NEWSLETTER
Central (925) 927-3250 East (925) 754-8317
West (510) 527-7558 FAX (925) 646-6461
ccclib.org/psc

July/August 2013

It’s time for our annual Student and Tutor Recognition Event! This is our opportunity to thank and celebrate each of you. Family members are welcome too! Mark your calendar for Wednesday, Aug. 28th from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m. in the main Pleasant Hill Library. We’ll have cake and punch, and a lovely time will be had by all.

We will be releasing our most recent book of student writings, Let Me Say This,…9 at the party. You will be awed by this year’s book. It is full of stories that are inspiring, hopeful, funny, and poignant. I know you will enjoy reading them, and don’t forget to use them in your lessons!

We’ll also be honoring our tutors who have reached certain milestones. Helen Beyer has achieved 2,000 hour volunteer status! That’s AMAZING!! Helen has tutored four students since she began volunteering with PSC in 1986. Helen brightens our office each week, and her student, Ike E., has written a poem (below) honoring her.

HELEN

There have been very few people

that have meant more

to me than Helen.

Helen is getting me through

this learning process.

She is working hard at it.

Helen has never given up on me,

even when I wanted to.

She has spent so much time on me

and my poems.

She has made me a better poet.

She found an open mike in Brentwood.

Now we go there so I can read my poems.

Her 2,000 hours of tutoring

has meant so much to so many people.

There are very few heroes in this world,

and Helen is one of them.

Seven other tutors have achieved the 500 volunteer hour mark: Bob Barbero, Maria Caven, Helen Devol, Dennis Maybury, Penny Snyder, Carolyn Thiessen, and Kathy Urban. Congratulations, and thank you!!

Lastly, we couldn’t do the important work that we do without the support of community partners and friends. As such, we’ll be honoring Alison McKee from the Hercules Library with our Anne Cain Award.

We hope to see you at the party! Please call (925) 927-3250 by Aug. 21st to let us know if you (and any guests) will be attending.

Monday August 26, 10:30a.m.-12p.m. - Pleasant Hill

Book: WHO MOVED MY CHEESE? (Spencer Johnson, 96 pages, 1 hour audio CD) - bestselling fable about mice and people dealing with change and finding happiness. Engaging story with useful life lesson.

Read or listen to the story over the summer, and come ready to chat about it with PSC friends on Aug. 26. Ask for the book/CD now. Questions? Ask Kate.

Contra Costa County Library would like your input on a variety of issues in order to better serve the needs of our community. Your feedback will help in our planning process. Please share the survey link - ccclib.org/mylibrary - with family, friends, neighbors and colleagues so they can voice their opinions too. The survey takes about 3 minutes to complete. Thank you for taking the time to provide us with valuable feedback.

Students are reading:

Cynthia S. – City of Tranquil Light
Monika S. – Number the Stars & Tuesdays with Morrie
Ike E. – Victory: Tales of a Tuskegee Airman
Ehte E. – Dear Abby Classic Letters

Fantastic news! With tutor Asal Bidokhti’s help, Gene K. wrote a résumé and got a job!

Suzette Leith and Rocio C. celebrated the accomplishment of a huge long term goal: Rocio passed the California real estate salesperson exam, on her first try, no less. Congratulations Rocio, your hard work and preparation paid off!

Congratulations to our newest citizen, Lucia L.! With the help of her tutor, Steve Zanki, she passed the citizenship test. Way to go!

According to tutor Dick Josephson, Deborah H. wrote a letter to John Corcoran, the author of The Teacher Who Couldn’t Read and he responded. How exciting, Deborah!

With the help of his tutor Sarah Belinge, Manuel N. wrote his first grocery list. When he got home, he was pleased to discover that he hadn’t forgotten anything. Fantastic!

Art T. wrote an incident report at his job using complete sentences, correct suffixes, and only one spelling error. Excellent work, Art!

Work completed:

Terri M. with Mary Minutoli – Wilson Step 2
Art T. with Penny Snyder – Wilson Step 3
Denise S. with Christi McCullough – Wilson Step 4
Lucy E. with Anna Garrison – Wilson Step 4
Jennifer M. with Kerri Marvel – Wilson Step 5
Kenny C. with Cristine Hilsinger – Wilson Step 6
Oscar M. with Lora Osterloh – Wilson Step 10

Carolyn Seghers
Cheryl Domnitch
Cheryl Haynes
Colleen Brown
Connie Diernisse
Deanna Starnes-Holmes
Diane Miller
Dolores Weiman
Elaine Becker
Emily Hopkins
Geneva Henry
John Sindzinski
Jose Chang
Kurt Teichmann
Leila Tokuyama
Linda Lang
Lorraine Young
March Atoigue
Marge Nakamura
Mary Clifton
Mo Livermore
Pamela Corrigan
Rose Poirot
Roxanna Hoover
Sally Jaspan
Sandi Gritzer
Valerie Bekefy

Stuck On A Word?
by Karin

If a student gets stuck on a word or makes an error while reading aloud, how do you help them? Here’s a tip:

• Point out the error and say, “Try another way” or “Try again.”
• Still not correct? Say, “Break the word into parts and sound out each part.”
• Need more help? Sometimes a student is unable to break the word into parts on their own. Using a note card, cover all but the first syllable, ask the student to read the first syllable, then uncover and repeat the process with each of the following syllables. Then say the whole word.
• If all of this is unsuccessful, (4 misreads), then supply the word and have the STUDENT REPEAT THE WORD.

If a student makes an error and keeps on going, let them finish the reading and then address the error. If they get stuck and can’t move on, ask if you can help. Some students want an opportunity to work it out themselves before getting help. Teach them to use the strategy above so they can become independent readers.

What’s the difference between a reading error and a pronunciation error? Pronunciation errors refer to words said incorrectly and are thus read the same as they are said. For example, a foreign speaker may be unable to say “chip” and it comes out “ship” and is therefore read aloud as “ship.” Ask a native English speaker to say “chip” and he can say “chip,” but reads it aloud as “ship.” That’s a reading error, not a pronunciation error. If someone can say the word correctly when speaking, but makes an error during oral reading, that is a misread or word recognition error, not a pronunciation error. “Pronunciation” refers to spoken language and the ability to articulate the sounds in English.

Don’t forget that English words are spoken differently around the U.S. (not to mention abroad!). Check the dictionary for dialectical variations if you’re unsure about a pronunciation.

Reading Ideas for the Summer
by Veronica

Are you wondering about reading activities you can do with your child this summer? Check out your local library! Below are some ideas, and for additional details, call your library or visit the library’s website at ccclib.org.

Also, feel free to ask PSC staff for material about child development, reading comprehension tips, recommended book lists for children, and more!