Beginning Literacy

October 2023 / Beginning Literacy, ELA, Instruction, Literacy, Professional Development, Webinar

VALRC Launches Lessons from the Field Series with Webinar by Steven Reid

On Thursday, October 5, Steven Reid presents on “ESOL Basics with Preliterate Adult Learners.” Steven Reid is the Program Manager for Literacy Volunteers Charlottesville/Albemarle in Charlottesville, Virginia. He currently oversees… Read More

June 2023 / Beginning Literacy, ELA, Instruction, Literacy, Math, PROGRESS, VALRC

Wait, What!?! Fractions in a Reading Class?

by Janet Sodell At The READ Center in Richmond, Virginia; our classes include a mixture of low-level readers—all reading below the 4th grade equivalent. In addition to reading, our… Read More

June 2023 / Beginning Literacy, ESOL, GED®, HSE, Instruction, Literacy, Math, PROGRESS, VALRC

Integrating Numeracy into the Adult ESOL Classroom

by Hali Massey The definition of numeracy is “the ability to confidently interact with and engage in the mathematical demands of everyday life in the home, workplace, and community” (Ciancone,… Read More

July 2022 / Beginning Literacy, Culturally Responsive Education, Digital Literacy, Diversity, Equity-Minded Practice, ESOL, Instruction, Literacy, PROGRESS, VALRC, Virtual Learning

Virtual ESOL Classes for Afghan Women

by Darlene Fahrenkrug Last year, I taught two virtual English classes for Afghan women at a beginning level (including emergent readers). They studied on Zoom four hours… Read More

July 2022 / Beginning Literacy, Culturally Responsive Education, Diversity, Equity-Minded Practice, ESOL, Instruction, Literacy, Professional Learning Community, PROGRESS, VALRC

Serving Refugees Professional Learning Community (PLC)

by Hali Massey Adult education has an important role to play in the process of refugee resettlement in America as we are able to… Read More

July 2022 / Beginning Literacy, Culturally Responsive Education, Diversity, Equity-Minded Practice, ESOL, Instruction, Literacy, Professional Learning Community, PROGRESS, VALRC

How Virginia’s Refugee PLC Has Impacted Fairfax County Public Schools’ Adult ESOL Program

by Beth Clifton Definitely take advantage of VALRC PLC offerings. The Refugee PLC was invaluable with many resources still available… Read More

July 2022 / Accessibility, Beginning Literacy, Equity-Minded Practice, ESOL, Instruction, Literacy, Online Facilitated Course, PROGRESS, VALRC

Tips for Addressing ESOL Beginning Literacy Learners within a Multi-Level Classroom

by Melanie Siteki This spring, I participated in the Beyond Basics: ESOL Beginning Literacy course offered by VALRC. Although I currently teach… Read More

July 2022 / Beginning Literacy, ELA, ESOL, Instruction, Literacy, PROGRESS, VALRC

A Journey to Find Adult-Relevant Phonics and Phonemic Awareness Materials

by Cathy Cabrey I had been teaching English to adult emerging readers using traditional beginner English as a second language (ESL) books as guides for several years when my… Read More

April 2022 / Beginning Literacy, Literacy, SPOTLIGHT

Introducing The Voices of Virginia’s Adult Learners

The Inaugural Issue Hear the many voices of learners, both native-born and immigrant, putting their creative writing center stage. The variety of forms and… Read More

April 2021 / Beginning Literacy, ELA, ESOL, Financial Literacy, Instruction, Literacy, PROGRESS, VALRC

Financial Literacy: Money, and Budgets, and Cash Flow, Oh My!

by Jackie Corkins and Elizabeth Severson-Irby Financial literacy is an important skill that all learners use on a daily basis for: creating budgets; going grocery shopping; paying… Read More