One of the benefits of having any literacy program in a library is that there is a wealth of information we can use to improve any person’s knowledge and skills. Everyone has access to this information and the librarians are always eager to find the information one desires.

Our adult literacy program has accumulated a core collection of workbooks and resources over the years. We are always updating our collection as new materials are published, and we even purchase materials that are specific for a learner. As you work with your learner, you will find that certain resources in the literacy collection will work well, while others may not. This will happen since learners have different strengths and weaknesses in literacy. You will have that discretion to choose the appropriate materials, but we will get you and your learner started with some initial materials. Feel free to continue using the suggested materials while exploring other types of resources in our collection, in the library, other libraries, or online.

Once you’ve finished your tutor training, talked with our staff, and reviewed your learner’s assessment that was conducted by staff, you will likely have more questions. Many tutors who start their first few sessions will have many questions for our staff as it can sometimes feel like you’re walking through a dark room to find answers on how to help your learner. While our staff is eager to help, there are three resources you can use here in the library.

Altadena Libraries Let’s Read, Altadena Adult Literacy Tutor Manual

Everything that has been covered in your online tutor training will be in this manual, which will be given to every tutor as they start tutoring. The manual will serve as a quick resource if you are looking for a brief summary on a topic such as phonics, reading and comprehension, vocabulary, and other topics you will use with your learner. It will be good to review this manual several times during your first few sessions. As you talk with your learner, it may not always be clear why your learner is having difficulties improving their literacy skills. Looking back at this manual can give you some ideas how to approach tutoring methods, which you can learn more about in the materials below.

Teaching Adults: A Literacy Resource Book and LITSTART: Strategies for Adult Literacy and ESL Tutors

Our two most popular and helpful books for tutors are Teaching Adults: A Literacy Resource Book and LITSTART: Strategies for Adult Literacy and ESL Tutors. Much of your online tutor training comes from these two books.

LITSTART will give you the methods and general information needed to tutor an adult. Published by Michigan Literacy, Inc. this resource has been around since 1986, and is currently in its third edition. In it, you will learn about three tutoring levels, learning styles, a holistic definition of reading, lesson planning, portfolio assessment, and more.

Teaching Adults is a similar book with an emphasis on instructional strategies that help adults improve their literacy skills. In it, you will find 80 activities that you can use with your learner. If you ever think you are running out of activities, you can always open this book to try something new.

Besides these two books, there are teacher guides for the multiple workbook series we have in the collection. This will be covered below.

When a learner comes to Let’s Read Altadena’s adult literacy program our staff will conduct a general literacy assessment with them. We will take notes such as what their reading level is, whether they have difficulty comprehending passages, and if they can write at a basic level. From there, we will choose from a group of workbook series that can help you start the first few sessions with your learner. Here are a few workbook series you and your learner might use:

Journey to Success workbook series consists of eight workbooks; each with different themes of daily life. Each workbook has a set of lessons that increase in skill level for reading, comprehension, vocabulary, and writing. A typical lesson plan begins with questions about a certain theme such as life goals and ambitions. This is to start a conversation between you and your learner before you begin the lesson. Next, the lesson will cover keywords that will come up during the lesson plan. These might be names or concepts your learner is unfamiliar with. A reading passage will follow along with exercises such as vocabulary and reading comprehension.

The Laubach Way to Reading workbooks are useful for learners at a beginner’s literacy level. This series has been around for 30 years, consists of four levels, and is phonics-based reading and writing. They work well with those who are just starting to read and write, as well as ESL learners.

Breakthrough to Math is a six level series totaling twenty workbooks. These books cover the basics of adding and subtracting up to algebra and geometry. While our adult literacy does not require tutors to be mathematicians, you may find it helpful to cover math especially as they work on home budgets and as they prepare for the GED test.

To break the monotony of the important exercises, we have tons of flashcards, Sight-Word Bingo, and two newspaper subscriptions. Use these resources for a lighter session or just to change up the tutoring routine. There is of course, the whole library at your and your learner's disposal.  Our non-fiction collection is useful to explore an interest the learner may have or when a particular topic comes up during discussion or an exercise.
So, feel free to explore the library for other helpful information.

Return to main page: www.altadenalibrary.org/tutortraining