A 16-week, 600-hour Office Skills Training curriculum for limited English proficient (LEP) adults is presented. The course is divided equally between the vocational training component and the language component. It is recommended that students have an intermediate level of English language proficiency, but no experience in typing or filing is…

Analysis of reading applications in everyday life and on the job should be done at the task level because a task is the lowest level of behavior that describes the performance of a meaningful function. The main objectives of such an analysis are to identify the technical aspects of the actions a learner performs in a functional setting and to…

This document is intended to help groups raise their level of awareness about what it feels like to have difficulty with reading or math, look at how varying levels of literacy and numeracy can affect the quality of their group's activities, and look at ways in which they can overcome literacy- and numeracy-related problems. The beginning of the…

The purpose of this document is to provide a step-by-step outline of the language experience approach. It first explains this technique for teaching both words and sentences to beginning readers. Steps are outlined first for teaching words, then for teaching sentences. What to do and what to say is suggested for each step. Teaching words includes…

This article suggests the following ways of making material easier for adults to read: using layout and print size to make meaning clear; making audio recordings and simplified versions of printed matter; and increasing the relevance of the content to the reader. Intended for teachers of adults in reading programs, the study also contains a…

Noting that each individual chooses his own way of making sense, this collection of essays by Australian educators focuses on helping adult learners in literacy programs increase their self-confidence. The essays share a common idea--that the most significant points of departure for learning are students' own messages--their past experiences,…

This manual consists of reproducible forms that were collected or developed to represent the vast assortment of forms that may be encountered in the transaction of one's personal finances and related affairs. The items represent typical forms encountered by a resident of Pennsylvania, based on a review of forms collected throughout the…

Encourages use of the newspaper for adults to improve their reading skills and to practice applying academic skills to problem solving. (NKA)

Presents a short excerpt from Barbara Kingsolver's book "High Tide in Tucson," intended as a read-aloud for adult beginning readers. Discusses the selection, why it was chosen, and specific activities (both language arts and other) that could grow out of this excerpt. (SR)

Discusses illiterate and semiliterate adults who want to become literate to enjoy a more satisfactory quality of life. Describes their life experiences and provides examples of effective instruction methods based on the language experience approach, including dictation, word banks, journal writing, individualized and assisted reading, and…

Describes teaching a class called "Children and Books" to a group of pregnant and parenting high school students. Shows how using children's books taught these teen mothers about the value of reading to their own children and provided an opportunity for intense discussion addressing a wide range of personal issues. (SR)

Eight adult literacy programs in Ohio and two in Minnesota were funded by the Ohio Literacy Resource Center in coordination with the National Institute for Literacy to get connected to and begin to use the Internet in the classroom. The 6-month grant (January-June 1996) supplied money, training, and ongoing technical support. The 10 sites…

In this document are a final report and guide from a project to produce a 30-minute training videotape that provided volunteer tutors and paid adult educators with concrete methods, techniques, and activities to help adult learners improve their numeracy skills. According to the final report, representatives of various adult education…

Classroom magazines used in adult literacy classes can focus on particular topics of study, or they can consist of more general articles. Classroom publishers should think about the following elements when they are producing a magazine: (1) students must decide what they want the magazine to be and develop a mission statement; (2) an editorial…

This volume, the last of a series of eight curriculum guides compiled by the Colorado Workplace Learning Initiative: 1991-92, contains 11 workplace literacy courses on enhanced basic skills including listening skills, communications, speech, self-esteem, and individual workplace skills. Introductory materials include a table of contents and a list…