The mission of the Wabash Valley Literacy Coalition is to promote literacy awareness
and to support and encourage literacy efforts in the community.

• Community
• Members
• Meeting Dates
• Special Events
• WVLC Blog
• Literacy Links
• ESL Links
• Contact Us

2011-2012 Wabash Valley Literacy Coalition Members:

Altrusa International of Terre Haute

Children's Bureau - Community Partners for Child Safety, Region 8

Clinton Public Library

Community Alliance & Services for Young Children (CASY)

Department of Work Force Development (DWD)

Guerin Outreach Ministries, Inc.

Indiana State University, Office of Diversity & Affirmative Action

Ivy Tech, Elementary/Secondary Education

Linking Education to Adults, Adolescents, & Preschoolers (LEAAP), Clay County

MDWise, West Central Region Indiana Wellness Consultants

Parke Adult Tutoring Service

Parke-Vermillion Education & Training Interlocal

Partners Advancing Literacy Skills (PALS)

Ryves Youth Center at Etling Hall

Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Library

Senior Education Ministries

Sycamore Readers, Elementary, Early, & Special Education (EESE), College of Education, Indiana State University

Vigo County Early Head Start, Healthy Beginnings, Hamilton Center

Vigo County Public Library

Vigo County Public Library English as a Second Language Program,
member of ProLiteracy America

West Central IN-Area Health Ed Center, Landsbaum Center for Health Education

For more information or to become a member, call Susan Jakaitis, Coalition Contact Person, Treasurer and Coordinator of Special Events at (812) 232-1113, ext. 2284, or by email, at sjakaitis@vigo.lib.in.us.

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2013 Meeting Dates

Meetings take place at the Vigo County Public Library

• January 16, 4 - 5 PM
• March 27, 4 - 5 PM
• May 15, 7 - 9 PM, GED Graduation (Attendance at the GED graduation replaces the scheduled meeting)
• September 18, 4 - 5 PM
• November 20, 4 - 5 PM

2013 Events

• March 21,  Literacy Networking Breakfast, 7:30 - 9:30 AM, “Eco- Literacy: Community Practices from Recycling to Upcycling”
• April 25, Literacy Awareness, Volunteer Recognition Event & Silent Auction of Gift Baskets, "Dessert and a Good Book," 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• May 15, GED Graduation, Woodrow Wilson Middle School, 7 - 9 PM (This event takes the place of the May meeting)
• September 28, Family Learning Day Downtown; WVLC events, "Multicultural Storytime" (9:30 AM) and "Put Your Nose in a Book" (10:30 AM).
• October 31, Literacy Networking Breakfast, 7:30 - 9:30 AM "Financial Wellness"

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The Wabash Valley Literacy Coalition coordinates, funds and provides additional support to the following annual literacy events in the community:

The Literacy Awareness & Volunteer Recognition Event is hosted by the Coalition and coordinated by the Vigo County Public Library to raise literacy awareness in the community and to recognize volunteers in literacy programs in Vigo, Clay, Parke and Vermillion counties. This year’s "Dessert and a Good Book" event, sponsored by Altrusa International of Terre Haute and the Vigo County Public Library, will offer a buffet of gourmet desserts and a free book to all attendees. This event is free to all active literacy volunteers and at a nominal cost to all other literacy advocates.

The Literacy Networking Breakfasts are community-wide invitational programs hosted by the Coalition and coordinated by the Vigo County Public Library. Each is designed with a specific literacy topic. A panel of experts in the field presents information and an open forum follows. The dates and literacy themes were as listed:

2003: 

April 10 - “Literacy Networking for our Community”

October 30 - “Building Community Prosperity Through Literacy.”

 2004:

May 6 - “Literacy & Economic Development: Dollars & Sense Issues”

October 28 - “Health Literacy: An Overview”

2008:

October 30 - “Building a Learning Community: Networking for Youth”

2009:

March 31 - "Literacy & the Economy"

October 29 - "Health Literacy Matters"

2010:

March 31 - "More: Health Literacy Matters"

October 28 - "Financial Literacy: Money Talks"

2011:

March 31 - "Technology Literacy: Are You Fluent?""

October 27 - "Technology Literacy: Engaging the Future"

2012

March 29 - "Environmental Health Literacy; Environmental Exposures and Outcomes"

October 25 - Canceled due to renovations at the Vigo County Public Library

2013

March 21 - “Eco- Literacy: Community Practices from Recycling to Upcycling”

October 31 - "Financial Wellness"
 

The GED Graduation is a ceremony sponsored by the Vigo County School Corporation for adults who have successfully passed the GED exam. The Coalition and its individual members support this event.

The GED graduation is traditionally held in May at Woodrow Wilson Middle School auditorium.

Family Learning Day Downtown; Coalition Story Time and Literacy Promotion is an annual event when the Coalition hosts a multicultural family literacy story time with a celebrity reader and free books, and the “Put Your Nose in a Book” a literacy awareness campaign, which was adopted by the state of Indiana in 2003 & 2004. Round, red sponge noses are distributed to children who read or check out a library book as part of the  family activities that morning.

In 2013, these Coalition events will be held on Sept. 28, in the Vigo County Public Library as a part of Family Learning Day, which hosts activities from over thirty other organizations promoting learning as a family.

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• The National Institute for Literacy
  NIFL was created in 1991 to provide national leadership and assistance toward the goal of a fully literate America. NIFL coordinates literacy efforts across Federal agencies (Education, Labor and HHS), promotes public policy for literacy, produces and disseminates literacy information, and supports state and local literacy programs.
  
   
• The National Center on Adult Literacy (NCAL) founded through a major grant from the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement (OERI), was established in 1990 to provide national leadership in research and development in the field of adult literacy. NCAL was established with co-funding by the U.S. Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services (HHS). The Center seeks to improve the quality of adult literacy programs and services on a nationwide basis by means of applied research and development and dissemination of the results.
  
   
• ProLiteracy America
  ProLiteracy America, the largest adult literacy organization in the United States, was established on October 1, 2002, with the merger of Laubach Literacy and Literacy Volunteers of America, Inc. ProLiteracy America's 1,200 affiliates are represented in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

   

• Indiana LINCS
  Indiana LINCS is a member of Midwest LINCS, funded in part through grant support from the National Institute for Literacy. Midwest LINCS is one of five regional technology hubs that strives to connect all literacy resources within the nation to practitioners and students who can use them. Indiana LINCS is managed by the Adult Education Professional Development Project.
  
   
• Eric Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education
  A national education information network that is part of the National Library of Education, U.S. Department of Education, this clearinghouse provides comprehensive information on adult and continuing education, career education, and vocational and technical education including employment and training.
  
   
• PBS LiteracyLink
  Funded by a five year $15 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education and the Star School Project, Literacy Link is creating an integrated instructional system of video and online computer technology that will help adult students advance their GED and workplace skills. LiteracyLink also seeks to improve the quality of instruction provided to adult students by offering professional development resources and training to literacy educators.
  
   
• Cyberstep
  Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Cyberstep is a partnership of four literacy service innovators addressing the challenge of creating and distributing multimedia learning materials for the hardest-to-serve ABE and ESL adult learners. Cyberstep's resources for instructors include: tools for creating multimedia learning activities, a beginning ESL course using video series, and a literacy course based on TV news stories.
  
   
• National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL)
  NCFL is a nonprofit organization supporting family literacy services for families across the U.S. through programming, training, research, advocacy, and dissemination. Training opportunities offered by NCFL include: comprehensive quality family literacy services, implementing a family literacy program, building services and programs, technical assistance and specialized trainings.
  
   
• U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE)
  OVAE supports programs, including professional development activities, that help young people and adults obtain the knowledge and skills they need for successful careers and productive lives. OVAE oversees programs, grants, and events in the following areas: adult education and vocational education; school-to-work; high school reform; community colleges; correctional education; community technology centers; empowerment zones and enterprise communities; and teacher development activities.
  
   
• ISTEP Information
  
   
• GED Quick Guide for the Classroom
  From Northwest LINCS, a service of the National Institute for Literacy, the links on this page have been gathered to allow the instructor and student to access valid GED resources immediately for use in the classroom. All links provide either download for classroom use or student interactivity with an activity that relates to GED skills.
  
   
• Ask Me 3
  National experts address the direct and indirect consequences of low health literacy and set the stage for a new national patient education program designed to promote clear communication between health care providers and patients.
   
• Reading Rockets
  Reading Rockets is a national multimedia project that looks at how young kids learn to read, why so many struggle, and how caring adults can help.
  
   
• Science & Literacy Drug Education Partnership
  Materials on drug abuse, having a healthy baby--and coming soon-minority health issues, all for low-level readers are available free from the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). After practitioners pointed out the dearth of material to prepare folks for the GED science section, AAAS scouted resources and developed several sets of materials for struggling readers that would allow them to get a handle on some aspects of science.
  
   
• The American Jury: Bulwark of Democracy
  This site is designed to help students, teachers, & citizens understand the American jury system & its role in American legal, social, & political life. It features lessons, information, & resources developed by the Constitutional Rights Foundation Chicago with high school teachers & in cooperation with national experts & scholars on the jury system.
  
   
• Community Partnerships for Adult Learning
  he site focuses on the important role that communities play in the education and training of adult citizens. It brings together select research, how-to suggestions and web sites in the areas of creating partnerships and other topics that are central to adult education, such as curriculum and instruction, workforce development, professional development, technology and program assessment. Free instructional modules in "Workplace Essentials Skills" (a pre-GED program) are available.
  
   
• Adult Learning Activities: The California Distance Learning Project
  This is a California adult education initiative designed to develop an infrastructure to support distance learning, including exploring ways to use the Internet for direct instruction. This is a free site intended to build reading and life skills.
   
• Ready At Five Partnership
  Ready At Five is a statewide, public/private nonprofit firmly committed to increasing the number of children entering school ready to succeed.
   
• Models for Student Web-Based Research from techLEARNING
  Literacy organizations would like students to conduct efficient research on the Web, but having them go to Google or Yahoo! or any of the other major search engines frequently involves a time-consuming narrowing-down process and can yield mixed results. Sorting out these results can be beyond the capabilities of students as well as new-to-technology tutors. Organizations can use an established construct to structure students' research experience and maximize success. This site offers a few of the models available such as Hot Lists, Scavenger Hunts, and WebQuests.
   
• Math Goodies
  Math Goodies is a free math help site featuring interactive lessons, homework help, worksheets and forums!
   
• Project Ideal
  Project IDEAL is a consortium of states working to develop effective distance education programs for adult learners. The Project IDEAL Support Center at the University of Michigan helps consortium states by developing training materials and web-based tools.
   

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English as a Second Language (ESL) Links

• • Dave's ESL Cafe
    This is a user-friendly website that has many interesting ideas such as an Idea Page, an Idiom Page and Chat Central. It also provides an excellent Web Guide.
     
  • LiteracyLink
    Although not strictly an ESL site, this site does have a nice selection of topics that may be useful to ESL tutors. It does have an ESL Section with many great links to other web resources.
     
  • ESL Home Page
    The English as a Second Language site is a starting point for ESL learners who want to learn English through the Web. This site links to many good and often free ESL sites.
     
  • Adult Education ESL Teachers Guide
    This manual is intended to be a survival guide for new teachers who have had little or no previous training in teaching English as a Second Language (ESL). The manual contains a set of beginning lessons and intermediate level lessons. These lessons are accompanied by detailed instructions which will help to orient and train teachers in using the basic techniques for teaching ESL.
     
  • Cyberstep
    Funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Cyberstep is a partnership of four literacy service innovators addressing the challenge of creating and distributing multimedia learning materials for the hardest-to-serve ABE and ESL adult learners. Cyberstep's resources for instructors include: tools for creating multimedia learning activities, a beginning ESL course using video series, and a literacy course based on TV news stories.
     
  • Purdue's Online Writing Lab
    Free lesson plans online, English grammar, web boards, free job-finder service, games and activities, teaching tips and articles on teaching from Purdue.
     
  • Self-Study Quizzes for ESL Students
    Lots of interactive quizzes for easy, medium and difficult levels, covering grammar, homonyms, vocabulary, and more. There is a special section on holidays, reading, writing, general knowledge, and Trivia.
     
  • English Tests & Quizzes
    Interactive quizzes on grammar, reading comprehension, vocabulary, and crossword puzzles.  Available levels range from beginners to advanced.
     

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Contact Us

Dr. Patricia Wheeler, Coalition President
Department of Elementary, Early, and Special Education
Bayh College of Education, University Hall, Room 218
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
(812) 237-2851 pwheeler@indstate.edu

Susan Jakaitis, Contact person, Treasurer and Coordinator of Special Events
Vigo County Public Library
Terre Haute, IN  47807 
(812) 232-1117  sjakaitis@vigo.lib.in.us.
 

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