Success Stories

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 (just two for first-time borrowers), 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. 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.

“The materials could not have been more helpful! I am so happy to have access to these valuable resources, and it is even better to have such a helpful person to talk to. Thank you very much!”

Donna Byrum, Director
Adult Education Co-Op
Grayson County College
Denison, Texas

Chalk Talks
Norma Shapiro and Carol Genser, Carol. Berkeley, CA: Command Performance Language Institute, 1994. This book shows language teachers how to create quickly and easily a variety of lessons using symbols on the chalkboard or overhead projector. The authors show how to develop fluency by using the students’ own lives, regardless of age or learning level, as the basis for lessons — their stories, their ideas, their real-life concerns. Included are: a teacher’s guide on how to conduct spontaneous lessons using symbols as language cues; over 100 ideas for lesson topics; 32 annotated reproducible sample lessons; a practical guide on how to make a symbol for any concept; and a dictionary of over 500 easy-to-copy symbols organized by content area with both an English and Spanish index.

Gender and English Language Learners
Bonny Norton and Aneta Pavlenko, Editors. Alexandria, VA: Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc., 2004. Editorial Description: “Writers in this volume discuss the nature of gender and identity, along with their complex interactions with age, race, language, and culture in TESOL classrooms. The issues raised will interest all TESOL practitioners and advance professional understanding and practice. Writers describe their teaching context and analyze its distinctive features: the particular demands of their context, the issues they have encountered, how they have effectively addressed the issues, what they have learned. Each case study also offers readers practical suggestions — developed from teaching experience — to adapt and apply to their own teaching.” Book is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Purple Cows and Potato Chips: Multisensory Language Acquisition Activities
Mary Ann Christison and Sharron Bassano. San Francisco, CA: Alta Book Center Publishers, 1995. The authors show how to experiment with the senses as a tool for intermediate level language acquisition. Book includes 56 lessons for grades five through adult, with accompanying reproducible exercises, which allow students to enjoy developing communication skills. Units include Purple Cows (sight), Wet Leaves (touch/movement), Thunderstorms (hearing), and Potato Chips (smell/taste). Detailed Notes to the Teacher precede the exercise sheets for each of the four units.

Teaching by Principles: An Interactive Approach to Language Pedagogy, Second Edition
H. Douglas Brown. White Plains, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc., 2001. The first edition of this text has been widely used in teacher education as a survey of language teaching methods based on accepted principles of language learning. This second edition features information on strategies-based instruction, form-focused instruction, and critical pedagogy and social responsibility. Exercises provide opportunities for the reader to process the material interactively. Book is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Values in English Language Teaching
Bill Johnston. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2003. This book offers a new perspective on English language teaching by placing questions of values at the core of what it is to be a teacher. The teacher-student relation is central to this view, rather than the concept of language teaching as merely a technical matter of managing students’ acquisition of language. Johnston explores the complex and often contradictory moral landscape of the language classroom, gradually revealing how teaching is not a matter of clear-cut choices but of wrestling with dilemmas and making difficult decisions in situations often riven with conflict. Examples are taken from real-life teaching situations and address both individual influences and broader social, cultural, and political forces at play in English language classrooms.

Environmental Adult Education: Ecological Learning, Theory, and Practice for Socioenvironmental Change
Lillian H. Hill and Darlene E. Clover, Editors. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers, Fall 2003. The editors write, “Environmental adult education brings an ecological perspective to studies of adult learning by concretizing the interconnections between people’s experiences of environmental deterioration and recognition of the destructive powers of the global economy. This volume ... analyzes the potential of environmental, justice-based learning to combat socioenvironmental oppressions. ... A transformative ecological understanding of lifelong learning reconnects humans with nature and fosters social dialogue and action.” Book is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Environmental Connections: A Teacher’s Guide to Environmental Studies
Environmental Literacy Council. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2000. From the Purpose: The purpose of this guide is to assist teachers who teach an environmental science course or who include environmental topics in their curriculum. Environmental science is an interdisciplinary subject that draws from biology, chemistry, physics, economics, history, and other disciplines. This guide is intended to help educators and students find resources that would enable them to examine environmental issues in greater depth. The guide can be used in conjunction with the Environmental Literacy Council’s website (www.enviroliteracy.org), which includes resources for teachers and students and “Science in the News.”

Multiplying People, Dividing Resources: Global Math Activities
Nikos Boutis and Pamela Wasserman, Editors. Washington, DC: Population Connection, 2002. Make math relevant to students while building their knowledge of human geography and environmental studies (math skills: grade levels 5 - 8). This interdisciplinary curriculum reinforces math skills while giving students insights into their changing world. 74-page manual provides instructors with 16 activities that make use of simulations, demonstrations, cooperative learning, and thought-provoking discussion questions to engage students. The activities require students to estimate, graph, collect data, make projects, and use fractions, ratios, and percentages. Here’s a sample of the activities: On the Double...How quickly are different countries’ populations growing? Calculate their doubling times and learn about exponential growth. How Much Space Do We Need?...Calculate your “ecological footprint” by determining your land needs to provide the food, water, energy, and oxygen you use each year. Book is available for loan to Texas educators only.

What’s Fair Got To Do With It? Diversity Cases From Environmental Educators
Tania J. Madfes, Editor. San Francisco, CA: WestEd, 2004. While the cases are grounded in the experiences of a diverse group of environmental educators, the questions and issues they raise apply to education in general and society as a whole. Each case is a first-person account that makes concrete the challenges of fairness, expectations, respect, and communication when people who share goals, perhaps, but not cultures, interact. The ten cases arise from in-school and out-of-school settings and involve the real and perceived power relationships that cultural differences often throw into high relief. The casebook includes facilitator notes and commentary about each case. It is designed to promote discussion and reflection and to develop principles of practice that users can apply to their own work or volunteer settings.

Capital Campaigns: Constructing a Successful Fund-raising Drive
Edward C. Schumacher. Washington, DC: Boardsource, 2001. According to the author, producing income is not the only function of a capital campaign. It mobilizes volunteer leadership, brings a focus to fundraising efforts, generates higher visibility in the community, and can boost the morale of everybody involved. In this booklet, Schumacher presents an overview of capital campaigns to help board members make informed decisions about fund-raising efforts and understand what will be required of them and of the organization as a whole. Written in a question and answer format, the booklet covers how a board decides if a capital campaign is needed; the phases of a capital
campaign; the role of board members during a campaign; and organization of volunteer fundraising efforts. Also included are lists of five make-or-break decisions that campaign leaders should make, what should NOT happen during a capital campaign, and capital campaign terms and definitions.

English as a Second Language Tutor Survival Kit, 2000 Edition. Evelyn Renner and Associates
Syracuse, NY: Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc., 2000. 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.

Handbook for Literacy Tutors. Ottawa-Carleton Coalition for Literacy
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: Grass Roots Press, 2001. The practical nature of this manual for for tutor training workshops is reflected in the section entitled, “Questions tutors commonly ask.” Manual contains sections on teaching reading, writing, and numeracy. The section on accessibility addresses how to work with people who have developmental, physical, emotional and learning disabilities. Handbook can be used with “Literacy Volunteer Resources”, a separate loan title. 300-page binder is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Literacy and Libraries: Learning From Case Studies
GraceAnne A. DeCandido, Editor. Chicago, IL: American Library Association, 2001. Book contains real-life stories of library directors, program administrators, teachers, tutors, librarians, and adult learners whose lives have been changed by literacy programs at libraries. Topics include: the essential role that libraries play in literacy and adult education; meeting the needs of unique communities - whether urban or rural; using technology to revamp the way people learn to read and write; and creating local partnerships to make literacy programs a reality. Book is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Nonprofit Board Answer Book: Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives
Robert C. Andringa and Ted W. Engstrom. Washington, DC: Boardsource, 2002. Organized in a question and answer format, this book covers numerous situations encountered in nonprofit board governance. Learn more about: structuring a board for success; selecting and developing quality board members; building strong board-staff relationships; and nurturing strategic alliances with other organizations. The authors offer action steps, real-life examples, and worksheets.

Nonprofit Board Answer Book II: Beyond the Basics
Robert C. Andringa, Outi Flynn, and Sandra R. Sabo. Washington, DC: Boardsource, 2002. Learn how to answer the hard questions posed by seasoned nonprofit executives who’ve moved beyond the basics of nonprofit management to confront the tougher issues. Building on the success of the original Nonprofit Board Answer Book (a separate Clearinghouse library title), this collection of questions and answers explores the governance successes of nonprofit organizations, details action steps, and provides the facts leaders need to move into such uncharted waters as launching a for-profit subsidiary, “re-branding” an organization, or surviving a merger. Andringa shows how to effectively deal with thorny risk management, conflict of interest, and performance issues.

Secrets of Successful Fundraising: The Best from the Non-Profit Pros
Carol Weisman. St. Louis, MO: F. E. Robbins & Sons Press, 2000. From the Preface: “As competition for the charitable dollar continues to heat up, non-profits are asking some very fundamental questions about new ways to raise funds to support their missions. This book is about choices and options. It is about getting past ‘We’ve always done it this way, we’ve tried that before, and it’s not my job.’” Contributing authors are specialists on the how-to of social entrepreneurism, writing newsletters, and governance of non-profit organizations.

Strategic Planning Workbook for Nonprofit Organizations, Revised and Updated Edition
Bryan W. Barry. Saint Paul, MN: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, July 2003. This book provides guidance and worksheets to enable nonprofit leaders to solve “a web of problems that are hard to address one-by-one”. Topics include; how to build teamwork, improve communication, and boost managerial skills; how to influence rather than be influenced — especially in a time of federal cutbacks; how to survive and even thrive with fewer resources; and how to stimulate forwarding thinking and refocus mission.

A Toolbox for ESL Tutors: An Instructional Guide for Teaching English as a Second Language to Newcomers
Frontier College. Toronto, ON: Frontier College Press, 2000. For each of six thematic units, this guide includes: initial assessment; expected outcomes; list of tools that will be needed (including environmental print); several activities; demonstrators (way the learner can demonstrate he/she has understood the activity and can do it independently); background notes; and vocabulary. Thematic units include: finding a job; the community libary and reading with children; the transit system and directions; Canada and its government; banking; and using the telephone. While some content is specific to Canada, it could provide a model for translating the instructional ideas to U.S. content.

Acquiring Self-Regulation: Social and Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers
National Association for the Education of Young Children. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 2003. The problems of sleeping and crying are looked at and discussed from the view of an infant or toddler acquiring self-regulation. Individual differences and temperament are presented with caregiver strategies. How the home life impacts the child’s ability to manage emotions and self-regulation is discussed. Based on brain development research, the discussion and illustrations are detailed. Part of NAEYC’s Child Care Collection, this video would be suitable for professional development. 22-minute videotape is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Begin With Love: The First Three Months: Connecting With Your Child
Civitas Initiative. Chicago, IL: Civitas, 2000. Many families are viewed to illustrate points in this 30-minute video, hosted by Oprah Winfrey. Topics include infant development of 0 to 3 month olds, an enriching environment, how brain development depends on experiences, play times, simple routines, parenting stress, and why it is important for parents to respond to their baby. Featuring Dr. Kyle Pruett, M.D., clinical professor of psychiatry at the Yale Child Study Center and Medical School, and Alicia Lieberman, Ph.D., senior psychologist of the Infant-Parent Program at at the University of California, San Francisco, and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the video focuses on a wonderful group of parents and their real life experiences with their newborns. Also available in Spanish language version, Empieza con amor (a separate loan title).

Communication and Learning: Social and Emotional Development of Infants and Toddlers
National Association for the Education of Young Children. Washington, DC: NAEYC, 2003. This 20-minute video looks at the language acquisition process of infants and toddlers. Based on brain development research, the discussion and illustrations are detailed. Cultural differences of families and their impact on development is mentioned. Part of NAEYC’s Child Care Collection, this video would be suitable for professional development, and is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Language is the Key: Talking and Play; Talking and Books
Washington Research Institute. Seattle, WA: Washington Learning Systems, 2004. Videos with subtitles focus on the importance of learning to communicate from birth and the early years, with numerous examples. One video looks at play as a learning time and the other looks at using picture books. Both videos outline and drill on the appropriate adult interactions to reinforce the child’s learning. The booklet has a user guide and reproducible handouts. Also available in Spanish language version, El Lenguaje Es La Clave — a separate loan title. Set of two videotapes and booklet is available for loan to Clearinghouse Preferred Borrowers only. Ask us how to become a Preferred Borrower.

Read to Me: Make Reading Part of Every Child’s Life
I daho Literacy Project. Newark, DE: International Reading Association, 1991. 13-minute videotape demonstrates how reading to children from the time they are born can help them become enthusiastic, active readers. Video showing parents and children reading together in a variety of settings is ideal for schools, day care centers, and parent organizations to use in parent meetings, but individual parents can use it as well.

Reading Right from the Start: What Parents Can Do in the First Five Years
Toni S. Bickart and Diane Trister Dodge. Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, 2000. This booklet is an easy-to-read resource for parents on what to do with their young child that will promote literacy. Many of the ideas fit in with the family’s practical life—when the family is shopping, eating, dressing, and doing around the house chores. Lists of books, singing ideas, and how and when to talk to your baby, toddler, preschooler charts are included. Loan set includes ten copies of the booklet for use with a parenting group; also available in Spanish langauge version, El buen comienzo de la lectura:Lo que pueden hacer los padres durante los primeros cinco anos (a separate loan item). Classroom set of ten booklets is available for loan to Texas educators only.

Small Wonders: Early Brain Development. National Center for Family Literacy
Lexington, KY: NCFL, 1998. This concise 12-minute video about brain development is intended for parents and caregivers. Research on brain development is presented in easy-to-understand language, illustrations, and with many infants interacting with parents. Topics mentioned include “parentese,” repetition, touch, and how infants learn.

The Social World of Children Learning to Talk
Betty Hart and Todd R. Risley. Baltimore, MD: Brookes, 1999. This is the second book based on the longitudinal research of authors Hart and Risley. The first book was Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children. This title further explores the implications of the research. Chapters include “the social dance of American family life,” “a social world,” “developmental change,” “a social world,” “staying and playing,” “the range among well-functioning families,” “meaningful differences,” and “talking as a social dance.” From the preface—”Children get better at what they practice, and having more language tools, more nuances, more fluency, more steps in the social dances of life is likely to contribute at least as much to your children’s future success as their heredity and their choice of friends.”

Your Child At Play: Birth to One Year: Discovering the Senses and Learning About the World, Second Edition
Marilyn Segal. New York, NY: Newmarket Press, 1998. This easy-to-read, illustrated book is a resource for parents and could be appropriate for planning parenting classes. It is organized by the child’s monthly development, with comments about the baby’s viewpoint, motor skills, activities, games to play, problems, and routines.

Your Child At Play: One to Two Years: Exploring, Learning, Making Friends and Pretending, Second Edition
Marilyn Segal. New York, NY: Newmarket Press, 1998. This easy-to-read, illustrated book is a resource for parents and could be appropriate for planning parenting classes. Chapters include those about exploration and development, daily routines, management strategies, going to the store, feelings, literacy, friendships, and play activities.