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Contextualizing Adult Education: Learning from Six Decades of Experience and Research
September 2020, ProLiteracy released a research brief focused on the importance of contextualizing adult education. Read more to learn about what research has to say, as well as strategies to contextualize instruction with adult learners.
CCRS for Adult Education
The College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS) is the document that lays out the standards for English Language Arts/Literacy, Math, and Foundational Reading Skills. CCRS is one of the three components - along with the Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) and the Northstar Digital Literacy Standards - of the Minnesota ABE content standards.
Skillblox
Skillblox is a tool created by CrowdED Learning in response to the question “What if instead of searching various books and sites for quality content, they were all organized in one place?” This database of content streamlines the process of creating targeted and individualized learning plans (online packets, if you will) for adult education students. It is searchable by CCR standards, and soon TABE 11/12 competencies.
PBS Learning Media – ELA
This resource organizes video content from PBS around subjects, grade levels, and standards. You can even search by CCRS standard! This provider integrates with Google Classroom. If you use Google Classroom, connect with the provider to make it easy to share materials with your students.
PBS Learning Media – Math
This resource organizes video content from PBS around subjects, grade levels, and standards. You can even search by CCRS standard! This provider integrates with Google Classroom. If you use Google Classroom, connect with the provider to make it easy to share materials with your students.
CCRS in Action PLC (Professional Learning Community)
The CCRS in Action PLC is a "light" version of the CCRS Implementation Cohort that includes a facilitation guide, Google Slides presentations, and all accompanying materials needed to lead the PLC in your program - for ELA, Math, or both. The PLC uses the same tools for instructors to practice analyzing lessons, units, instructional tasks, and resources that are used in CCRS Cohort. There are many opportunities to customize the PLC to fit the needs of your program. It was designed for eight 90-minute meetings, but can be adjusted to fit your needs. [NOTE: This PLC is currently being reorganized and the materials are being revised.]
CCRS Classroom Videos – ESL
Want to see the CCRS (College & Career Readiness Standards) in action in an ESL classroom, but don’t have time to get out and observe your colleagues? Look no further than these wonderful classroom videos featuring seasoned instructors from Literacy Minnesota as they expertly implement the…
Common Core Sheets
Find hundreds of ready-to-use math worksheets on this website. The worksheets can be searched by grade level, math skill, and type of problem. Math tests and flashcards can also be created.
PowerUp: What Works – English Language Arts Teaching Strategies
This website was built for teachers with a variety of learner levels in their K-12 classes and offers resources, strategies, and practical tips to personalize instruction to meet the needs of struggling students. The teaching suggestions and instructional suggestions can easily be applied to adult ESL classrooms where English Language Arts CCRS are being applied. This page provides information on topics such as teaching context clues, self-questioning, visualizing, and semantic mapping.
New Academic Word List (NAWL) Finder and Sorter
EAPFoundation.com offers a free electronic tool for finding, highlighting, and sorting academic words within texts. Their word source is the New Academic Word List or NAWL, a recent update of the Academic Word List or AWL. There is also the option of creating a simple, head word, or word family gapfill, where the found academic words become blanks in the text.
Progressions: Illustrative Mathematics
Videos and tasks on math content progressions related to fractions in the Common Core standards.
Math Snacks: Fractions
Online activities and videos for supporting students' understanding of math concepts such as ratios, scale factors, fractions, number lines, and so on. Some activities may need additional language learning supports (i.e. for beginning English learners). Videos are also available in Spanish and in a printable "comic book" form.
Math Snacks: Ratios
Online activities and videos for supporting students' understanding of math concepts such as ratios, scale factors, fractions, number lines, and so on. Some activities may need additional language learning supports (i.e. for beginning English learners). Videos are also available in Spanish and in a printable "comic book" form.
Our School Garden
This project-based unit of instruction leads students through a process of writing, filming, editing, and showcasing their own videos about a community garden they have tended all summer.
Academic Debate Unit
This project-based academic debate unit ends with a service field trip. Over several weeks, students effectively develop and refute arguments; analyze controversial issues; evaluate evidence; and recognize opportunities for leadership.
Getting Started, Moving Forward with the CCRS Writing Standards
These two handouts provide nine reading-writing tasks that incorporate close readings of informative or narrative texts and writing production of sentences, paragraphs, or essays.
Text Structures
Each printable text structure activity provides six short passages and a worksheet for identifying each passage’s text structure (chronological, compare and contrast, cause and effect, sequence, problem and solution) and completing a related graphic organizer.
Reading Skills for Healthcare Workers – Fluency
This website provides 175 CNA (certified nursing assistant) and general healthcare passages and audios for adult readers at grade levels 5.5 to 8.5 (Intermediate level). All are CCRS aligned and include pre-reading questions, definitions of healthcare or high-frequency vocabulary, and text-dependent questions.
Newsela – Fluency
From the Newsela homepage, teachers can sign up for FREE and unlimited access to printable news articles, about the same topic but at 5 different lexile scores, and all aligned with CCRS reading anchors. This resource is extremely helpful for fluency instruction!
Newsela – Comprehension
Teachers and students can sign up for FREE and unlimited access to relevant news articles and quizzes, at 5 different lexile scores, all aligned with CCRS reading anchors. This varied and vertical text selection allows an entire class to read, discuss, and comprehend the same non-fiction content!
New Resources
Tapping into Diverse Perspectives and Teaching Materials
This video discusses what “diverse perspectives and teaching materials” mean, and why this is important to learner success in the classroom. Using diverse materials makes class more relevant to learners’ lives and helps them bridge information they already know to new information. Utilizing diverse perspectives in class content is also key to building up critical thinking skills. We take a look at numerous resources that can help each of us diversify the visuals, videos, audio, and written materials we use.
Being a Warm Demander
This video takes a look at a spectrum of different kinds of teachers and asks you to reflect on where you would place yourself. We argue, based on Zaretta Hammond’s work, that the “warm demander” is the sweet spot of the spectrum which focuses on building trust with learners while also holding them to high standards to meet their learning goals. We then discuss tools to practice building relationships with learners, creating a learning partnership pact, and giving quality feedback so learners can meet their goals.
Discovering Learners’ Funds of Knowledge
In this video, we define and discuss the terms “funds of knowledge” and “an asset-based perspective.” A key element of equity in the classroom is acknowledging learners have a wealth of knowledge based on their own experiences, and we should provide opportunities for learners to be the experts in the room. Once we learn what students’ assets are, we can weave this information into class content, which helps learners be more successful. We take a look at an example lesson.
Presenter Information
Get information about stipends, reimbursements, and other instructions for presenters.
MN ABE YouTube Channel
The MN ABE YouTube Channel is a free online PD resource that you can use to explore teaching techniques and classroom ideas in action! Find out more in this MN ABE Connect newsletter article.
Upcoming ABE Events
August 6, 2024
10:00 am–12:00 pm
Online
Racial Equity 101 Presented by Jimmie Heags
Online
Registration Deadline: TUE. 8/6/24 Join presenter Jimmie Heags, Jr., MA, LSC, LPCC, LADC, ACS, for this session that exposes how race is defined and how racism impacts individuals and institutions. The session will provide learners with a framework for understanding and disrupting the attitudes and structures that perpetuate… Learn More
Online
August 6, 2024
6:30 pm–8:30 pm
Online
Volunteer Core Training Module 1: Overview of Minnesota Adult Education and Program Accountability
Online
Registration Deadline: TUE. 8/6/24 Participants learn about Adult Basic Education programming in Minnesota, demographics of learners, instructional content standards as well as initial and on-going assessment. This session wraps up with learner motivations, barriers and persistence. Learn More
Online
August 13, 2024
6:30 pm–8:30 pm
Online
Volunteer Core Training Module 2: Understanding Adult Learners
Online
Registration Deadline: TUE. 8/13/24 Participants develop their personal cultural awareness and learn how expectations around school culture shape how people teach and learn. Guiding principles for effectively delivering instruction to adults are also covered. Finally, participants increase their sensitivity to the challenges of learning English and developing literacy… Learn More
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