Writer To Writer 2008: Books Change Lives

California Library Literacy Services
7th Annual Writing Challenge for Adult Learners

Writer To Writer 2008: Books Change Lives

Adult Learners!

Read or listen to a book that inspires you
Write a letter to the author

Deadline: July 31, 2008 – Thursday
Ceremony: November 14, 2007 - San Jose: CLA Conference

Adult learners from California Library Literacy Services will select and read a book and then write to the author about how that book changed their lives. 4 Levels:

~ Emerging - dictated letter to tutors or staff~ Beginning - write basic short, simple sentences on their own
~ Intermediate - write more complex sentences with larger vocabulary
~ Advanced - writing independently with little technical support

In 2007, over 140 learners sent letters that showed depth and perception that warmed the hearts of everyone who read them. The letters opened a window into the lives of our learners to show how their reading affects their lives. From these letters we can all learn how reading a book can dramatically influence and change a life.

The top 30 letters will be published in a book and the California State Library website.

The letters of the 2007 winners and finalists @

Sponsors
Bay Area Literacy Network
Southern California Library Literacy Network
California Library Literacy Services
California Library Association, Literacy Services Section

2008 SCLLN Literacy Conference: Storytelling

Southern California Library Literacy Network – 2008

One of the highlights of the day was the 90 minutes spent with Patti Christensen, where she explained how she teaches story telling. She explained how she uses props to help her learners (she calls them learners instead of students) warm up to reading through story-telling.

At the end of her presentation she passed around her Mother's old button box and asked every participant to feel the contents and select one button that brought forward a memory for them. Then she asked to hear those stories.

~ One man came to the head of the group holding a large circular, four-holed, flat, mostly undecorated button. He said when he was a young man he went on travel to Europe for his job and in that other country he met and fell in love with a business woman from another company . . . . .

~ A second person stood and offered a story. The woman held up a big, two holed white button. My parents died when I was young, she said. And I was put in an orphanage. All the little girls, like me wore cotton pinafores designed like my mother's apron had been . . . . .

~ A third person stood to tell about the very tiny golden button she held between two fingers and a thumb. One day when I was very young, she said, I met a cricket in my bedroom. What is that you have on your face? I asked the cricket and he said he was wearing a magic gold face mask . . . . .

I rewrote all three stories this morning with all the details I could recall. This morning I shared my experience and these stories with my Braille reading group and they enjoyed hearing the button stories as much as I did. What followed for us was a half hour of shared folklore and family recollections -- all that, brought about by Patti Christensen's brilliant presentation on Saturday morning.

Thank you again for your generosity. You and the folks at the library have been enormously kind to me. I feel quite blessed to work there and hope my library experiences with you and the students we help just keep getting better and better.

Jackie Cotton

Storytelling Resources:

Festival

Storytelling on the Internet

~ Brave Tales: Developing Literacy Through Storytelling
by Will Coleman, Network Continuum Education 2007

SCLLN Tutor Workshop Calendar - March 2008

SCLLN Literacy Library Calendar - March 2008

Southern California Library Literacy Network
Event Calendar: October 2007
- visit SCLLN for more events -

Mar 1: Tutor Training - San Luis Obispo City-County LibraryTutor Workshops and Events Volunteer !Also: March 8 A two-session workshop designed for certification as a volunteer tutor. Previous teaching experience is not necessary. All that is needed is the desire to help others. You will learn strategies to teach basic speaking, reading and writing skills in Learning Centers located throughout the county. Presenter: San Luis Obispo Literacy Council. Ticket Phone: 800.549.4219. Saturday, March 1, 2008, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM. 1264 Higuera S: 102 San Luis Obispo CA 93401

Mar 1: Tutor Training - San Diego County LibraryTutor Workshops and Events Volunteer ! Help adults improve reading & writing skills. 888 . 466 . 0668. Presenter: LEARN - San Diego County Library. Ticket Phone: 888.466.0668. Saturday, March 1, 2008, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Vista Library Vista CA.

Mar 15: Tutor Training - Los Angeles Public Library
Tutor Workshops and Events All volunteers must be interviewed First ! Contact: 213 . 228 . 7037. Presenter: Los Angeles Public Library. Ticket Phone: 213.228.7037. Saturday, March 15, 2008, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM. Harbor Gateway Library Harbor City CA.

Mar 19: Tutor Orientation - Oceanside READSTutor Workshops and Events Orientation Training: March 22: 9am - 4:30 pm. Presenter: Oceanside Public Library. Ticket Phone: 760.435.5680. Wednesday, March 19, 2008, 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM. Learning Center 321 N Nevada Oceanside CA 92504.

Mar 27: Trivia Challenge FUNdraiser - Burbank Public LibraryTutor Workshops and Events Three-person teams competer for title of Trivia Champion. Teams: $200.00. Tickets: $15.00 Silent Auction and Opportunity Drawing 818 . 238 . 5577. Thursday, March 27, 2008, 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM. Castaway Restaurant 1250 Harvard Rd Burbank CA 91501.

California Literacy Events - March 2008

California Literacy Events & Conferences

March 2008

Mar 2: Diamond Literary Festival - San DiegoLocal Conferences and Events Contact: 619.913.0626. Sunday, March 2, 2008 – Monday, March 3, 2008. San Diego CA. For more info visit
http://www.diamondliteraryfestival.org/.

Mar 3: Read Across America Day
Annual Events National Education Association Dr. Seuss's Birthday. Monday, March 3, 2008. For more info visit
http://www.nea.org/

Mar 7: Charlotte S Huck Children's Literature FestivalLocal Conferences and Events Friday, March 7, 2008 – Saturday, March 8, 2008. University of Redlands Redlands CA. For more info visit
http://www.redlands.edu/childrensliteraturefestival.xml

Mar 7: CATE 2008
State and National Conferences Friday, March 7, 2008 – Sunday, March 9, 2008. Long Beach CA. For more info visit
http://www.cateweb.org/

Mar 7: Mariposa Storytelling FestivalState and National Conferences Ticket Phone: 800.903.9936. Friday, March 7, 2008 – Sunday, March 9, 2008. Mariposa CA. For more info visit
arts-mariposa.org

Mar 13: West Coast Literacy Conference
Local Conferences and Events Presenter: Foundation for Comprehensive Early Literacy Learning. Thursday, March 13, 2008 – Saturday, March 15, 2008. Pasadena CA. For more info visit
http://www.cell-exll.com/

Mar 13: California Language Teacher's Association ConferenceState and National Conferences Thursday, March 13, 2008 – Sunday, March 16, 2008. Marriott Hotel Irvine CA. For more info visit
http://www.clta.net/index1.html

Mar 22: Computer Assisted Language Instruction Consortium - CALICOState and National Conferences Education and technology. Tuesday, March 18, 2008 – Saturday, March 22, 2008. Holiday Inn Golden Gateway San Francisco CA. For more info visit
calico.org

Mar 28: Cesar Chavez Education ConferenceState and National Conferences Free to students, teachers and the public. 1 unit credit will be offered on site. Free and relaxed parking. Limited free lunches will be available. Friday, March 28, 2008 – Saturday, March 29, 2008. Kremen School of Education CSU Fresno Fresno CA. For more info visit
http://testingabuse.blogspot.com/

2008 SCLLN Literacy Conference - Guest Speaker: Jonathan Mooney

Southern California Library Literacy Network
2008 Conference

Guest Speaker: Jonathan Mooney
author of The Short Bus: A Journey Beyond Normal - Holt, 2007

Labeled "dyslexic and profoundly learning disabled with attention and behavior problems," Jonathan Mooney was a short bus rider. Ultimately, Mooney surprised skeptics by graduating with honors from Brown University. But he could never escape his past, so he bought his own short bus and set out cross-country, looking for kids who had dreamed up magical, beautiful ways to overcome the obstacles that separated them from the so-called normal world.

If you would like to send a comment: Jonathan

If you were unable to attend, you can watch a video at BarryTalk of a conversation on NewsRap with Barry Gordon (Nov 7, 2007) - 2 parts.

Some comments from those who attended the Conference:

~ I just want to congratulate the conference committee for a great conference. I heard nothing but praise that day. (Rose – Huntington Beach)

~ I would like to second this sentiment. I had a great time in my workshop and at lunch everyone seemed quite happy about their experience. I thought Jonathan Mooney was great and I think he confirmed a lot of what we tell ourselves, our tutors, and our learners every day. Great Job! (Kelli – San Diego)
~ Congratulations SCLLN! Great job! (Jose – San Diego)
~ The same here, everyone seemed to really enjoy the conference and Jonathan Mooney was a great key note speaker. (Sandy – Oceanside)

Check Out his books @ Your Local Library: CalCat or WorldCat

Learning Outside The Lines: Two Ivy League Students With Learning Disabilities And ADHD Give You The Toolsby Jonathan Mooney and David Cole, Fireside 2000
two "academic failures" who graduated from Brown University at the top of their class teach you how to take control of your education and find true success.

2008 SCLLN Conference: Feb 23 - Wikis

Wacky for Wikis
Southern California Library Literacy Network
Annual Conference, Feb 23, 2008

2 sessions on blogs and wikis for adult learners and tutors. An overview of history, statistics, how easy it is to do a blog or wiki, and the many reasons to blog. This was posted during the session and then edited the following week.

Looked at the SCLLN website and blog. Also looked at Burbank Public Library's blogs and wiki. Looked at a few blogging platforms: Blogger, WordPress and TypePad among others. How to do a blog search on Google and Technorati.

Watched a video about blogging @ CommonCraft which also has a terrific tutorial about wikis.

Hope some of the adult learners and tutors are interested in creating a blog or a wiki for SCLLN or a personal blog of their own.

Included this link if you are interested in the reading levels of a particular blog or wiki.

Blog Readability Test

Upland Library - Beyond the Basics: ALLI 2008

Beyond the Basics: ALLI 2008

Upland Library is hosting the 2008 Adult Learner Leadership Institute (ALLI, formerly known as the Henry Huffman Leadership Institute), on the second Saturday of January through June, at the Carnegie Cultural Center, 123 D St.

ALLI is a six-month leadership development program for advanced learners. ALLI students build self-esteem while acquiring public speaking skills, research techniques, and learning styles. They also learn elements of fundraising, advocacy and special events production. ALLI workshops are facilitated by the previous year’s Institute graduates.

Adult Literacy Office, Upland Public Library: (909) 931-4212.