From A to Z: Literacy Treasures

First up, we have a list of the TOP TEN teaching requirements, for GOOD teaching. From the U of Hawaii website, written by Richard LeBlanc. Check them out, I love lists!

This next story is about a really cool program started at the Adult Literacy League in Florida. "Read to Me" is the name of their project and it is all about family literacy. It really hits home because my kids go to a charter school in an urban area and so many of their classmates come from homes with NO books. The first time I learned that, I almost cried. I really wish we could start something like this program here in NJ. Click the pic to see the story.

D.C. Learns a literacy coalition in Washington DC has this very smart blog that I just recently started following. Check out this post about the difference between advocacy and lobbying.

Check out this study posted on the American Academy of Pediatrics Journal website. In short, a study was done determining the link between childhood literacy or language ability and several components of home and family situations, including education levels of their parents. Interesting, but really nothing we didn't already know.

In this article on Nurse.com there is a useful list of ideas for nurses working with low literate patients. Here is the list:

"Once literacy is assessed, nurses should tailor their oral and written communications to match the patient’s level of understanding. For patients with low literacy, Mullen suggests:

• Developing written materials below fifth grade reading levels.

• Keeping content and format simple, with shorter words and sentences.

• Using larger, boldface or underlined fonts, increasing space between lines and black ink.

• Having a magnifying glass and good lighting available for older adults.

• Ensuring patients have assistive devices, such as reading glasses and hearing aids.

• Involving a significant other or caregiver.

She also notes that nurses can refer patients to online resources for medical information and community programs that help improve health literacy levels."

and here is a link to the entire article.

Have you heard of this website: Patients like me? It seems like an easy tool for people to use to find information about their health and also to connect with people who have the same problems. Very simple questions are asked on the main page in order to join. It is only in English though.

This really funny clip from one of my favorite shows "The Big Bang Theory." A funny look at what happens when you don't get the pronunciation right.

And this really cool video of one women saying the same sentence in 21 different accents!