Showing posts with label literacy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label literacy. Show all posts

Saturday, November 5, 2022

Volunteer Tutors are needed for the Franklin Public Library ESL & Adult Literacy Program!

If you have the time and interest to help adult learners improve their English reading, writing, speaking and listening, we have a volunteer opportunity for you!

To volunteer, you must have a high school diploma or equivalent, have patience, and be able to speak English clearly. Prior teaching experience is not required. Volunteer Tutors will be trained and all supporting materials will be provided. 

The time commitment is one orientation session, 18 hours of tutor training, and to meet with your student 2 hours per week for one year. 

If interested, please contact Assistant Library Director Kim Shipala at kshipala@minlib.net, or use this form ->  https://forms.gle/CnuoFsu7kgmCf7Z57


Volunteer Tutors are needed for the Franklin Public Library ESL & Adult Literacy Program!
Volunteer Tutors are needed for the Franklin Public Library ESL & Adult Literacy Program!

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

How to Spot Misinformation Online - 2 sessions at Franklin Senior Center - Jul 18 & 25

Join Steve Sherlock to walk through an online course from the Poynter Institute and MediaWise on how to spot misinformation online. 

Sign up at the Senior Center to participate for these session whether in person or via Zoom. 

When: 
Monday, July 18 - 1 PM (part 1)
Monday, July 25 - 1 PM (part 2)

“This free short course from MediaWise for Seniors will teach you how to tell what’s true and false on the internet. By looking at examples of political, health, travel and climate misinformation, you will learn techniques for identifying false information and how to seek out trustworthy sources. 
Christiane Amanpour, Joan Lunden, Lester Holt, Hari Sreenivasan and Dave Jorgenson — MediaWise Ambassadors — will also pop in to share their advice as experienced journalists to help you navigate information on platforms like Google, Facebook and more.”

The online course is listed as taking 1-2 hours. We have scheduled 2 one hour sessions to allow for discussion and following links to research current examples along the way.  

How to Spot Misinformation Online - 2 sessions at Franklin Senior Center
How to Spot Misinformation Online - 2 sessions at Franklin Senior Center

You can register with Poynter Institute and take the course on your own 

Friday, December 24, 2021

News Literacy Project --> a concise one-pager to better understand and avoid misinformation

"New from @NewsLitProject -- a concise one-pager with key insights, takeaways and reminders to help you and your loved ones better understand and avoid misinformation:

More about misinformation -> https://t.co/8UTBmli8NO
 
One pager ->  https://t.co/3FyPn4Wg4a"

News Literacy Project --> a concise one-pager  to better understand and avoid misinformation
News Literacy Project --> a concise one-pager  to better understand and avoid misinformation


News Literacy in Cedar Falls: Ande McMorris (video)


"When I'm on social media I see a lot of misinformation. Sometimes I think [it's] true. It really mixes up my train of thought." - Ande McMorris, a Sr & 🏈 captain at Cedar Falls HS, IA

But using @NewsLitProject's #Checkology has made a big diff 4 Ande ⤵️ Video link -> https://t.co/X3Fc7rewpc or https://youtu.be/im-xg0zK8mk

Shared from Twitter:  https://twitter.com/jakelam2116/status/1473075132155318272

Find the NewsLitProject -> https://newslit.org/

Wednesday, December 22, 2021

News literacy requires work on everyone's part, and that includes you

Via the News Literacy Project:

"2021 marked another year of rapidly spreading misinformation following breaking news events, from the Jan. 6 attacks on the U.S. Capitol to the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to the Biden presidency. Get ready for 2022 by reviewing our news literacy takeaways from the past 12 months. You’ll be prepared to recognize and debunk falsehoods, conspiracy theories and hoaxes in 2022, and know what information to trust, share and act on.

Science misinformation
No, vaccines don’t magnetize you, increase the risk of infertility, contain tracking devices, or cause cancer and HIV. But misinformation surrounding vaccines — along with other science-based topics like climate change — continued to deluge social media feeds throughout the year.

News literacy takeaway: Turn to credible, authoritative sources to confirm or debunk science-related content, such as NLP’s COVID-19 resources page or reputable institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And know that bad actors will even resort to cute cat videos as “engagement bait” to draw you to their sites and spread falsehoods."

Continue reading the article online

Checkology is one of the resources available for news literacy awareness   https://get.checkology.org/

News literacy requires work on everyone's part
News literacy requires work on everyone's part


Friday, February 26, 2021

Did you know that MA State Seal of Biliteracy program is at FHS?

📣 Attention FHS Students! @FranklinHS is participating in the MA State Seal of Biliteracy!  Show off your language skills by earning this certification.
Join our Google Classroom page for more information.
@MrHanna_FHS @FHSGuid @FranklinPSNews @FHSPantherbook @fhspanthertv
Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/LevansFHS/status/1364924220086640643

Did you know that MA State Seal of Biliteracy program is at FHS?
Did you know that MA State Seal of Biliteracy program is at FHS?


Tuesday, January 19, 2021

FM #439 Norfolk County RSVP - 01/13/21 (audio)

FM #439 = This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 439 in the series. 

This session of the radio show shares my conversation with Norfolk County RSVP Program Director Robert Pierson. We had our conversation via conference bridge to adhere to the ‘social distancing’ requirements of this pandemic period.

The recording runs about 22 minutes, so let’s listen to my conversation with Robert about Cyber Seniors and the free training available



--------------

Contact information
Robert Pierson, Director
Norfolk County RSVP Volunteer Program     
Phone: 781-234-3445
Fax: 781-326-6480
 
Norfolk County Commissioners' Office
614 High Street
Dedham, MA  02026

PLEASE VISIT US ON FACEBOOK:  www.facebook.com/NorfolkCountyRSVP

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER:   @NorfolkRSVP   https://twitter.com/NorfolkRSVP 

Recent RSVP Newsletter:  https://t.co/BoBNAv2v39?amp=1

-------------

We are now producing this in collaboration with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but we can't do it alone. We can always use your help.
 
How can you help?

  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
  • If you don't like something here, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements. I thank you for listening.
 
For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/ 

If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana"  c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters" 

FM #439 Norfolk County RSVP - 01/13/21 (audio)
FM #439 Norfolk County RSVP - 01/13/21 (audio)


Saturday, January 2, 2021

Mass Cultural Council: virtual reading series featuring MA literary artists

Via @masscultural
We've assembled a virtual reading series featuring MA literary artists @simoneivory, @grnethercott, @annavqross, @wvstrautmann, and @Shilpits
Listen now: https://t.co/DHaP8MzyAa

Shared from Twitter: https://twitter.com/masscultural/status/1344645025905463298?s=03


Literary artists who’ve shared a reading of their work (clockwise from top left): Alexis Ivy, Simone John, GennaRose Nethercott, Shilpi Suneja, Jacob Strautmann, and Anna VQ Ross.]
Literary artists who’ve shared a reading of their work (clockwise from top left): Alexis Ivy, Simone John, GennaRose Nethercott, Shilpi Suneja, Jacob Strautmann, and Anna VQ Ross.] Photo from @masscultural

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Need to Read? Try a Little Free Library? or Start a new one

"Welcome to the world’s largest book-sharing movement! Join us in:
  • Building Community
  • Sparking Creativity
  • Inspiring Readers"
https://littlefreelibrary.org/


Little Free Library locations in Franklin, MA



On map:
  • 26 Lawrence Dr
  • Franklin Federated Church, 171 Main St
  • 109 Union St
  • 131 Hillside Road

Not on map:
  • 366 Lincoln St
  • 28 East Park St
  • Davis Thayer
  • Hockomock YMCA (Forge Hill) (added via feedback)
  • ??

If you know of one not on this listing, please let me know




Little Free Library locations in Franklin, MA (as of 3/14/20 noon)
Little Free Library locations in Franklin, MA (as of 3/14/20 noon)
Need to Read? Try a Little Free Library
Need to Read? Try a Little Free Library

Monday, February 3, 2020

FM #198 - Jeff StGermain On "How I Read" - The Word Experiences Tour (audio)

FM #198

This is the Franklin Matters radio show, number 198 in the series, we are now collaborating on with Franklin.TV and Franklin Public Radio (wfpr.fm).

Jeff St Germain, author and resident of Franklin sat with me recently at the Franklin studio. He talks about his new children’s book “How I Read” and the background research driving him to develop ‘word experiences’ for young children.

Listen to our conversation, approximately 24 minutes


https://www.hipcast.com/podcast/HrD7VxrX





-------------

Visit https://howtoreadbooks.com/about-talsd.html to learn why the focus of each event is "word experiences" for the participants.

Follow Jeff on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/howtoreadbook/

“The Early Catastrophe” by Hart-Risley https://www.aft.org/sites/default/files/periodicals/TheEarlyCatastrophe.pdf

Related link to the Hart-Risley study mentioned
http://www.wvearlychildhood.org/resources/C-13_Handout_1.pdf

Link to NPR audio report updating the study with new info
https://www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/06/01/615188051/lets-stop-talking-about-the-30-million-word-gap

Betty Hart’s wikipedia entry https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Hart
Todd Risley interview on YouTube https://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/experts/todd-risley


For the inquiring minds: the book that had my attention so deeply that I almost missed getting off the train, not once but twice with the same book: The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman  http://philip-pullman.com/hdm


Jeff and Klondike at the Franklin Public Library
Jeff and Klondike at the Franklin Public Library

------------

This podcast is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can always use your help.

How can you help?
  • If you can use the information that you find here, please tell your friends and neighbors
  • If you don't like this, please let me know

Through this feedback loop we can continue to make improvements.
Thank you for listening.

For additional information, please visit Franklinmatters.org/
If you have questions or comments you can reach me directly at shersteve @ gmail dot com

The music for the intro and exit was provided by Michael Clark and the group "East of Shirley". The piece is titled "Ernesto, manana" c. Michael Clark & Tintype Tunes, 2008 and used with their permission.

I hope you enjoy!

------------------

You can also subscribe and listen to Franklin Matters audio on iTunes or your favorite podcast app; search in "podcasts" for "Franklin Matters"


Wednesday, January 2, 2019

MA Senate Ends 2017-2018 Session

Senate passes initiatives to increase financial literacy, shore up pipeline safety, and provide increased funding for line of duty benefits

The Massachusetts State Senate closed out the 2017–2018 legislative session today with action on a number of bills, spanning issues such as public safety, education, and consumer data protection, among other things. The Senate also passed a supplemental budget designed to address time-sensitive funding needs.

"I am proud of the work the Senate has done this session, and its commitment to working on important issues up to very last day," stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka. "I would like to thank each and everyone in the Senate for their insight, willingness to collaborate, and dedication to the people of the Commonwealth as we continue to move Massachusetts forward."

In response to public safety concerns raised by the Merrimack Valley gas fires, the Senate enacted legislation that requires all utilities to engage a professional engineer to review utility work plans. This follows a bill, signed by the Governor yesterday, that extends unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for workers locked out by National Grid for 26 weeks, or until the lockout ends, whichever comes first.

The Senate approved final passage of a consumer data protection bill, known as the 'Equifax' bill, that helps consumers protect their private information through free security freezes, free credit monitoring when a credit reporting agency is breached, and requiring prior consent from an agency to access a consumer's report, as well an explanation for the disclosure.

To better serve the needs of our students, the Senate passed a bill that allows for the establishment of standards for students in kindergarten through grade 12 on personal financial literacy. The bill also permits educational institutions to incorporate personal financial literacy standards into existing mathematics, social science, technology, business, or other curricula. The Senate also passed an initiative that improves governance and oversight of educational collaboratives and allows them to provide services to individuals with developmental disabilities over the age of 22 in certain circumstances.

The Senate acted to end gender discrimination in disability insurance, bringing it into line with insurance provided by employers and subject to federal nondiscrimination law. It also passed a supplemental budget to provide sufficient funding to cover line of duty benefits for the year.

The end-of-session activity follows the recent passage of a new law designed to regulate and tax short-term rentals, while creating a framework in which this innovative industry segment can grow.

Bills passed by both the House and Senate will be sent to the Governor, who has ten days to sign them into law. The next legislative session begins tomorrow, January 2, 2018


The MA Senate End of Session Report
https://malegislature.gov/cc/Reports/senate-session-2017-2018.pdf

For more information on the MA Senate
https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Senate

For more information on the MA House of Representatives
https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/House

MA Senate Ends 2017-2018 Session
MA Senate Ends 2017-2018 Session


Wednesday, March 21, 2018

In the News: Sunshine Week articles and links to be aware of

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:
"We’ve become so accustomed to frequently and easily accessing information on demand — from more sources and in more forms than at any other time in history — that it’s easy to forget how quickly our information landscape has evolved and what that evolution means for us as individuals, as news consumers and as participants in a democracy. 
It can also be easy to forget how much the information we choose to read, watch and hear really matters. It’s the basis for many of the decisions we make — for ourselves, for our families and for our civic society. It helps us determine the kind of lives we lead, the social and political structures we want to change or preserve and the kind of world we inhabit. It is the very foundation of both personal empowerment and a robust democracy. 
To be meaningfully engaged with the world around us, we must be informed. But what does that mean in an age of information overload in which so much “content” isn’t what it appears to be? How, in other words, can we know what to believe?"

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/20180320/sunshine-week-importance-of-recognizing-fighting-against-fake


“All politics is local.” This famous quote by Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, the former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and proud son of Massachusetts, is used so often that it often seems cliché. But its frequent usage underscores the profound truth that drives decisions made by those in government, whether it be at city or town hall, the state house or the U.S. Capitol, and even the White House. 
In this regard it is critical that citizens feel empowered, and in fact encouraged, to communicate with their elected and appointed officials utilizing both traditional and new, innovative means of communication. 
The advent of social media has impacted every sector of society, with both positive and negative consequences. The internet and the explosive expansion of the use of handheld devices and tablets have facilitated new means of communication and commerce. People now email and text much more frequently, reducing the utilization of landline telephones at home or work. This technology has lowered the cost of entry into sectors of the economy and created new, disruptive businesses such as Lyft, Uber, Airbnb and Venmo, a mobile payment service."


Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/20180320/sunshine-week-new-amp-traditional-ways-to-approach-your-elected-officials



"Want to be a more informed and engaged citizen? Here are suggested websites: 
U.S. Congress: Members of Congress and tracking legislation, congress.gov. 
Watch live and video of the Senate, senate.gov/floor/index.htm and the House, at houselive.gov. 
Federal Election Commission: Campaign financing in federal elections, including how much campaigns are raising and spending, and who’s contributing, fec.gov. 
Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance: Campaign financing in state and local elections, how much campaigns are raising and spending, and who’s contributing, ocpf.us."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
http://www.milforddailynews.com/opinion/20180320/tools-to-becoming-more-engaged-citizen

screen grab of  The News Literacy Project
screen grab of  The News Literacy Project

This website is my public service effort for Franklin but I can't do it alone. I can use your help.

How can you help?

If you like this, please tell your friends and neighbors.
If you don't like this, please let me know.

If you would like to be more involved, write an article or two, please reach out and let me know.



Thursday, April 1, 2010

Transliteracy - a new opportunity

Interesting points made on how the library should consider changing its mission are raised this brief video.




Read the full posting here.

What do you think? Should the library charter change from literacy to transliteracy?

Note: email subscribers will need to click through to view the video on Franklin Matters.


Franklin, MA

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Live reporting - Literacy update

c. Literacy Update – Michele Kingsland-Smith

The presentation used:


Note: email subscribers will need to click through to view the presentation.

The amount of time kids are spending reading has increased 100%. I have no doubt about it.

There is always a connection between the reading and what they learned. The consultants are working on building a collegial learning environment so that the entire building feels comfortable.

Last year all teachers reached the "launch" training.
This year 4 and 5th will be working on learning how to do the "Group Reading Assessment and Evaluation (GRADE)" process.

"Key Three" strategies are being implemented throughout the middle school classrooms.

Grade 6 teachers will also pilot GRADE (as outlined above).

The "managing complex change" slide is most interesting. It can be used to understand other changes.

Some technical difficulty in trying to present a movie from a DVD. Choice Literacy, a national program, made a DVD using the Franklin program and personnel.


Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Proposal to restructure around literacy

Though adolescent literacy instruction is prime for more research and development, A Time to Act underscores the importance of teaching reading within the nuanced context of each subject area, and beyond the current concentration on decoding skills in grades K-3.
Read the full posting about the new report just released by the Carnegie Corporation of New York’s Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy here


The new report advocates restructuring schools K-12 around literacy.


You can also obtain the full report here.


Recall that the elementary school of Franklin have literacy as their number one goal across the School Improvement Plans just presented to the School Committee


Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Live reporting - Literacy continued

SchCom_LiteracyUpdate

Sara Klim provides an update on the introduction of Readers Workshop
Professional development assisting with the consultants to help the other teachers in the district, i.e. a "train-the-trainer" model.

Middle School

Developed K-8 assessment process to be used across the district
Discovered inconsistency amongst the middle school in they way assessments were conducted
Focusing on the incoming 6th grade literacy skills currently to work through and work out the inconsistencies

Used one of the Professional Development half days to work on a unit and rework it to meet the literacy requirements

Observing sharing amongst the middle school teachers more so than ever before


Elementary

First time receiving professional development with her students in the class after many years of good professional development here in Franklin

Readers Workshop model is exciting to work with at the elementary level

The Lab classroom teachers the most powerful component of the professional development
Lab classrooms used as resources within the building

Joan Toye, Principal at Kennedy Elementary, sits with 4-5 students for lunch twice a week, feedback from the students on what they like this year, 80-90 percent say that they really like the reading this year, they can sit, and read, and have time to think about what they are reading.

Why?
Think critically
Read widely
Read strategically
Communicate effectively
Implementation of this type program usually takes 5-7 years, feedback from the teachers and consultants are indicating a greater acceptance at an early stage than expected.

Crucial that the vocabulary is taught prior to the use in reading

There are too many ways to do note taking, the Franklin teachers need to come together and simplify their approach so that it more easily implemented.

Cornell notes - have been around for sometime, hindsight is 20/20 but it can be powerful

We SQ3R'd everything. (Survey Question Read Write Review)

Live reporting - Literacy Update

Literacy Initiative – Michele Kingsland-Smith, Joan Toye, Tricia Capaldi, Sarah Klim, Paul Peri, Brenda Redding, and Debbie Goss

The actual presentation document used this evening:




Schools with exemplary reading practices do the following:
Time
Text
Teaching
Talking
Tasks
Testing

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Allocation of $180,000 - 3 teachers come back

Rohrbach
With the additional funds from the athletic funds that were in the budget and not currently encumbered, the budget subcommittee decided to use it to return three teachers from the 45 layoffs, likely at the elementary level


Sabolinski
biggest impact of cuts were at the elementary level
school principals got together to come up with a recommendation

Proposed to add back at
Keller - one grade 4
Oak - one grade 3
Kennedy - one grade 2
class sizes were slated to be 28-30

would now reduce the overall teacher layoffs from 45 to 42


Cora Armenio -
The reduction at the high school of 17 teachers, already on warning for that situation
Would 3 make a difference for this status?

Sabolinski -
Maybe, but with the positions already cut and courses already reduced
there is still the facility issue

the importance of the elementary levels is where it all starts
literacy is important
high schoolers will get into larger class sizes in college

Jeff Roy -
Miriam Goodman has currently allocated a budget of 49,760,242
She adds the 180,000 and comes back with the new budget of 49,940,242
with a full line by line accounting so we can vote that budget in July

Ed Cafasso -
can you enunciate a little better about how these three are being re-allocated so we can create a better understanding of what these decisions are and why we are making them

tried to get a close to the school committee guidelines as possible, we would need more teachers to make a better decision

Maureen Sabolinski -
So to clarify the principals can move forward and start to fill those positions

Jeff Roy
Yes

the final FY09 budget will be ready for vote in July