Community Partnerships for Adult Learning

Welcome to our Library...

Books and other resources described in the Library section may be requested for a 30-day loan. We will mail each borrower up to five loan items at a time, and even include a postage-paid return address sticker for mailing them back to us! Borrowers must be affiliated with a non-profit program providing adult or family literacy services. Annotated bibliographies of our entire library of resources are available in hard copy by request, or can be viewed on our website. Click Here to view. Call 800-441-7323 or e-mail tcall@tamu.edu to check out materials described here or to request hard copy listings of even more resources.

Connecting Families and Work: Family Literacy Bridges the Gap. National Center for Family Literacy (2000). Lexington, KY: NCFL. This booklet centers on the literacy skills barrier that stands between low-income parents and living-wage jobs, and includes research that supports family literacy's effectiveness in addressing the employment goals of adults. The booklet also describes specific program practices that hold promise for bridging the gap between adults' skills attainment and employers' needs.

Dear Mommy and Daddy. Hafen, Marie Foss (1995). St. George, UT: Care MORE Publishing. Illustrated by Susan Wirth, this parenting book is designed for parents to use the single-page messages at home with young children. Written from the child's point of view, the text and illustrations simply explain concepts of daily life, including: early development; needs, wishes, and likes of young children; discipline and limit-setting; dealing with difficult changes or emergencies; and more. Also available in Spanish-language version (a separate loan item),Querida Mamá, Querida Papá.

Early Childhood Education: Ready to Read, Ready to Learn. Satellite Town Meeting (May 21, 2002). Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Education. If a child enters school without essential cognitive skills, he or she runs a significant risk of starting behind and staying behind, and not all young children have access to high-quality childcare. However, through extensive partnerships, communities and school districts around the country are creating comprehensive early childhood programs to ensure that all children are prepared to learn. These programs align what children are doing before they enter school, to what is expected of them once they are in school. In this U.S. DOE Satellite Town Meeting, Under Secretary Eugene Hickok and his guests explored these challenges. One-hour video includes discussion of questions such as: In what ways can communities ensure that all children are given the opportunity to learn the fundamental skills needed to be successful in school? What do effective preschool and early literacy programs look like? In what ways does poverty affect the children's acquisition of pre-reading skills?

Outcomes and Measures for Family Literacy Programs, Second Edition. National Center for Family Literacy (2001). Louisville, KY: NCFL. This updated resource for practitioners and administrators contains descriptions of more than 80 measurement tools for use with both adults and children. New to this expanded edition are summaries of assessments that focus on children grades K-6, reading assessments, and employment and workplace preparation assessments.

Barron's How to Prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test, 5th Edition. Alesi, Gladys E. (2000). Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series, Inc. Written in simple English, this manual guides the learner through the steps to U.S. Citizenship with its: groundwork in reading, speaking, and writing in English; extensive reviews of U.S. History and Government topics; up-to-date examples of the forms that must be filed; step-by-step guide to the citizenship application process; and an up-to-date summary of the rights of legal aliens. Progress tests are positioned throughout the book. The appendix includes American idiomatic expressions and a pronunciation guide, as well as a glossary, text of historical documents, and a timeline of American history.

Citizenship for You: A Beginning Workbook for ESL Learners. Raphael, Kelly (2000). Carlsbad, CA: Dominie Press, Inc. This workbook and audiocassette present vocabulary and concepts using simple illustrations and a variety of oral and print exercises. It introduces the basic material needed to pass the U.S. citizenship test, while providing activities that strengthen listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The audiocassette provides the 100 possible questions on the INS test. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Citizenship Q and A: Practice Questions and Answers on U.S. History and Government. New Readers Press (2002). Syracuse, NY: New Readers Press. This recording includes 144 questions and answers from the INS study guide for the citizenship test. Learner can listen and respond to the question, then check answers against the recording. Loan set includes audio-cassette and tapescript.

Business Language Practice. Milne, John Morrison (1994). Hove, UK: Language Teaching Publications. Designed for self-study, this book gives intermediate-level ESL students practice in business English. Sections include: the spoken language of business, basic business vocabulary, basic business grammar, writing in business, and reading/understanding business texts. Other titles available from the publisher (but not in the Clearinghouse library) include: Basic Telephone Training and The Language of Meetings.

Can You Believe It? Stories and Idioms from Real Life. Huizenga, Jann and Huizenga, Linda (2000). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. This three-level series of books with audiocassettes teaches high-frequency idioms, two-word verbs, and fixed expressions in the context of real-life tales from around the globe. The series integrates reading, listening, and speaking skills for teaching idiomatic language both in and outside the classroom. Comic-strip style illustrations and accompanying cassettes provide visual and aural input and reinforcement of content and idioms. Book and Cassette Level 1 are beginning level; Level 2 is high-beginning; and Level 3 is low-intermediate. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

The Chicken Smells Good: Dialogs and Stories, Second Edition. Pickett, William P. (1997). White Plains, NY: Prentice Hall Regents. Intended for advanced beginning or low-intermediate students, this ESL reader for adults and young adults presupposes that its readers already know the most basic vocabulary and structures of English. The intent of the book is to improve reading skills, expand vocabulary, increase fluency through role-playing and discussion, and improve listening comprehension. Written in a colloquial, informal style of vocabulary and grammar, 24 dialogs and 16 stories tell of the problems and progress, strengths and weaknesses of ordinary people. Two accompanying audiocassettes allow students to listen to dialogs and stories from the book. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

The Complete ESL/EFL Cooperative and Communicative Activity Book: Learner-Directed Activities for the Classroom. Sloan, Stephen (1991). Lincolnwood, IL: National Textbook Company. This collection of reproducible black-line masters includes activities based on the concept of cooperative learning. Appropriate for junior high through adult intermediate-level classrooms, activities include over fifty strip stories, interviews, match-ups, and jigsaw activities plus suggested variations and extension activities. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

English as a Second Language Tutor Survival Kit, 2000 Edition. Renner, Evelyn and Associates (2000). Syracuse, NY: Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. Kit offers comprehension activities, exercises, and ideas grouped by fluency level. Lesson plans show how to design activities related to the students world, using maps, calendars, and other items used every day. This loan copy may not be duplicated, but a photocopyable master is available from the publisher that literacy programs can purchase and duplicate for their tutors and students.

Live Action English: A Total Physical Response Student/Teacher Text, Millenium Edition. Romijn, Elizabeth Kuizenga and Seely, Contee (2000). Berkeley, CA: Command Performance Language Institute. Based on James J. Asher's Total Physical Response (TPR) approach to language acquisition, this book includes 67 "happenings" (illustrated series of commands) for use with students of all ages in beginning, intermediate, and multilevel ESL classes. In addition to the lessons, the book includes a list of props used in each sequence and tips on how to use the book most productively for adults and other populations. Two accompanying audiocassettes include complete readings of all 67 lessons in the book with pauses for student repetition. Many are enhanced by sound effects. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

More Recipes for Tired Teachers: Well-Seasoned Activities for the ESOL Classroom. Sion, Christopher, Editor (1991). Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, Inc. This collection includes teaching activities for students of English as a second or foreign language at all learning levels. Unit topics include attention and awareness, visual and auditory activities, working with words, reading and writing, and games and simulations. All activities help develop speaking and listening skills. An appendix offers suggestions for teacher development.

New Ways in Using Communicative Games in Language Teaching. Shameem, Nikhat and Tickoo, Makkhan, Editors (1999). Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. Communicative games offer a self-motivating activity for language learning, allowing learners to interact socially in pairs, in small groups, or with the whole class. This international collection of activities enables students to learn, develop, and use language strategies in realistic situations akin to those in which they would use their first language. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Success in Writing Series: Teacher's Resource Manual and Five Student Books. Levadi, Barbara, Executive Editor (1996). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Globe Fearon Educational Publisher. Five-book program is designed to help students improve their performance in the types of writing tasks they are most likely to encounter in school, on proficiency tests, and on the job. Student books cover four modes of writing: persuasion, narration, exposition, and description. The fifth student book is on grammar skills for writers. For each writing mode, the student book gives an overview, step-by-step instructions, prewriting activities, use of drafts, revising, proofreading, and publishing, as well as practice writing assignments. The Teacher's Resource Manual offers suggestions for guiding students through the series, strategies for cooperative learning activities, and tips for helping ESL/limited English proficient students with writing in English. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

All the Mathematics You'll Ever Need: A Self-Teaching Guide, Revised Edition. Slavin, Steve (1999). New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. From the editorial description: "This step-by-step personal math trainer: refreshes practical math skills for your personal and professional needs, with examples based on everyday situations; offers straightforward techniques for working with decimals and fractions; demonstrates simple ways to figure discounts, calculate mortgage interest rates, and work out time, rate, and distance problems; and contains no complex formulas and no unnecessary technical terms."

The Glass Wall: Why Mathematics Can Seem Difficult. Smith, Frank (2002). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Smith analyzes why some people find the world of mathematics compelling while others find it so difficult. He contrasts the "physical world" (our familiar world of objects and events) with the "world of mathematics" (a completely different domain of experience), and the barrier that can exist between those worlds for some learners. Smith argues that, because the language used to talk about these two worlds is not the same, many people find themselves "behind the glass wall, on the outside looking in". Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Let's Do Math: Tools and Things. Math Resources, Inc. (2000). Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: Math Resources, Inc. Designed for Grades 4-12 and adult education, this instructional software emphasizes the language, visualization, graphing and computational skills needed to succeed in the mathematical sciences. It consists of 175 interactive objects, complete graphing and calculating tools plus over 1,100 definitions. Let's Do Math may be used in a classroom (to enhance a presentation), a lab (to enhance project work), or at home (to assist in individual assignments). CD-ROM + User's Guide are a Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Money Smart: An Adult Education Program Building Knowledge, Security, Confidence. FDIC Division of Compliance and Consumer Affairs (2001). Washington, DC: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Recognizing the importance of financial education, particularly for people with little or no banking experience, the FDIC created this training program to help adults outside the financial mainstream enhance their money skills and create positive banking relationships. The Money Smart program is a set of ten reproducible instructor-led units of instruction covering basic financial topics. Each unit includes a guide for instructors, masters for creating overhead projector transparencies, and resource material for class participants. Although not written at a new reader level, the curriculum could be used in GED classes, advanced ESL, or community education classes. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Reading Counts: Expanding the Role of Reading in Mathematics Classrooms. Borasi, Raffaella and Siegel, Marjorie (2000). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. From the editorial description: This book "extends beyond the traditional concern for reading word problems and math textbooks to consider how reading can support inquiry-oriented mathematics instruction. Drawing on the findings of a collaborative action research project, three perspectives on reading are presented, each of which highlights a different way that reading can enhance mathematics learning. Detailed narratives of classroom experiences illustrate these perspectives." Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Real World Algebra: Understanding the Power of Mathematics. Zaccaro, Edward (2001). Bellevue, IA: Hickory Grove Press. From editorial description: "Algebra is often taught in an abstract manner with little or no emphasis on what algebra is or how it can be used to solve real problems. Just as English can be translated into other languages, word problems can be 'translated' into the math language of algebra and easily solved. [This book] explains this process in an easy to understand format using cartoons and drawings." Each chapter is broken down into three levels of difficulty, from basic to very challenging.

The Accelerated Learning Fieldbook: Making the Instructional Process Fast, Flexible, and Fun. Russell, Lou (1999). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. Book offers tips, techniques, processes and theories to enhance training or classroom learning with a minimum of wasted time. The author suggests how to improve communication skills, rethink personal beliefs that block learning, use music to create focused learning environments, measure the effectiveness of a learning session, and more. Accompanying music CD-ROM includes original compositions designed to induce the "restful, pastoral alpha state" shown to maximize learning while reading. Set of book and CD-ROM are a Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Brain Compatible Strategies: Hundreds of Easy-to-Use Brain-Compatible Activities that Boost Attention, Motivation, Learning and Achievement. Jensen, Eric (1997). San Diego, CA: The Brain Store, Inc. Rather than presenting theory and research, this book offers activities to increase learning that are based on principles of brain-compatible learning. Some of the suggestions are for parents, some are for teachers, and others are for adult learners.

Designing Groupwork: Strategies for the Heterogeneous Classroom, Second Edition. Cohen, Elizabeth G. (1994). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. From the editorial description: This book "combines easy-to-follow theory with examples and strategies that are adaptable to any situation. The advantages and dilemmas of groupwork are discussed, as well as its use in multiability and bilingual classrooms, and step-by-step approaches to successful planning, implementation, and evaluation of groupwork activities."

Developing Teaching Style in Adult Education. Heimlich, Joe E. and Norland, Emmalou (1994). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. From the editorial description: "Traditionally trained teachers of adults may soon become the minority, as 'lay' persons fill the growing demand for adult educators. In order to succeed and improve as teachers, it is imperative that these newcomers - as well as their professionally trained colleagues - examine their own beliefs and attitudes toward teaching and learning and use the information to develop teaching styles suited to their own personalities." Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Listening Up: Reinventing Ourselves as Teachers and Students. Martin, Rachel (2001). Portsmouth, NH: Boynton/Cook Publishers. Having taught literacy, writing, and ESL in a neighborhood women's literacy program, a community college, and community writing and publishing projects, the author seeks to describe her "movement back and forth between theory and practice, one constantly causing the other to shift" (from the Introduction). Some chapter titles include: Images of "The Illiterate"; What's Missing From Critical Pedagogy; Another Look at Freirian Pedagogy; A Freire-Inspired Curriculum; Community College Teaching; The Working Conditions of Teaching; Teaching in Multicultural Classrooms; and several chapters on teaching writing and creating theme-based curricula.

Literacy for Life: Adult Learners, New Practices. Fingeret, Hanna Arlene and Drennon, Cassandra (1997). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Through data-based theory development, Literacy for Life examines the process through which life change happens, based on in-depth profiles of five participants in an adult literacy education program. The authors explore why some adults seem to experience change more positively and profoundly than others. This book places learners at the center of their own learning and change, rather than the educator or educational program. Most importantly, this book will help educators understand the complex process through which adults use literacy to change their lives, not just their test scores.

Published by Contemporary Books in Lincolnwood, Illinois, these titles from the Thumbprint Mystery Series offer adults building their reading skills mystery stories with the size, feel, and cover design of regular paperback mysteries. Books are at about Reading Level 4. Titles available for loan include:

Champagne at the Murder. Nixon, Joan Lowery and Brush, Kathleen Nixon (1998). Stacy Champagne must find out who murdered Will Knight in her family's hotel. Stacy and Deputy Ramon Gonzales investigates a whole town full of people with motives to kill Knight.

A Corpse in the Basement. Barrett, Kathleen Anne (1998). Annie Johnson finds her ex-boyfriend dead in her basement, and finds herself the prime suspect. Annie and friend Dave investigate, and find that everyone has a motive!

Fatal Fiction. Christian, Mary Blount (1998). This title is set in the publishing business. Editor Lin Hill not only has to deal with a temperamental author, but suspects the author of murder and fears for her own life.

The Hard Time Cafe. Wilcox, Stephen F. (1998). Ex-cons are successfully running a restaurant until one of them appears to have stolen cash and attacked a bystander. Can they find the missing witness to what actually happened?

Hit the Street. Green, Judith Andrews (1998). Bicycle messenger Justin Cobb is offered $500 to deliver a package. When the person for whom the package is intended is murdered and Justin's apartment is trashed, Justin and girlfriend Heather investigate.

Murder at the Reunion. Steiner, Barbara (1998). Paka Powell becomes a suspect in a shooting at her high school reunion. Paka and friend Jolene must investigate their former classmates to find the real shooter.

Murder on the Loose. Godfrey, Ellen (1998). Lottery winner Janet Barkin is blackmailed by a dangerous group that also threatens immigrant women. To protect herself and other women, Janet and friends create the Women's Rescue Company.

The Royal Park Murder. Knight, Alanna (1998). Annie Kelty's father, a Scottish bookstore owner, has been accused of leaving the scene of a murder. Annie's boyfriend Calum is the detective assigned to the case.

The Secret of Secco Canyon. Matthews, Patricia (1998). Someone is looting and selling Native American relics. A crime fighter goes undercover as a ranch hand to find the ringleader of the looters.

Sign of the Beast. Forrest, Richard (1998). An old man appears to have been killed in his snowbound cabin by a bear, but the cabin was locked from the inside. The police turn for help to Diff James, a mute animal expert and woodsman.

The Action Learning Guidebook: A Real-Time Strategy for Problem Solving, Training Design, and Employee Development. Rothwell, William J. (1999). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer. This training resource book focuses on staff development techniques that are problem- or project-based and assume a work environment consisting of teams. Groups and teams can use the book as a guide to design learning experiences, plan projects and implement solutions, discover new problem-solving techniques, and distribute responsibilities. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Diversity & Motivation: Culturally Responsive Teaching. Wlodkowski, Raymond J. and Ginsberg, Margery B. (1995). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Laura I. Rendon of Arizona State University says this book "provides both the conceptual framework for culturally responsive teaching and useful instructional strategies that promote a community-centered approach to teaching and learning." Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

The Big Book of Team Building Games. Newstrom, John and Scannell, Edward (1998). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill. Seventy games and activities have been designed for the manager who is looking to raise sagging morale, liven up boring staff meetings, improve communication, promote a culture of harmony and cooperation, and have fun with work teams. Includes trust-building activities, team spirit exercises, and other fun group activities.

Secrets to Enliven Learning: How to Develop Extraordinary Self-Directed Training Materials. Petit, Ann (1994). San Diego, CA: Pfeiffer & Company. Author offers principles and methods for designing self-study training manuals. Book is organized into ten modules, some of which include: Fostering a Positive Learning Environment; Offering Incentives to Learn; Guiding with Clear Instructions; Dispelling Anxiety to Promote Learning; and Offering Practice Activities. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Real World Ethics: Frameworks for Educators and Human Service Professionals. Nash, Robert J. (1996). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. For use in workshops in education or human service settings as well as in undergraduate and graduate level ethics courses, this book offers "a framework for analyzing ethical dilemmas...the tools necessary to dissect complex problems, recognize our own fundamental beliefs, appreciate the influences of the surrounding culture, and reach decisions that are ethical, practical, and defensible" (Lorna Jimerson, School Board Chair). Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.