September/October 2013
Central (925) 927-3250 East (925) 754-8317
West (510) 527-7558 FAX (925) 646-6461
ccclib.org/psc

There is so much to talk to you about this month!

First, the library is updating its Strategic Plan, and we are gathering input from the community to learn how to better serve your needs. We hope you all took the survey, but we’d like to go even deeper with you. The library is conducting a series of Town Hall meetings throughout the county, and we’d welcome your participation. Please go to ccclib.org for the meeting date in your community. Help shape the future of your library!

Second, calling all Pizza Lovers!! Patxi’s Pizza in Lafayette will donate 10% of all sales, all day on Monday, October 7th to PSC. This applies to eat-in, carry-out, ready-to-bake, gift cards, and delivery. So head over to Patxi’s and “Enjoy a Slice for Literacy!”

Next, in our last newsletter I did not acknowledge Cristine Hilsinger, our newest 500 hour tutor. Congratulations, Cristine! Well done, and thank you. And speaking of tutors,...PSC’s next tutor training begins on Sept. 18th, so if you know anyone who is interested in tutoring with us, please encourage them to register!

Last (but definitely not least), the Contra Costa County Library received the IMLS 2012 National Medal for Museum and Library Service, the nation’s highest honor for museums and libraries. As part of the award, the library was honored with a visit from StoryCorps, who recorded 18 pairs who conversed about the impact libraries have on their lives. Three PSC student/tutor pairs participated in this opportunity: Victoria V. and Ursula Waskey; Vince L. and Jeannie Kanan; and Oscar M. and Lora Osterloh. You can listen to an excerpt from Oscar and Lora’s recording on the library’s website (http://ccclib.org/storycorps/). You’ll love it! And all 18 recordings will eventually be preserved at the Library of Congress.

You may know that Agatha Christie is considered “the Queen of Crime,” but did you know that she also had a learning disability?

Christie had problems balancing a checkbook, trouble spelling, and such terrible handwriting that she often dictated her writings to a typist. Despite these troubles, Christie wrote 66 detective novels and influenced almost all mystery authors who came after her.

Here’s your chance to read one of her mystery novels! Join us for a two-part workshop.

We will be reading Murder at the Vicarage, which is the first novel to feature Christie’s famous character Miss Marple. The edition we will use is abridged and has an accompanying audio CD. Students can choose whether to read or listen to the book – or do both.

The two meetings will be held in the Pleasant Hill PSC office and will take place on:
• Tues., Sept. 17 from 12:00-1:00 p.m.
• Tues., Oct. 15 from 12:00-1:30 p.m.
At the first meeting, we will review difficult vocabulary and preview the plot. Before the meeting concludes, the book will be distributed to those who wish to attend the second meeting. The second meeting will follow a book club discussion format.

Pairs are encouraged to attend together, but students are welcome to come with or without their tutors. Unfortunately, there are a limited number of books, and it is possible that only students will receive copies.

Please enroll by Thurs., Sept. 12 by calling (925) 927-3250.

Success Stories:

Students are reading:
Pleasant Hill Book Club – Who Moved My Cheese?
Olena L. – One More Day & A Dream Come True
Elena N. – The Madonnas of Leningrad & The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

Congratulations to Gladys L., Elena N., and Danny W. for completing the Adult Learner Leadership Institute in Berkeley this summer. All three graduates enjoyed the experience and look forward to applying the skills they learned. We are so proud of you!

According to tutor Lynn Jones, Danny W. signed up for a library card and has already started checking out audio books. So exciting!

Ehte A. sent an email to her tutor, Jane Copps, independently for the first time. Wonderful!

After working with her tutor, Janet Moran, for four months, Harriet W. picked up a magazine and read an article fluently for the first time. In the past, she had avoided such reading activities. Fantastic, Harriet!

Adaugo N. is now the proud recipient of a GED! She recently passed the last two tests of the five needed for the Test of General Educational Development (the high school equivalency exam). An Orinda Woman’s Club scholarship paid for the test fees and bus fare to get to the Pittsburg Adult School and PSC. Adaugo has been in PSC off and on since 2008, but never gave up! Congratulations, Adaugo, and thank you Orinda Woman’s Club!

Work completed:

Doug B. with Diane Miller – Wilson Step 1
Harriet W. with Janet Moran – Wilson Step 1
Martha G. with Sheryl Sankey – Wilson Step 3
Rosa C. with Luise Hall-Gustafson – Endeavor 3
Danny W. with Lynn Jones -- Wilson Step 3
Elena N. with Marcia Farrar – Wordly Wise 4

Mon., Oct. 21st, from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Ygnacio Valley Library
2661 Oak Grove Road, Walnut Creek

Mark your calendar for a Ron Shoop Book Club Forum. Ron, a representative of Penguin Random House, will review amazing books for your reading pleasure and holiday gift giving! The event is free, and there will be a raffle for a free bag of books.

Thur. Nov 7, 2-3:30pm or 6-7:30pm
(pick one session)
RSVP by 10/31 (sessions will be cancelled if under-enrolled)

First, PSC staff will show you a new set of hands-on “manipulatives” that can be used in Pleasant Hill (or made yourself) to reinforce lessons on parts of speech, irregular verbs, punctuation, capitalization, contractions, suffixes, and more. Then we’ll have an open discussion about any tutoring issues that you’d like to talk over with fellow tutors and staff.

The American Library Association (ALA) is focusing on increasing public understanding of the value of libraries. As part of this effort, the ALA has developed a Declaration for the Right for Libraries to serve as a strong public statement of the value of libraries for individuals, communities, and our nation. As each of you play an enormous role in the Contra Costa County Library system, please read this and feel proud!

Visualization Exercise
by Kate

Here’s an exercise for all you visual learners. Dictating sentences is a good teaching tool for both ESL and Learning Disabled students. Dictating a properly constructed sentence models good grammar to ESL students, and is a part of each Wilson lesson. Visualizing what is being dictated can help build the connection between images and the written word.

Rather than have your student simply copy down each word you dictate without thinking about it, let her first absorb the meaning of the sentence you are dictating by visualizing it. For this, you’ll need to slow down and let her savor each phrase.

First ask your student to put her pencil down, so she is not immediately focused on how to spell what you say. Say the whole sentence once. Then break it into phrases, asking her to repeat each phrase after you say it: Mary and Bob/had dinner/in a special restaurant/last night.

Still before writing the sentence, ask her to describe how she is picturing what is happening in the sentence. What do Mary and Bob look like? What kind of food did they order? How did it smell? Was it a special occasion? What did the restaurant look like? Was it crowded? Romantic? Were there candles? Tablecloths? Flowers?

Now when you say, “Mary and Bob had dinner in a special restaurant last night,” and she repeats it, she will have a clear picture of the subject. Now she’s ready to write the sentence, using the picture in her mind as her guide.

So when dictating, it’s: 1) say; 2) picture; and 3) write.

Try this technique when writing original ideas too. Before your student begins to write, ask her to visualize (or even sketch) what she’d like to write about. Encourage her to develop interesting details to enrich the sentence.

When writing her own ideas, it’s: 1) think; 2) picture; and 3) write.

by Veronica

There are lots of reasons to visit the library in person or electronically. With computers at your fingertips, you should explore the library’s TumbleBook Library, a collection of animated talking picture books in English, French and Spanish. The read-along feature allows you to adjust the text size, font, color, and page background color. The storybook option gives you a chance to “sit back and listen or read along at your own speed.”

Also within the TumbleBook Library, there is a listing of nonfiction books that cover science, math, history, geography, biography, animals, insects, and seasons. Other non-fiction materials include National Geographic videos of animals and insects, places in the world, man-made structures, and many more topics. Puzzles, games and quizzes are available for use, too.

The TumbleBook Library is designed for children. There are books for those who are beginning, intermediate and advanced readers. So, if you want to –
• listen to a story and follow the text,
• practice reading books at your own pace,
• improve your reading comprehension, or
• expose your child to a variety of material,
• then try it!
You can use the PSC computer lab (where a volunteer lab tutor or staff member will help you) or use your computer at home. You will need a library card to get started. Then, begin a new and rewarding reading experience by -
• opening the Contra Costa County Library homepage at ccclib.org
• clicking on the Kids menu
• clicking on Databases when the webpage opens
• scrolling to the bottom of the page
• clicking on TumbleBookLibrary.

Journaling can be a gentle and effective way to get comfortable writing. Come see different kind of journals, get journal-writing prompts,
and get started.

Mon., Nov. 18, 10:30-12 or 3-4:30