Resources, tips, and info for tutors
Monthly progress report
Tutor networking meetings
Oakville Public Library adult literacy section
Resources to help you help your student
Need a copy of a monthly progress report form to fill in?
Download a Microsoft Word file here.
Tutors get together several times a year to discuss strategies, successes and challenges. Use this time to share your skills and help each other think creatively. Interesting guest speakers often come in as well. Check back for the next meeting date and time.
The Oakville Public Library has a good selection of adult literacy books. Please sign them out and use them in your weekly lessons so we can keep the collection growing. They are housed at Woodside branch, but can be reserved on the OPL website http://www.opl.on.ca/ and shipped to other branches.
In the Council office, also at Woodside branch, we have a collection of supplementary materials as well. Please arrange a time to come in and review the materials. We also have a lot of audio books on cassette (donated by Simply Audio Books). You and your student might want to arrange to get the accompanying novel and read along with the tape.
At a past Tutor Networking Meeting, we solicited questions from the tutors prior to the meeting. Here’s one example, in case you missed it.
Q. My student is having difficulties with spelling and understanding the meaning of words, but I’m short on ideas on how to revisit these words.
A. Here are some good websites that deal with spelling strategies – you can also print from these sites.
1. Everyday Spelling by Pearson Scott Foresman. This site is broken into grade levels with appropriate strategies for each level. There are also a few other areas within this site that are worth a visit. This site is geared to children but can be adapted to use with adults. http://www.everydayspelling.com/
2. Secret Weapons for Spelling, from the Self Help Website, created by 17 year 6/7 students attending the Vacation Literacy Course in South Australia.
www.nexus.edu.au/Divisions/curriculum/clp/VacationLiteracy/spsmain.htm
3. “Academic Studies – English – Support Materials and Exercises for Spelling Strategies,” put together at New Brunswick Community College. This takes you into a 20-week program. Even if your student is OK with spelling, this could be a good resource for tracking their knowledge. The “NALD” site is a wonderful supplementary tool and used by many adult literacy practitioners. Take some time and check out what it has to offer. www.nald.ca/clr/academic/english/spelling/module3.pdf
If you enter “spelling strategies” in your internet search engine, lots of information pops up. Please make sure that you use information geared to the student’s skill level or slightly higher to challenge him or her.
Wikipedia has a nice description of a popular tool used to calculate the reading level of materials you are using with your student. It’s called the Gunning Fog index. You can check a paragraph or two to see if you are using material that is at or slightly above your student’s level. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gunning-Fog_Index
Skillswise, Workplace survival kit, British Broadcasting Corporation
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/workplace/text_only.shtml
This site contains reading, writing and numeracy activities that help learners develop skills for the workplace. Each activity area includes factsheets, worksheets, a quiz and/or game, as well as a notes area for tutors. Some activity areas, such as money and some vocabulary, reflect the British origin of the site.
http://delicious.com/SkillTrain/Second?tags=on
Delicious is a website for people to post their favourite sites, or bookmarks. Here's the list put together by our Program Manager. See if any of these sites would be helpful for your student.
www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish is an exciting offering from the BBC in England. Like a news site for learners. Great stuff.
www.twc.org/resources
Professional writers and educators share their techniques for teaching imaginative writing. Teachers & Writers Collaborative supports writers and teachers in developing and implementing strategies to enhance students’ interest in and love of literature and writing.
www.nald.ca/resource/resource.htm is The National Adult Literacy Database Link to Resources. Useful links of interest to teachers, tutors, and learners.
www.tcet.com/EAOnline/index.html is "ESL Activities Online" and may be useful for some of our students. A cat and mouse game about prepositions! |
