The Journey
         A newsletter for Phi Theta Kappa chapter advisors, chapter officers, and regional officers.  

Summer Reading Programs help kick off Phase II of the International Service Program

As Phi Theta Kappa enters Phase II of the Society's International Service Program, the America Reads Challenge, our focus remains on helping all children read well. Although your chapter may be making plans for America Reads projects to implement this fall, the summer provides an ideal time to teach a child the joy of reading.

Many members may find their schedule allows more time for volunteering during the summer break from classes. To assist your chapter in coordinating summer reading programs, the United States Department of Education has developed special resources available free of charge. An order form for Read*Write*Now! materials is enclosed with this issue of The Journey.

At Coffeyville Community College in Coffeyville, Kansas, Phi Theta Kappa members will continue their literacy efforts this summer by sharing the gift of reading with emotionally and physically abused children. To support the New Life Center, a home for abused children, the chapter asked each member attending a recognition ceremony in May to donate at least one book appropriate for children in kindergarten through the fifth grade. Almost 100 books were collected.

"This summer we will be working with a local carpenter to build a rolling bookshelf to house the books," says Linda McFate, the chapter's advisor. The bookcase will be placed in one of the resident homes of the Center.

Phi Theta Kappa members at St. Louis Community College's Meramec Campus in St. Louis, Missouri, teamed with their campus police to organize a children's festival that in years past focused primarily on safety awareness. By incorporating the America Reads theme, the HEARTS Children's Festival is now called the Meramec Children's Literacy and Safety Festival -H.E.A.R.T.S. (Helping Educate America through Reading, Teaching, Storytelling and Safety.)

The chapter invited local and national literacy organizations to present free literature on creative and effective literacy awareness programs and provided packets for parents, educators, and citizens to begin mentoring in the community, at the work place, and in the home. The festival, held May 8, included an arts and crafts section, food, storytelling sessions, a performance by the St. Louis Ballet, and appearances by local celebrities and sports figures.

In Mississippi, members at Copiah-Lincoln Community College in Wesson organized and conducted Parent Workshops at a nearby elementary school. Workshop participants learned innovative ways to assist their children with their reading skills. They also received information about activities they can do as a family during the summer to keep the child interested in education.

To implement a successful volunteer tutoring program this summer, consider these helpful hints:

• Identify a staff person or connection within the school system to acclimate you and your fellow chapter members to the school's culture and to give you regularly scheduled feedback.

• Structure your tutoring sessions to include various reading activities, word analysis, writing, and the introduction of new stories.

• Take the time to prepare and practice for the tutoring sessions.

• Get to know the child. The relationship between the tutor and child should never be underestimated. It is important to be responsive to his or her interests. For example, if a child has a puppy the tutor could use reading material about dogs.

• Before the child reads, have her look over the book and make predictions about the story based on the pictures.

• While reading to the child, pay attention to behavior. Is he asking questions? Does the child try to guess what will happen next?

• After reading, have a discussion about the material. Ask how the child might tell the story to a sibling or a friend.

• Celebrate the accomplishment of a book read, a word pronounced correctly, and milestones met!

   

Practical Steps

Check This Out!

Literacy Volunteers of America (LVA), a national network of more than 375 certified, locally-based education programs, has announced a new resource for reading tutors, "Help a Child Learn to Read" by Judy Blankenship Cheatham. This hands-on manual addresses the best practices for tutoring children and includes sample exercises, word lists, age-appropriate reading lists, and more.

To find out more about this new resource, check out a sampler of the book at the LVA web site, or contact Karen Le Morvan at 315.472.0001, ext. 205, to have a sampler sent to you.

For ordering information, call 800.582.8812. Be sure to mention Phi Theta Kappa's partnership with America Reads to receive information about discounts.

Phi Theta Kappa International Honor Society
Center for Excellence
1625 Eastover Drive
Jackson, MS  39211
800.946.9995