recreate a historic speech or moment in history for a social studies class.

2. Display the work and results of a science lab project from beginning to end, from hypothesis to conclusion. Add images of lab data in the project to show specifics of the results.

3. Write and record poetry or short stories that illustrate literary elements learned in an English class. Include Creative Commons or public domain music that matches the mood of the written work.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. Old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

Easy News ◯ Winter 2020 Out Now !

@unitedresponse

Easy News ◯ Winter 2020 Out Now !

United Response: Feb 2020

The Winter 2020 issue of Easy News features

Bushfires in Australia

Greta Thunberg, Time magazine’s ‘Person of the Year’

Tensions between Iran and the USA

New Zealand volcano eruption

2019 UK General Election

Prince Andrew scandal, and more

Previous issues

You can read every issue of Easy News, plus our Special Editions, in our archive:

2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013

More resources

We have a number of easy read resources available for free download.

The Foundations of Good Support is a guide to assessing the quality of support being provided for people with learning disabilities and/or autism, and identifying what might need changing in order to improve it.

We have support guides for professionals, families and individuals on a variety of topics such as autism and person centred support.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. Old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)