Literacy Links

Getting Started: (Advice for New Adult and Family Literacy Programs)

Welcome to our Library...

HOW DOES THIS MAIL ORDER LENDING LIBRARY WORK?

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. 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.

Why Do We Do This?
...to prepare adults for the role of
parent/family member...

Building Your Baby's Brain: A Parent's Guide to the First Five Years. Dodge, Diane Trister and Heroman, Cate (2000). Washington, DC: Teaching Strategies, Inc. for U.S. Department of Education. Scientists know that the early years of life are very important for a baby's brain. Everything that parents, grandparents, and caregivers do and say can help to "wire" a child's brain for thinking, feeling, moving, and learning. This booklet explains what scientists know about such topics as brain development (both prenatal and in the first five years); making sure your baby can see; the importance of touch; teaching your baby about feelings and self-control; sharing books together; choosing the best child care; and more. Also available in a Spanish language version, Cómo estimular el cerebro infantil: Una guía para padres de familia - a separate loan item.

Creating Partnerships for Learning: Family Literacy in Elementary Schools Video. National Center for Family Literacy (2002). 12-minute video and its accompanying booklet provide an overview of the four components of comprehensive family literacy services as they are implemented in an elementary school setting, highlighting benefits for children, parents and schools. Hear and see how family literacy is impacting families, teachers, principals and administrators, and read how the Families in Schools approach supports academic achievement for parents and children alike. Videotape and Booklet are a Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Enhancing Nurturing Parenting Skills in African American Families. Artis, Lessie and Moody, Deborah R. (1995). Park City, UT: Family Development Resources, Inc. This activities manual presents a series of 1-1/2 to 2-1/2 hour sessions that are designed to be used by professional parent educators as a supplement to parent education programs. The activities are intended to help African-American parents increase their awareness of the historical aspects of Black America and how that history influences the parenting and child rearing practices of Black parents today. Activities encourage participants to learn through discussion, role play, and art. Children 12 and older can attend sessions with parents. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Fathers Matter! Strategies for Engaging Fathers in Children's Learning. US Departments of Education and Health and Human Services (1999). Washington, DC: USDOE. Videotape of a two-hour, national satellite event held on October 28, 1999. The teleconference offered ideas and strategies for teachers, school principals, child care providers and others - giving them the tools they need to successfully involve fathers in children's learning, including readiness to learn at school, at home, and in the community. No handouts were provided. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

FATHERS Program Guide: Fathers As Teachers: Helping, Encouraging, Reading, Supporting. Curtis, Jane (1999). Sacramento, CA: The California State Library Foundation. Thirteen lessons in the FATHERS Program were designed for a three-week pre-release class used in California's state prisons. Program can be adapted for use with mothers, and lists recommend books for women as well as men. Each 90-minute lesson inclues three components: classroom instruction (adult literacy tutoring), gift books, and visitation storytimes. In the gift books component, quality children's picture books are provided for the family, with parents involved in selecting the books as they learn about what is age-appropriate and the importance of reading to their children. Loan Item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Getting Men Involved: Strategies for Early Childhood Programs. Levine, James A., et al (1998). New York: Families and Work Institute. Sections include: Creating a Father-Friendly Environment; Recruiting Men to Your Program; Operating a Father's Program; Sustaining Male Involvement; and descriptions of several model programs around the nation (including Avance-San Antonio and Texas Migrant Council in Laredo).

Grandparents as Parents: A Survival Guide for Raising a Second Family. deToledo, Sylvie and Brown, Deborah Edler (1995). New York: The Guilford Press. Resource book for parents who find themselves acting as long- or short-term parents/caregivers to their grandchildren, and for social service personnel who work cross-generationally with families. Subjects include dealing with the adult child and with troubled grandchildren; interacting with the school; grandparenting and the law; child protection; government aid and public assistance; special education and early intervention programs; and finding and forming support groups.

Guide to Improving Parenting Education in Even Start Family Literacy Programs. Powell, Douglas R. and D'Angelo, Diane (September 2000). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education. Guide provides a framework and suggestions for strengthening the quality and impact of parenting education services. It is intended for use by Even Start state coordinators, local program administrators, and program staff responsible for designing and implementing parenting education services. Included are a content framework for parenting education in Even Start; illustrative practices for putting the content framework into action; and suggestions for measuring parenting education outcomes.

¡Leamos! Let's Read! 101 Ideas to Help Your Child Learn to Read and Write, Bilingual Edition, Revised. Behm, Rich-ard and Mary (2000). Bloomington, IN: ERIC Clearinghouse on Reading, English and Communication. With text in both English and Spanish, the suggestions in this book enable parents to help their child develop a lifelong love for reading and writing. Tips show how to make learning fun, help children succeed in school, and at the same time, build the parent-child relationship.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words: A Developmentally Appropriate Approach to Early Learning and Behavior Management for Teachers and Parents of Young Children. Seebaum, Matthew S. (1999). Highlands, TX: RFT Publishing Co. Parents and authority figures tend to deal with learning and behavior problems in young children by verbally and/or physically letting the child know that what they have done is wrong. This type of instructional approach and discipline is ineffective for the young child because young children think concretely, and adults think abstractly and expect young children to understand abstract adult concepts. Book offers simple procedures and ideas for helping young children take control of their own learning and behavior with minimal assistance from the adults in their life.

Sesame Street Beginnings: Language to Literacy. Betancourt, Jeanette, Ed.D. and Livesey, Joanne (2000). New York, NY: Children's Television Workshop. Video, audio, and print materials highlighting the importance of the period from birth to age three are fully bilingual in English and Spanish. Parents learn ways to take advantage of the many daily opportunities to help children develop language and learn to love books. Real parents and their children also appear in the video (about 25 minutes in each language), demonstrating language and literacy activities. Loan set including Facilitator's Guide, 6 Copies of Parent Booklet, Videotape and Audiocassette Tape is available for Texas Educators ONLY.

Shaking, Hitting, and Spanking: What to Do Instead. Bavolek, Stephen J., Ph.D. (1990). Park City, UT: Family Development Resources, Inc. Thirty-minute program includes four common scenarios that often lead to shaking, hitting, or spanking a child. After each scene, viewers are directed to stop the video and brainstorm alternatives. When the program resumes, common-sense, proven parenting techniques are presented. Also available in a Spanish-language version, Golpes Y Gritos ... Cómo Evitarlos. Video and Leader's Guide are a loan tem for Texas Educators ONLY.

Something to Remember Me By: An Illustrated Story for Young and Old. Bosak, Susan V. and McGaw, Laurie (Illustrator) (1997). Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario, Canada: The Communication Project. Tells the story of a grandmother and her granddaughter over the years, celebrating the importance of memories as legacies across generations. Midwest Book Review describes it as "an extraordinary book that will inspire young and old to develop their own ‘ways of remembrance' across the generations and the decades of time." Classroom set of 10 copies with Reader's Companion are a loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Take Action! A Guide to Advocacy and Raising Awareness for Family Literacy. National Center for Family Literacy (2002). Louisville, KY: NCFL. How-to guide walks you through steps you can take to actively engage elected officials and other community leaders - including the media - in supporting family literacy locally and nationally. Tips on planning site visits, writing to legislators, and working with reporters make this booklet a hands-on resource. Appendix includes a glossary of legislative terms and overview of the legislative process.

...to prepare adults for the role of
citizen/community member...

Americans No More: The Death of Citizenship. Geyer, Georgie Anne (1996). New York, NY: The Atlantic Monthly Press.Citizenship in the US has changed drastically, and in the author's opinion, for the worse. Geyer posits that the desire to acknowledge diversity has evolved into a willingness to value it over the shared goals and vision of the American people. For this reason, this syndicated columnist and one of the first women to work as a foreign correspondent has coined the term, the "Balkanization" of America. Anchoring her points with research, interviews, and the testimony of people on both sides of currently explosive issues, Geyer writes of a nation in turmoil over illegal immigration, non-citizen voting, and bilingualism. Loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

America's Story. Bernstein, Vivian (2001).Austin, TX: Steck-Vaughn. Written on a 2nd to 3rd grade reading level, this series gives an overview of U.S. history, from the cultural heritage of Native Americans to modern American achievements in world leadership and technology. Teacher's guide offers teaching strategies, cumulative reviews and tests, and study guides. Two 30-minute videos accompany Book 1 (to 1865) and Book 2 (since 1865). The videos provide teachers with footage pertaining to various topics covered in the texts - a compilation of 2-4 minute CNN/Turner Learning news clips, retrospectives, historical footage, and documentaries. Set of 3 Books and 2 Videos is a loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Citizenship: A Bilingual Overview of United States History and Government (no date). Cupertino, CA: California Language Laboratories. These 50-minute bilingual (English plus a second language) videos are divided into 44 small sections. Each section begins with a topic sentence spoken in the primary language, then repeated in English. The rest of the section continues in very simple, clearly-spoken English. Content is based on the INS examination for U.S. Citizenship. In addition to the Russian and Spanish versions available on loan from the Clearinghouse, the videos can also be purchased from the publisher in 19 other languages, including Vietnamese, Serbo-Croatian, and Hmong. Russian Language Version and Spanish Language Version are separate Loan Items for Texas Educators ONLY.

Citizenship and Civil Society: A Framework of Rights and Obligations in Liberal, Traditional, and Social Democratic Regimes. Janoski, Thomas (1998). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. Bringing together citizenship theory and comparative political economy, the author examines issues surrounding citizens' rights and obligations. Focusing on the advanced industrial economies, Janoski surveys legal, political, social, and participation rights in countries with different political traditions and institutions. He documents the strong link between divergent conceptions of citizenship and different ways of organizing welfare states.

Getting Your Citizenship: Practice Book for the Citizenship Test. Echaore-McDavid, Susan and Roderman, Winifred Ho (2000). Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Books. Designed for use by low-intermediate to intermediate level ESL students who wish to become naturalized U.S. citizens, this book can be used in either a classroom setting or for self-study. 29 lessons cover the essentials of American history and government. Each lesson contains a reading passage, vocabulary words, graphic illustrations of concepts and comprehension questions. The INS list of 100 citizenship quesions and answers is included, along with an answer key.

...to prepare adults for the role of worker
and promote their economic independence...

The Community College Role in Welfare to Work, Winter 2001. Lisman, C. David, Editor (January 2002). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Number 116 in the New Directions for Community Colleges series, this volume examines TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families) from its inception and presents research and applications from welfare-to-work programs across the country. Chapters discuss internal and external partnerships that community colleges must foster, the constituencies they must serve, policy issues related to welfare reform, examples of future directions for community colleges, and examples of training programs found effective in the context of welfare reform. Loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

The EnterTech Project: An Innovative Approach to Teaching Basic Job Skills for Entry Into Today's High Tech Industries. Jackson, Melinda (May 2000). San Marcos, TX: Project Inter-ALT. Videotape of two-hour teleconference describes the EnterTech Coalition of over 80 Texas business, education, government and community-based organizations. EnterTech project has produced Web-based, interactive multimedia training modules guiding instruction for entry-level high-tech jobs and life skills. Curricular materials include small and whole group activities around a group of core competencies incorporating SCANS skills and WorkKeys profiles. For sites interested in utilizing these resources, EnterTech provides instructional materials, instructor orientation, program support, and access to incentives.

The Job Hunting Handbook: With Wages and Demand for 200 Jobs. Dahlstrom and Company (2000). Holliston, MA: Dahlstrom and Company. This book projects job outlook (demand, educational requirements, and wages for 200 jobs in 17 categories) to the year 2008. Also includes how to package, market, and sell yourself; resume writing; networking; mass mailings; using the telephone; questions to expect during your interview; and job hunting blunders to avoid.

Learning and Sociocultural Contexts: Implications for Adults, Community, and Workplace Education. Alfred, Mary V., Editor (Winter 2002). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. Explores some of the contexts within which learning occurs and the social and cultural dynamics that influence learning and teaching. Some issues addressed include migrant students, teaching and learning in cyberspace, cross-cultural mentoring, adults with disabilities, continuing professional education, and workplace education. Loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

A Piece of the Puzzle: How States Can Use Education to Make Work Pay for Welfare Recipients. Carnevale, Anthony P. and Reich, Kathleen, et al (2000). Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service. Education is the next logical step in welfare reform. That's the message of this study by Educational Testing Service. The report makes the case that states should invest a substantial portion of the $4.2 billion welfare surplus in short-term, targeted education and training for current and former welfare recipients. The report's re-commendations draw on conversations with the policymakers, educators, and business leaders who are using education and training to put former welfare recipients into jobs that allow them to become self-sufficient. To complement the current emphasis on "work first," the authors argue, states must add short-term, targeted education and training to their welfare reform efforts so that welfare recipients can qualify for jobs that pay a living wage and offer benefits for their families. The study profiles three highly successful community college programs in Missouri, Michigan, and Oregon that did just that.

Using Online Simulations to Teach Basic Skills. Hillinger, Michael (Jan. 2002). San Marcos, TX: Project Inter-ALT. Video of a 2-hr TETN teleconference featuring Dr. Michael Hillinger, President of Lexicon Systems. Hillinger describes "The Office," a free US Dpt. of Education-funded an online simulation of a workplace, designed to support the SCANS competencies as it develops basic reading, quantitative, and thinking skills. "The Office" is free and available to anyone with an Internet connection.

...to help new speakers of English learn the
skills they need to succeed...

Learning to Work in a New Land: A Review and Sourcebook for Vocational and Workplace ESL. Gillespie, Marilyn K. (1996). Washington, DC: Center for Applied Linguistics. This book is the product of a study reviewing and linking workplace ESL and vocational education as it has existed since the 1970's. The Project in Adult Immigrant Education attempted through this study to "take a look at where we have been in vocational and workforce education and where we need to go if we are to maintain and augment our work for limited English proficient adults." The role of immigrants in the changing workforce is emphasized.

Working it Out: Interactive English for the Workplace. Magy, Ronna (1998). Pacific Grove, CA: Heinle & Heinle. This intermediate level text and audiocassette for ESOL students uses activities and personal stories to help empower learners to take charge of their workplace situations. Text includes authentic workplace examples, chart and graph work, team-building and goal-setting activities, vocabulary reinforcement, a grammar appendix, and sometimes humorous content to capture and hold ESOL students' attention. Content is correlated to the SCANS Competencies (Secretary's Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills).

...to end the intergenerational cycle of
low literacy and poverty...

Family Literacy: The Journey to Success. National Center for Family Literacy (1995). Louisville, KY: National Center for Family Literacy. This book looks at the stories of families whose lives were once limited by poverty, low skills, and possible practices and solutions for approaching them.

Growing Up Literate: Learning From Inner-City Families. Taylor, Denny and Dorsey-Gaines, Catherine (1988). Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. From the editorial description: "Literacy is not always liberating. To be literate is a uniquely human experience. It is never a mechanical process that is solely dependent on skills that are taught. These are but a couple of the conclusions that [the authors] reached while studying young black children living in inner-city poverty who were growing up literate." Loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

An Introduction to Intergenerational Literacy. Lancaster, Alden (1992). Washington, DC: Wider Opportunities for Women. The book is a brief overview of intergenerational and family literacy, and the intergenerational transfer of literacy. By adding a few program enhancements, organizations serving low-income mothers could increase the "transfer effect." Sections include: The Basics, Best Practices, and Enhancing Your Program to Include Intergenerational Literacy.

Other People's Words: The Cycle of Low Literacy. Purcell-Gates, Victoria (1995). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Book describes a study of children and grandchildren of white Appalachian families who migrated to northern cities in the 1950's to look for work, a group that makes up a significant proportion of the poor in these urban areas. The author demonstrates that this group's literacy problems provide a unique look at the relationship between literacy/print and culture. Loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Six Strategies for Self-Sufficiency: Great Ideas for Using State Policy to Get Families Out of Poverty. Van Fossen, Sandra (1996). Washington, DC: Wider Opportunities for Women. This book is the combined effort of four national organizations: Wider Opportunities for Women, the Corporation for Enterprise Development, the Ms. Foundation for Women, and the National Economic Development and Law Center. Each chapter is written by a different author giving a variety of viewpoints. Some of the areas covered are: The Self-Sufficiency Standard; Targeting High-Wage Jobs; Nontraditional Employment for Women; and Individual Development Accounts.

...to meet the literacy needs of special populations...

Building Resilient Students: Integrating Resiliency Into What You Already Know and Do. Thomsen, Kate (2002). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. What makes one student overcome obstacles, while another cannot seem to cope? What makes one student rise above difficult circumstances, while another flounders? Book provides teachers with applications and activities for reframing the actions of even the most at-risk students, changing the focus from deficits to strengths. Thomsen connects resiliency to five major educational megatrends - character education, multiple intelligences, emotional intelligence, service learning, and violence prevention. Loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Echando Raices/Taking Root: Immigrant and Refugee Communities in California, Texas, and Iowa. Kamel, Rachael, Shadduck-Hernandez, Janna and Takagi, J. T. (2002). Philadelphia, PA:American Friends Service Committee. Educational video includes both English and Spanish-language versions (each 60 minutes long) on the same program. Stories and reflections from immigrants and refugees are woven together with scenes of community life and a musical score. Discussion guide provides background on immigration issues and suggests activities for both immigrant and non-immigrant audiences. Can be used in classroom discussions of such topics as immigration and immigrants' rights, racial and ethnic relations, and civil and human rights. Videotape and Discussion Guide are a loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Educating Hispanic Students: Obstacles and Avenues to Improved Academic Achievement. Padrón, Yolanda N., Waxman, Hersh C. and Rivera, Héctor H. (2002). Santa Cruz, CA: Center for Research on Education, Diversity & Excellence. Report examines factors to consider in the development of effective educational programs that serve Hispanic students. Provides a synthesis of the research on the education of Hispanic students, summarizing the problems confronting them and suggesting possible practices and solutions for approachig them.

Students Who Drive You Crazy: Succeeding With Resistant, Unmotivated, and Otherwise Difficult Young People. Kottler, Jeffrey A. (2002). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, Inc. Offers suggestions for remaining motivated and effective while teaching particularly challenging elementary and secondary students. Suggestions would apply to teens in adult education classrooms as well as children in family literacy programs. Highlights include: an examination of the forces influencing student behaviors; "rules of engagement" and other strategies for preventing difficult relationships; and real-life scenarios. Loan item for Texas Educators ONLY.

Take on the Challenge: A Source Book from the Women, Violence, and Adult Education Project. Morrish, Elizabeth, Horsman, Jenny and Hofer, Judy (2002). Boston, MA: World Education. For educators and activists interested in anti-violence work, this book provides an analysis of the effects of violence and a practical collection of ideas and activities, with examples from teachers working in GED, native language literacy, ABE, ESOL, welfare-to-work, corrections, and shelter settings. Each chapter includes a general introduction, tools for programs, and teachers writing about the changes they made.