Diane Shimota

Written communication is an important skill in today’s world. To meet this important literacy need, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program has initiated a series of writing workshops to help adult learners improve their writing skills. The workshops have been designed to help parents communicate with their children’s teachers through email or texting applications. The writing workshops are also tailored to learners who need help finding jobs or want to improve their job skills. Many of these learners have found that employers frequently require them to complete writing skills tests as part of their job applications, or while employed, to communicate effectively in emails and written reports. Adult learners who face the challenge of communicating in writing have enthusiastically enrolled into the writing workshops.

Instructor Kim Green has adapted pre-pandemic in-person writing strategies to a virtual format and has transformed Zoom meetings into interactive, safe, friendly places to share ideas and learn from one another. By practicing their writing in a safe environment, adult learners gain skills enabling them to communicate with educators, health professionals, or employers with confidence. The workshops augment the one-to-one tutoring sessions the learners have with their tutors.

Ms. Green explained, “I designed the virtual writing classes to offer learning opportunities for and be inclusive of participants at varying levels of literacy proficiency… Starting with the first workshop last fall, it’s been gratifying to see the supportive environment and camaraderie that already existed in our in-person classes quickly emerge on Zoom. There is a mutual respect and appreciation for each other, and as a result, participants are willing to share their writing at every stage, from their early brainstorming ideas all the way through to full paragraphs.”

Both tutors and adult learners benefit from attending the workshops. Tutors learn strategies that they can implement in their tutoring sessions, and learners practice new writing skills and enjoy the sense of community that is built as class participants share their writings with one another.

The writing classes are interactive and provide time and space for creativity. Every class begins with a pre-writing activity. Tutor Teresa Wong Stein shared that she found Kim’s teaching methods very helpful. She appreciated the way that Kim would always provide an example so that class participants could imagine what each writing assignment could look like.

Writing templates and worksheets provide a simple, accessible means for class participants to start their own writing projects. As Sheron Bealer observed, “The structure of the course makes it easy to participate. The lessons are broken down to simple steps that make writing fun and something we each can accomplish.” Adult learner Tanya Jauregui shared that the prewriting template helped her to brainstorm ideas for her writing. Tutor Jeanne Fortier added, “I have watched adult learners who attend the writing workshops grow in confidence and help others who need assistance. I am impressed with how hard they work on assignments.”

Marilyn Bean shared, “As a literacy volunteer, I appreciate how completely Kim Green breaks down the writing process. Her instruction helps me to be a better tutor in the learning process. The Library has a strong literacy program for those wishing to grow in their ability to read and write. It is a privilege to be part of the program.”

The Redlands Adult Literacy Program seeks additional volunteers who can help motivated adults improve their reading and writing. If you know of someone who needs help in reading and writing, please encourage them to take the first step in changing their lives by contacting the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. The program provides the opportunity for free, one-on-one tutoring and literacy classes such as the writing workshops. If you would like to learn more about the program, please contact Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, at 909.798.7565, ext. 4138 or email: literacy@akspl.org. To learn more about the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, please visit the adult literacy website: akspl.org/literacy.

The Redlands Adult Literacy Program has named the classic story Charlotte’s Web, written by E. B. White, as its 2021 Community Read.  Charlotte’s Web is a story that speaks to all generations with its themes of friendship, life, death, and the power of words. The Community Read offers the opportunity for parents and children, readers who have read Charlotte’s Web or are new to the story, book club members and others, to experience the book’s message in a new way, particularly as we reflect on all that has occurred in the last year.

Trudy Waldron, a retired teacher and former volunteer coordinator of the Adult Literacy Program, shared how Charlotte’s Web speaks to youth and adults. She wrote, “It is a fact that even if we read a book several times, with each reading comes new insights and lessons to be learned. In Charlotte’s Web, E.B. White writes with an honesty and openness that gives us the opportunity to reflect on such adult themes as loneliness, fear, death and, of course, honest friendships…It is indeed a TERRIFIC read.”

Guillermina Rangel, an adult learner enrolled in the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, is reading Charlotte’s Web for the first time. She observed, “I just love Wilbur, how innocent he is and his determination to learn. I also like Charlotte, who is very well educated, patient and compassionate towards Wilbur. To me, she is like a very dedicated teacher.”

To enhance the reading experience, a Charlotte’s Web activity guide has been posted on the Adult Literacy website: akspl.org/literacy. The guide includes a history of the author and the book’s illustrator, Garth Williams, as well as vocabulary, discussion topics, and activities for people of all ages.

Monthly activities related to Charlotte’s Web have been planned so that community insights can be shared. Everyone is invited to submit drawings or writings with a submission form that is included in the guide. Submissions can be dropped off or mailed to A. K. Smiley Public Library at 125 W. Vine St., Redlands, CA 92373. Deadlines for submissions are as follows:

                              Submission                                                                 Deadline

 

Write about your favorite character from Charlotte’s Web.  Explain                 April 30

why the character was special to you.

 

Draw an agricultural scene – groves, a farm, a ranch – it’s your choice!           May 31

 

Choose a character from Charlotte’s Web and write a story from this               June 30

character’s perspective.

 

Submit an art project that reflects Charlotte’s Web.                                            July 31

 

Write a letter to E.B. White, the author, to tell him what you liked about           August 31

Charlotte’s Web and how his book moved you.

 

Dorothy Nordquist, a retired school teacher and AAUW community volunteer, took a college class that centered on Charlotte’s Web. She shared: “Charlotte became my role model, and even now I remember her wise quotes. A favorite quote from the book is, “You have been my friend,” replied Charlotte. “That in itself is a tremendous thing…after all, what’s life anyway?” We’re born, we live a little while, we die…By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle…Heaven knows anyone’s life can stand a little of that.”

Being able to read and express one’s thoughts in writing “lifts” one’s life more than a trifle. The Redlands Adult Literacy Program provides the opportunity for free, one-on-one tutoring to adults who want to improve their reading and writing. If you would like to learn more about the program, please contact Diane Shimota, Adult Literacy Coordinator, at 909.798.7565, ext. 4138 or email: literacy@akspl.org. To learn more about the Redlands Adult Literacy Program, please visit the adult literacy website: akspl.org/literacy.

The Redlands Adult Literacy Program recently published Our Stories, A Collection of Writings, Volume 3, which includes writings from adult learners enrolled in the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. Over 40 adult learners and tutors contributed written works for the anthology. These works focused on the learners’ journeys to literacy, personal reflections, family and friends, memories and adventures, and reflections about books the learners had read. This year, a special chapter entitled ‘Pandemic Reflections’ was added to the anthology providing an opportunity for authors to share the impact that the pandemic has had on their lives.

Diane Shimota, adult literacy coordinator, shared that the anthology “provided an opportunity for adult learners to write stories from their hearts, choosing just the right words to express themselves, and then to share those stories with the broader community.” Previously, the Redlands community would be invited to a “Celebration of Authors” event, where adult learners would read their works to an audience that included their families and friends. Because of the social distancing requirements caused by the pandemic, this year the Library recorded authors reading their stories, so that the whole community could experience the joy of hearing the works of adult learners who are working to improve their literacy. You are invited to view these remarkable videos which are posted at www.akspl.org/literacy.

This anthology’s pandemic reflections were especially heart-felt and relevant as everyone continues to adapt to changes caused by the pandemic. Several learners wrote about the losses they had experienced, like the inability to see family or gather in large groups, supporting children with online school, learning how to meet with tutors remotely, and adapting to wearing face masks.

Author Martha Torres wrote an especially poignant account of what it was like when her sister was diagnosed with the COVID virus in her story Terrible News. She described the anguish she felt when she was unable to be at her sister’s side and the joy she experienced when her sister recovered. Also in the pandemic chapter are a series of six-word stories, written by tutors and learners, who described a pandemic experience in six words. Marisela Casillas wrote this six-word story: “I enjoy seeing my family more.” Six-word stories are fun to write and capture experiences succinctly – you may want to write a six-word story of your own!

In addition to stories on the pandemic, several learners wrote about their journeys to literacy. Cinderella Tran, in The Literacy Path, wrote in detail about how she felt coming to the library to ask for help with her reading and writing. She recalled her first contact with the program, what it felt like to meet and work with her tutor, and how her life changed after she attended literacy computer classes and learned how to use the internet. Cinderella shared that the knowledge she has gained was a “treasure that all of her tutors have given [her].”

Copies of volumes 1, 2, and 3 of Our Stories, A Collection of Writings are available for checkout at A. K. Smiley Public Library. We encourage you to take a moment and read about the fascinating lives of adult learners.

To help adults who want to improve their reading and writing, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program relies on its wonderful volunteer tutors. If you are interested in becoming a tutor, please contact Diane Shimota, adult literacy coordinator, with the Redlands Adult Literacy Program at (909) 798-7565 ext. 4138 or email literacy@akspl.org. If you know of someone who needs help in reading and writing, please encourage them to take the first step in changing their lives by contacting the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. The program is free and tutoring can be scheduled at the convenience of the adult learner and tutor.

The Family Literacy Program began one year ago at A.K. Smiley Public Library and what a year it has been for all of us! The California State Library provided funding for the Family Literacy Program because research has shown that parents are their children’s first and most important teachers. Family Literacy introduces adult learners and their children to the value of reading together and helps parents develop skills to support their children’s education with fun and creative learning activities.

Prior to the Library’s closure in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Family Literacy Program participants met in person. Parents and children made new friends and supported each other as they learned new strategies to encourage a love of reading. Family Literacy coordinators, Joan Prehoda and Renee Kennedy, adapted the Family Literacy Program to online meetings using Zoom last May. These online meetings provided new and unanticipated opportunities for families to learn. Children as young as 5 years old learned how to take Zoom polls online and join breakout rooms.

Zoom meetings proceeded in much the same manner as the pre-pandemic meetings with story time, crafts, and activities. Topics included studying insects, where we learned the life cycle of a butterfly using the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle and made symmetrical butterfly art. Families learned about gardening, when they read the book Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert and then planted bean and sunflower seeds in their gardens and prepared vegetable soup to eat, sending in photos of their growing seedlings and soup creations. One mom even sent a picture of her daughter helping to wash the dishes after dinner. They read Mouse Paint by Ellen Sholl Walsh, learned basic color theory, and practiced blending primary colors to create secondary colors. With each activity, families received a book to add to their home libraries and materials for family activities. Other books provided this year include Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Eric Carle, The Family Book by Todd Parr, Pumpkin Circle by George Levenson, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis, and more.

Even though the Zoom meetings were successful, families were excited to return to in-person meetings at A.K. Smiley Public Library where they met outdoors in the Children’s Garden in a socially distanced and safe way. This provided an opportunity for families to connect with one another safely from across the garden.

At the November meeting families discussed the concept of emotions and appropriate ways for their children to express those feelings. Families read The Way I Feel by Janan Cain and asked the children to use playdough on a face mat to recreate several different feelings. The families were provided with an emotions chart to stimulate conversation between parent and child about how they are feeling. A parent said, “I’ll use the chart all the time with my family members, because it is important to express feelings so I can help them.” Another parent commented, “This class helped my children feel more comfortable to talk about their feelings and know everyone has different feelings.”

The Family Literacy Program continues to meet monthly in a hybrid format with parent meetings provided over Zoom and in-person family literacy meetings in the garden when the weather permits and via Zoom during the cold winter months.

Special thanks are owed to instructors Joan Prehoda and Renee Kennedy who learned new teaching methods to successfully adapt to social distancing requirements. We congratulate the amazing families who have grown in unexpected ways this year and who continue to value and support their children’s education even as they face the challenges presented by the COVID pandemic.

The Family Literacy Program is one component of the Redlands Adult Literacy Program. Adult literacy activities continue to thrive even during the pandemic. If you are interested in becoming a tutor or if you would like help in reading and writing, please call Diane Shimota, adult literacy coordinator, at 909-798-7565, ext. 4138 or email her at literacy@akspl.org. The literacy program is free to all participants.

The holidays are a great time to pick out a new book and travel via the author’s story. Check out the adult literacy collection – we have books for all ages, books on CD and Playaway, and materials that can assist students during this period of remote learning.

Generous donors and grantors have enabled the Redlands Adult Literacy Program to acquire a wide selection of literacy materials that are available for checkout by anyone in the community. These materials may be helpful to students who want to improve their reading and writing skills, and adults who want to improve their English literacy skills. You are invited to peruse the adult literacy collection at A. K. Smiley Public Library where you will find: fiction and nonfiction stories, biographies, abbreviated classics, graphic novels, audio books, and workbooks that enhance learning for those who are working to improve their literacy. Literacy books are written with themes that appeal to adult readers, but with grammar and vocabulary that make the books easy to understand.

The adult literacy collection includes contemporary stories that are available to everyone regardless of their reading level. The Gemma Open Door Series books are quick and easy to read. One of these books, The Cell Phone Lot by Greta Gorsuch, was chosen by the adult learner book club for their November selection. The book is a story about a young woman who lost her job and found herself unable to pay her bills. This resilient young woman found a way to generate income by working for a ride-sharing company. Through this new endeavor, she built relationships with people she met as they waited for riders at the cell phone lot.

In 2017, the Redlands Adult Literacy Program chose The Circuit : stories from the life of a migrant child as a community read book for the year, and invited author Francisco Jiménez, to visit Redlands and speak about his books and his life. To read more of his story, the literacy collection includes his entire series of books: Breaking Through which describes his middle school years, Reaching Out that details his college experience, and finally, Taking Hold which follows his journey to Columbia University where he completed his PhD. We invite you to read more of Dr. Jiménez’s books.

Reluctant readers may enjoy reading graphic novels. These are illustrated stories with contemporary messages that are made all the more powerful because of the art associated with the story. Take a trip with Alpha as he searches for family members in Alpha Abidjan to Paris by Bessora Barroux. Simple drawings in the book enhance the story and add visual details to the author’s journey. Congressman John Lewis’s March series documents the civil rights movement from his point of view with color illustrations that bring the story alive on the pages.

Donations from The Redlands Community Foundation have enhanced the literacy program’s audio collection. Audio book packs include a book and a recorded version of the book. These book packs allow new readers to listen to the book as they read along with the audio version. By hearing words read aloud by a good reader, a reader builds fluency, word recognition, and pronunciation skills. This collection includes popular books like I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, and Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

The literacy collection includes workbooks to help reinforce vocabulary, grammar, or writing skills. Many of these workbooks are in a series that allow the reader to decide which workbook best serves their goals. Writing, grammar, comprehension, and vocabulary workbooks are available at a range of levels from very basic through advanced. Language Builder workbooks begin with a short grammar pre-test and lead the reader directly to pages that explain concepts that are new or forgotten.

The pandemic has not slowed down adult literacy activities. If you are interested in becoming a tutor or if you would like help in reading and writing, please call Diane Shimota, adult literacy coordinator, at 909.798.7565, ext. 4138, or email her at literacy@akspl.org. The literacy program is free to all participants. If you have any questions about the adult literacy collection, please call or email the adult literacy coordinator.