Welcome to Write Away!
The writing forum for Project Read learners.

We've redesigned our blog so that adult learners working at Project Read can share what they have written with other learners, tutors, and the public. There are a few simple guidelines to be aware of.
  1. This is a moderated site, so submissions and comments will first be reviewed before being approved and published.
  2. Adult learners submitting their writing have the option of using their first name (only) or using "anonymous" for authorship.
  3. We wish to honor the writing efforts of the adult learner/authors, so no major copy editing will be applied, but we may suggest minor corrections in consultation with the author.
  4. Only active Project Read learners are eligible to submit their writing to the Write Away blog and there are two ways of doing this: send submissions via email to projectread@sfpl.org, or stop by the office with a hard copy of your writing.
  5. The views and opinions expressed on this web site are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not represent those of the San Francisco Public Library and/or the City and County of San Francisco.

Monday, December 12, 2011

6 Opportunities to Attend Tutor Roundtable Meetings!


Project Read's monthly Tutor Roundtable meetings are an opportunity for volunteers to engage in an open and rewarding discussion with other tutors and Project Read staff. At these informal meetings, you'll be able to share your success stories and offer encouragement to your fellow tutors. You will also pick-up some fresh instructional strategies to enhance your tutoring skills. And of course, we will provide some tasty pizza and drinks to support the conversation. 


Here are some upcoming dates for Tutor Roundtables for the first six months of 2012.  These meetings are held in the Conference Room of the Project Read office at the Main Library.

*   Tuesday, January 3 – 6:00-7:30 PM,
*   Saturday, February 4 – 1:00-2:30 PM
*  Tuesday, March 6 – 6:00-7:30 PM
*  Saturday, April 7 – 1:00-2:30 PM
*  Tuesday, May 1 – 6:00-7:30 PM
*  Saturday, June 2 – 1:00-2:30 PM 

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Holiday Party & Potluck -- December 8, 2011

Come celebrate the season with your fellow tutors,
learners, & library staff!

Project Read's Annual
Holiday Party & Potluck

Thursday, December 8, 2011
6:00 - 8:00 PM
Main Library - Latino-Hispanic Meeting Room, Lower Level

You'll enjoy some great food, music, a free raffle,
and special door prizes for everyone.

Friends and family members are always welcome.

Call (415) 557-4388 if you plan to attend,
and please bring a favorite holiday dish to share.

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Voting Workshop for Project Read Learners - October 19

Adult Learner Voting Workshop 
Presented by San Francisco Department of Elections Staff
Be prepared for the election on November 8th!



Learn all you need to know to cast your vote in
 San Francisco.
and
Complete your voter registration in time for the
November 8th election.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011
6:00 — 7:00 PM
Project Read Conference Room

Please call (415) 557-4388 if you plan to attend.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Tutor In-Service Class -- Tuesday, October 18


The Emotionally Intelligent
 Tutor-Learner Team

Presented by Annie Leuenberger, Project Read Tutor

At this workshop you will…
  • Gain an understanding of the theory of Emotional Intelligence and how it can benefit the relationship between tutors and learners
  • Explore techniques you can use to strengthen tutor-learner communication
  • Discover practical ideas for creating a positive motivational focus for your tutoring sessions

Tuesday, October 18, 2011
6:00—7:30 p.m.
Main Library—Latino-Hispanic Meeting Room—Lower Level
Please call (415) 557-4388 if you plan to attend.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

New All-Electric Project Read Van On the Road!

Project Read goes GREEN! Soon you will see a brand new Project Read Outreach Van traveling around the city.  This Ford Transit Connect van will be the first all-electric van in the city's fleet.  We want to thank the State Library (California Library Literacy Services grant) for providing the funding, the San Francisco Department of the Environment for supporting this purchase, the Office of Contract Administration for enabling the purchase process, SFPL graphic artist Barbara McMahan-Dennis for creating a wonderful exterior design, and our own Facilities Division (Roberto Lombardi, April Wan & Rhonda Porter) for their devoted hard work that made this project possible. 

Thursday, July 28, 2011

In-Service Workshop for Project Read Tutors -- August 24


Those Handy Instructional Aids
Presented by Randy Weaver,  Project Read Manager


This workshop will offer a hands-on review of the instructional aids located in the Project Read office. We’ll brainstorm ways to enhance your tutoring sessions by using the many 3-dimensional words, letters and games which are available, and we’ll discuss the importance of including multi-sensory techniques in your instructional plan.

Wednesday, August 24, 2011
6:00—7:30 p.m.
Project Read Conference Room, Main Library—2nd Floor

Please call (415) 557-4388 if you plan to attend.

Tuesday, July 05, 2011

Tutors are Invited to Attend Upcoming Tutor Roundtable Meetings

Project Read's monthly Tutor Roundtable meetings are an opportunity for volunteers to engage in an open and rewarding discussion with other tutors and Project Read staff.  At these informal meetings, you'll be able to share your success stories and offer encouragement to your fellow tutors.  You will also pick-up some fresh instructional strategies to enhance your tutoring skills.  And of course, we will provide some tasty pizza and drinks to support the lively conversation. 
     Here are the dates for Tutor Roundtables during the remainder of 2011:
  • Tuesday, July 5 -- 6:00 PM
  • Saturday, August 6 -- 1:00 PM
  • Tuesday, September 6 -- 6:00 PM
  • Saturday, October 1 -- 1:00 PM
  • Tuesday, November 1 -- 6:00 PM
All Tutor Roundtable meetings are held in the Project Read Conference Room on the 2nd floor of the Main Library at 100 Larkin Street.  Please call (415) 557-4388 if you plan to attend any of these meetings.

Wednesday, June 01, 2011

Tutor-Learner Teams: Join the Wednesday Night Readers Book Club!


This is the schedule of books being read and discussed by Project Read's Wednesday Night Readers book club over the next few months. Tutor-learner teams are encouraged to pick up these FREE books and audio books and then make plans to attend one of these exciting and rewarding discussions held on the last Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM. We make unabridged audio books available so that learners at any reading level can participate in the discussion.

Night by Elie Wiesel (discussed at the July 27 meeting, books & audio available June 29)
     In Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel's memoir Night, a scholarly, pious teenager is wracked with guilt at having survived the horror of the Holocaust and the genocidal campaign that consumed his family. His memories of the nightmare world of the death camps present him with an intolerable question: how can the God he once so fervently believed in have allowed these monstrous events to occur? (120 pages)

The Journey of Crazy Horse by Joseph M. Marshall III (discussed at the August 31 meeting, books & audio available July 27)
     Marshall draws on a rich Native American oral tradition to carefully and lovingly tell the life of Crazy Horse as a storyteller would. The result is a vivid, haunting biography. Raised on the Rosebud Sioux Reservation, Marshall recalls hearing his grandfather share stories of battles fought 75 years earlier against "Long Hair," the Lakota name for Gen. George Custer, vanquished at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Marshall reveals Crazy Horse as loyal son, spurned lover, instinctive warrior, doting father, compassionate hunter and natural leader. (336 pages)


Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (discussed at the September 28 meeting, books & audio available on August 31)
      Stephanie Plum, the Jersey bond enforcement agent, who already has two guys in her life, reconnects with Diesel, a third heartthrob. Diesel offers Stephanie a deal: if he lets her find Annie Hart, a relationship coach who's become a big-ticket bond on Stephanie's Most Wanted List, then Stephanie can do Annie a big favor by playing Cupid for a number of Annie's lovelorn clients, including a shy butcher, a desperate vet, an overworked single mom, a 30-something virgin and the marriage-phobic fellow who just happens to be Stephanie's pregnant sister's boyfriend. (176 pages)


Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach (discussed at the October 26 meeting, books & audio available on September 28)
     "Uproariously funny" is an unlikely description for a book on cadavers. However, Roach has done the nearly impossible and written a book as informative and respectful as it is irreverent and witty. Roach delves into the many productive uses to which cadavers have been put, from medical experimentation to applications in transportation safety research. Even Roach's digressions and footnotes are captivating, helping to make the book impossible to put down. (304 pages)


A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (discussed at the November 30 meeting, books & audio available on October 26)
     The story of Ebenezer Scrooge opens on a Christmas Eve as cold as Scrooge's own heart. That night, he receives three ghostly visitors: the terrifying spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. Each takes him on a heart-stopping journey, yielding glimpses of Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit, the horrifying specters of Want and Ignorance, even Scrooge's painfully hopeful younger self. Will Scrooge's heart be opened? Can he reverse the miserable future he is forced to see? Now in an unabridged edition gloriously illustrated by the award-winning P.J. Lynch, this story's message of love and goodwill, mercy and self-redemption resonates as keenly as ever. (158 pages)

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Cautiously Good News for Libraries in Governor's May Budget Revision!

Governor Brown's May budget revision includes the $15.2 million for libraries that many of you fought so hard for earlier in the year.  The $15.2 million includes $8.5 million for the California Library Services Act, $3 million for the Public Library Fund, and $3.7 million for California Library Literacy Services.  Clearly we are not out of the woods yet, as the Governor's budget revision still relies on a series of tax extensions, but it is good news for now.  Let's take the opportunity to thank the Governor and our legislators for acknowledging the value of libraries and literacy!

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

SAVE THIS DATE! June 14 -- Project Read Tutor & Learner Celebration

Annual Project Read Tutor & Learner Celebration
A special evening to honor Project Read’s
learners & tutors

Featuring:
* Tasty Food * Volunteer Service Awards *
* Adult Learners & Tutors as Guest Speakers *


Tuesday, June 14
6:00 — 8:00 p.m.

Main Library — Latino-Hispanic Meeting Room — Lower Level
Bring your friends and family!

Invitations will be coming your way in May

Monday, March 21, 2011

In-Service Workshop for Project Read Tutors: April 19 - 6:00 PM


Using Poetry to Enrich
Basic Literacy Instruction
Presented by Randy Weaver — Project Read Manager

Join us for this fun and interactive workshop where you will discover how poetry can be used to teach basic skills while adding variety and excitement to your tutoring sessions.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011
6:00 — 7:30 pm
Main Library—Latino-Hispanic Meeting Room, Lower Level
Please call (415) 557-4388 if you plan to attend.

Monday, February 14, 2011

2-Part Writing Workshop for Project Read Learners

Creating Your Writer to Writer Letter
Presented by Leon Veal,
Project Read Outreach Coordinator

In this 2-part workshop, Project Read learners will explore the parts of an award-winning letter, begin organizing their ideas for their personal letter to a favorite author, and review the step-by-step process for working with their tutors to create their own Writer to Writer entry (due April 29).

Part 1 — Wednesday, March 9, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Part 2 — Wednesday, March 16, 6:00 to 7:30 PM
Project Read Conference Room



Please call (415) 557-4388 
if you would like to attend




Monday, January 31, 2011

Tutor In-Service Workshop - Thursday, February 17 - 6:00 PM



Sizing-Up Your Syllables
Presented by Andrea Jesse,
Project Read Tutor & Language Teacher
Tutors, this workshop is a chance to review the basic principles of syllabication. Via a jazzy PowerPoint presentation and hands-on materials and activities, you will review many of the rules used to divide words into syllables. Exercises will be presented that can help your learner recognize syllable types and syllable division which can help improve spelling and pronunciation. Resources available to all tutor-learner teams will also be shared and discussed.


Thursday, February 17, 2011

6:00—7:30 p.m.
Main Library—Latino-Hispanic Meeting Room—Lower Level

Please call (415) 557-4388 if you plan to attend.

Friday, January 07, 2011

Writing Challenge for Adult Learners -- Writer to Writer 2011


Writer to Writer
10th Annual Writing Challenge
 for Adult Learners
sponsored by
Bay Area Literacy

 
 Adult Learners are Invited to...
  • Read or listen to a book that inspires you.
  • Write a letter to the author (living or dead)
  • You can write the letter yourself or get as much help as you need from your tutor/staff. You can even dictate your story to your tutor as s/he writes down your words. This challenge is for everyone—from beginning to advanced learners.
  • Give the letter along with the entry form to the Project Read staff.
  • All authors will have their letters published in a booklet.
Entry forms and a 10-page instructional curriculum, that can be used by tutor-learner teams as part of their lesson plan, are available in hard copy at the Project Read office and electronically on the Project Read website -- www.projectreadsf.org -- under "What's New!"

(Writer to Writer Materials at http://www.projectreadsf.org/)