Logo
 VOLUME 46 ISSUE 2 A LITERACY COUNCIL OF JACKSON COUNTY PUBLICATION SPRING 2015 

Spring Poppy

"Spring Poppy" Courtesy of Nancy Calcagno, 
Photo Fanatics 4-H Club

NOTES FROM THE CHAIR

Dear Volunteers and Friends,

 One of my Hispanic students told me how thrilled she was when she discovered that she understood the words on the cover of a cooking magazine.  She is now even more eager to learn English.  That's a thrill for me, too.  Not all rewards are monetary.

 One of our newest volunteers, Julie Crites, brings to the Council her extensive background of assessing students for reading and learning skill levels.  Her services will relieve tutors of the need to perform their own assessments.  By pre-assessing students, our placement officer, Liz Koester, will be able to make more accurate matches between students and tutors.

 The Literacy Council is in need of more volunteer tutors.  Several of our student applicants are waiting to learn to read, but I'm afraid they will have to wait a bit longer.  If you or someone you know would like to help with a little time and patience to tutor, we would love to send you an application.  Applications are also available at our website: www.literacyjc.org

 You may also help the Literacy Council by contributing a small donation.  Just a few dollars can help us replace student workbooks.

 Thanks to the generosity of the Gordon Elwood Foundation, we continue to have a place for our office and library materials.  Our small library provides many teaching aids and workbooks for any level of reading proficiency.  There are also materials for job skills and GED exam preparation.  We welcome tutors to visit and browse our library for stimulating materials to make tutoring even more fun.

 I hope all of you enjoy the spring season.  It's a good time to open the windows and air out the house.  Before you know it, summer will be here.  Then we'll have to close the windows and turn on the air conditioner.  So, make the most of the nice weather while you can.

Bob Burger
Chairman


INDIVIDUALIZED TUTORING

We offer individualized tutoring for Basic Reading, GED, ESL, Workforce Development Classes, and Citizenship.

Our Workforce Development class offers training in Microsoft Office and Résumé Building.

If you know of anyone who might benefit from our program, please let them know about our services.  The Literacy Council serves all of Jackson County.

COUNCIL INFORMATION

LITERACY COUNCIL OF JACKSON COUNTY
BOARD MEMBERS

   Chair --------------------------------------------- Bob Burger
   Placement --------------------------------------- Liz Koester
    Treasurer ---------------------------------- Nancy Calcagno
   Newsletter Editor ------------------------Nancy Calcagno

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR

As we enjoy the beautiful flowers blooming, birds chirping, and May showers, we are reminded of lives blossoming also.  It is through volunteering, that we can take the time to nurture a life.

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” Winston Churchill

Here is the top 10 list on reasons to volunteer:

#10 Volunteering reduces stress and makes you healthier.
#9 Volunteering provides valuable community services so more money can be spent on local improvements.
#8 Volunteers gain professional experience.
#7 Volunteering brings people together from diverse backgrounds to work toward a common goal, building camaraderie and teamwork.
#6 Volunteering promotes personal growth and self-esteem.
#5 Volunteering strengthens your community by supporting families.
#4 Volunteers learn a lot: Self - discover hidden talents; Government - learn the functions and operations of our government by working with local non-profit organizations; Community - gain knowledge of local resources available to solve community needs.
#3 Volunteers get a chance to give back by supporting community resouces that they use or that benefit people they care about.
#2 Volunteering encourages civic responsibility by investing in our community and the people who live in it.
#1 You make a difference, as every person counts!

So Get Involved

Tutor:

A tutor will typically spend one or two sessions per week with an adult learner.  These sessions usually run 60 to 90 minutes long.  A tutor and an adult learner often work together for 6 months to 2 years.

There are no credentials required.  Simply attend free training sessions and learn how to be an effective tutor!

Student:

The Literacy Council of Jackson County is for anyone 18 years or older who needs help with basic skills.

These adult learners usually need assistance with basic English skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  They also want help with math skills, passing the GED, English as a Second Language, getting a job or a promotion, succeeding in college, or applying for citizenship.

Potential adult learners take a placement test to determine their skill level.

Nancy Calcagno
Editor

Literacy Council of Jackson County
P.O. Box 615
Medford, OR 97501
(541) 531-0166

Website: WWW.LITERACYJC.ORG
E-mail: literacy@juno.com

COMMONLY MISSPELLED WORDS

Find the incorrect word in each section.

a. category b. acquit
c. facinating d. believe
       
a. dilema b. judgment
c. imitate d. gauge
       
a. kernel b. indispensible
c. perceive d. humorous
       
a.. vacuum c. sieze
b. receipt d. twelfth
       
a.. sargent c. readable
b. miniature d. exceed

Learning can be fun!

MORE WORD GAMES

Match the root word on the left
to the meaning on the right.

a. nat - race, people
b. mort - free
c. liber - flesh, meat
d. histo - harden, to last, lasting
e. dur - tissue
f. ethno - born
g. bene - death
h. carn/i - good, well

Word games can be used as a tool for learning.  Not only are they fun to play, but they can help the student with spelling, grammar, and reading.

They can also serve as an ice-breaker between the student and tutor, as well as keeping the student's interest on the subject.

BRAIN EXERCISES

Do you or your student struggle with attention and working memory (the ability to keep information current for a short period while using this information)? Below are a few fun brain exercises to train our attention and working memory, give them a try, they may not be as easy as they may sound:
1. Say the days of the week backwards, and then in alphabetical order.
2. Say the months of the year in alphabetical order.  Easy?  Well, why don't you try doing so backwards, in reverse alphabetical order.
3. Find the sum of your date of birth, mm/dd/yyyy.  Want more exercise?  Do the same with friends' and relatives' date of birth.
4. Name two objects for every letter in your complete name.  Work up to five objects, trying to use different items each time.
5. Wherever you are, look around and within two minutes, try to find 5 red things that will fit in your pocket, and 5 blue objects that are too big to fit.

Challenge your ability to stay focused: Quickly read out loud the color that each word is printed - not the word itself.  Try repeatedly to see if you can improve:
BLUE BLACK RED
GREEN BLUE YELLOW
BLACK RED BLUE
YELLOW GREEN RED