Contact
Donate
Menu

Literacy means –

by

It’s still July, but we’re looking ahead to September.

Why?

September has multiple opportunities to celebrate all things literacy. It’s National Literacy Month, just for starters, and on September 8 we celebrate International Literacy Day.

And then there’s AEFL Week! Adult Education and Family Literacy Week raises public awareness about both the need for, and value of, adult education and family literacy. Its goal is to increase support for basic education programs for US adults with low literacy, numeracy, and digital skills.

Advocates across the country (that’s all of us!) can use this opportunity to shine a bright, bold spotlight on the benefits of adult education and family literacy, the obstacles to access, and the great work your local programs are doing with adults and families.

And in some great news, a lot of the preparation work has already been done for you:

Find details about actions, events, messaging, and more, on this dedicated AEFL Week page from COABE (the Coalition on Adult Basic Education).

Use this toolkit from ProLiteracy to get prepared with what you want to say and do for literacy in your local community this September.

And keep it local, too! Refresh your mind on Texas literacy facts and stats, download any of the graphics below to use on your social media, and stay tuned for more ideas and suggestions for messaging about literacy in Texas.

Happy birthday – to us!

by

April 24, 1989

1989!
Do you remember your 1989 hairstyle? The car you were driving?
Perhaps it was your prom year. Or your first year of Little League.
Perhaps you were a baby – or not even born.

33 years ago today, Texas Adult Literacy Laubach officially came into being – the organization now known as Literacy Texas. A small group of dedicated volunteers in Travis County decided that literacy in Texas needed more attention – and the rest is history.

For a little time travel back to the 1980s, look directly below this letter.

But in the meantime, the best possible birthday present you could give us is –
– more of the same.

Keep doing what you’re doing.
Keep shining that literacy light in your part of Texas.
Keep caring for your neighbors through classes and conversation.
Keep going.

And invite others! The more people on board, the more we can do together. So share this message; invite someone to the annual conference; tweet at us. Keep raising your voice for literacy. You make so much possible, and we are overwhelmingly grateful.

Here’s to the next 33 years!


Steve Banta
Executive Director
Literacy Texas

Ready to travel back in time?

thumbnail 1989 video

Volunteer tutor-learner pair Josephine Weatherford and Geraldine Thompson meet in the Dallas Library for reading classes. In this video from October 1989, they talk about why the classes are important to them.

Click on the picture above to see the video (1 min 45 seconds).

SOURCE: KXAS-TV (Television station : Fort Worth, Tex.). [News Clip: Portrait J. Weatherford], video, October 14, 1989; Fort Worth, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc904976/: accessed April 22, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections

literacy volunteers newsletter c. 1988

Special issue of a weekly newsletter (c. 1988) published for employees of the Fort Worth Division of General Dynamics describing volunteer adult literacy tutors in the Fort Worth area.

Click on the picture above to see the whole newsletter.

SOURCE: General Dynamics Corporation. Fort Worth Division. GDFW This Week, Special Issue, periodical, 1988~; Fort Worth, Texas. (texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1092008/: accessed April 22, 2022), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company, Fort Worth.

Literacy for Joy

by

This coming Saturday (February 26, 2022), close to 100 authors, educators, volunteers, and others dedicated to literacy and learning will gather for the first regional symposium of the year – the South Texas Literacy Symposium. 

South Texas usually kicks off our calendar of symposiums, and this year there’s extra delight and anticipation, since the event is back to being in person, and literacy folks from Edinburg, the RGV, and nearby will see each other – some for the first time in a while.

There’s always some added zing to the South Texas symposium, too, because it’s part of FESTIBA – the UTRGV Festival of International Books and Arts. The theme of Festiba in 2022? Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts and Literacy.

Stop for a moment there. Look at those words in italics. Read them over again. 

Inspiring Creativity & Innovation Through Arts and Literacy.

Literacy is many things. It’s the passport to a better life, through further education and a good job. It’s a way to traverse life with confidence and understanding. For some, it’s a pathway to a brighter future beyond incarceration.

But let’s never forget that literacy is also for joy. It’s for inspiration. It’s for creativity. It’s for innovation. It’s for art.

When we sit alongside adult students and their families as they learn, we’re helping bring joy into their lives. Because whatever else it’s for, literacy makes possible a richness in life that can’t be replaced. And not only is that important – it might actually be one of the most important things.

Interested in joining us at the South Texas Literacy Symposium? Registration closes at the end of the day on February 23. Reading this later and missed out? See our full calendar of 2022 symposiums here and maybe catch another later in the year!

Celebrating Black History Month in the ESL Classroom

by

Guest blog post by Taynim Johnson – ESL Associate and Editor, Literacy ConneXus

It’s February 4th, and here in the wonderful US of A that means that it’s Black History Month. This means it’s the perfect time to add a little history to our lessons. In addition to being an extremely important part of US history that every American should be educated on, African American history is also important for our students to know about.

African American history gives students insight into the history of our country, helps them learn about the people who helped shape their new home, and is also an important part of the civics and naturalization test that many of our students have their sights set on passing.

But we don’t teach history classes; we teach English. So, how do we work Black History Month into our ESL classes?

Check out these great sites and pick an activity to suit your fancy!

Learn English by the British Council has a great activity for Black History Month. It includes a preparation task with vocabulary, readings over the origins of Black History Month in the US and in the UK, events in current Black history, Black history year round, two activities, and a discussion.

We Are Teachers compiled a list of 42 Black History Month activities for February (and Beyond). Their activity list includes gems such as: Virtually visiting the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, New York; learning about the first black president in the United States: Barack Obama; watching videos about Black history; and listening to podcasts about Black history. 

CAELA, or the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition, has also compiled a great list of ESL Activities for African-American History Month. They’ve even separated their activities into beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. Their activities include tasks such as bingo, pair dictation, and poetry discussions. 

ELCivics.com has a great list of activities with famous African Americans in history where students can learn about the historical figures, take a civics quiz for comprehension gauging, and complete short tasks like crossword puzzles.

Of course, there are many other activities one could do. How do you incorporate Black History month into your ESL classes?

As always, blessings and happy teaching!

Originally posted on the Literacy ConneXus blog, February 4, 2022; reposted here with permission.