News & Events
Welcome! Here you will find information on the latest goings-on at LV-Union County. The Schedule of Upcoming Events page will keep you informed of important events on our calendar.
Scroll down to read our latest press releases. The bottom of the page contains links to prior releases.
Literacy Volunteers of New Jersey
Hosts Successful Workshop
The "Creating Success for Adults with Learning Differences" workshop at the LV-NJ Professional Development and Training Conference on December 4, 2004 was a fabulous learning experience. Mr. Bob Weyhmuller, a learning disabilities teacher and consultant, helped demystify the numerous types of learning disabilities and causes of poor reading. His workshop was packed with excellent hands-on strategies for teaching reading and writing to our students with learning disabilities. A few of his strategies are listed below.
- The number one accommodation you can give your learner is more time. You can also try rephrasing your directions if your learner doesn't seem to understand.
- The inability to read fluently seriously interferes with a person's reading comprehension. Reading fluency is a combination of speed and accuracy. Most of us read about 150 words per minute with 2 errors. The following activities will help your learner improve reading fluency.
- Model fluent reading by reading aloud to your learner
- Have your learner listen to a taped story while following along in the book
- Review vocabulary prior to reading
- Time your learner reading aloud. Stop after 1 minute and count only the words read correctly. Repeat this exercise at each session and keep a progress chart.
- Have your learner read familiar texts such as song lyrics or nursery rhymes
- Practice choral reading - or reading aloud with your learner
There will be another learning disabilities workshop at the LV-NJ conference in May, 2005. Hope to see you there!
LV-UC Releases Program Statistics for 2004
Many of you may have seen our recent annual report with the LV-UC's program stats from 2003! Well, we recently finished compiling our results for calendar year 2004.
Thanks to the tireless efforts of our tutors, LV-UC provided 6,814 hours of literacy training to our learners. All of our volunteers deserve a round of applause for this effort. Together, they worked with 367 learners in just about every town in Union County.
Here are some of our learners accomplishments … Last year 4 learners received US citizenship (WOW) and 13 got citizenship skills. Eight learners got library cards (new readers HOORAY) and 2 got their driver's licenses.
2004 was also another successful year for reassessment of learners. Thirty one were reassessed and 77% moved up.
Among the individual accomplishments achieved by LV-UC's learners:
- Diane Elliot's learner Jocelyn graduated from LV-UC and went through our tutor training class. She is now an ESL tutor! We are sooooo proud.
- Pat Thompson want to brag about her student Alba Nelly. She recently graduated from Pat's group and is now enrolled in Union County College taking classes 4 times a week.
- Marilyn Meyerowitz's student Dario Novoa is beginning a medical boards review course to eventually practice medicine in the United States.
- Arlene Ferris Waks' student Anna Kushno is attending classes in Union County College.
- Sandra Garby's student Li Li finished the LVA training class and will now be tutoring for LVA.
Once again, a big "thank you" to all of our volunteers for making these results possible!
Links to Previous News Stories
LV-UC and Scotch Plains Library Establish Manya S. Ungar Adult Literacy Collection
Dollars and Cents: LV-UC Pilots Financial Literacy Program
Questions Galore at Immigration and Citizenship Session
A Message from the LV-UC Board
Area Schools & Local Youth Give a Boost to LVA/UC
New Jersey's Student of the Year: Blossom Johnson
A New LV-UC Tradition: The Tutor Appreciation Dinner
Literacy Giants Merge to Form ProLiteracy Worldwide
Tutors Meet for a Slice of LVA Pie
LVA Named as one of Top 100 Charaties by Worth Magazine
Literacy Volunteer Makes Every Wednesday Tutoring Night
LV-UC Learners and Tutors in the Star Ledger and on NBC
