2nd Meeting of the Mentors and Mentees

I’m happy to report we have a new mentor, Marco Samayoa who is a writer, has taught before and lives in East LA. Cookie Fischer is back (hooray!) having just missed the volcanic cloud which kept Europeans in Europe and Americans in America and is still holding back international travel patterns. Marco Torres will also be here for the first time, for the 6:30 session.

We have 10 mentors and need 6 more by the end of the month! I’m going Thursday to talk to UCLA School of Social Work to see about getting more mentors on board.  The suggestions to go talk to Trade Tech, FIT, USC Schools of Social Work and Education, Cardenas High School continue as ways to attract mentors.  Meanwhile VolunteerMatch.com has brought in several as well.

I got an array of 3 types of "tween" books and the kids can write their name in one they want to read and you can begin reading with them. They can take the book home with their journal if they promise to bring them back. We have Hannah Montana, High School Musical books. If they finish one, they can start the other if they want and keep it too. I know Alexa will love them, I hope the other kids will…or that they can choose from other books in the library hopefully.   We will also start our own book drive to bring in more books and in a couple of weeks The Molina Foundation may be ready to give us around 200 more books.

On the blog you will find some help about recognizing reading patterns. In the library are various work books as well which range from math to puzzles, bilingual books and English.  Bring your iPODs…I hope we’ll have some access to computers as Biro likes gaming Barry was going to look into that.

I attach a roster of everyone with a special note from Sara to the mentors in her program. (Barry, Carla, Marco Samayoa and Troy Krouse).

So far so good!!!  Many thanks for your high levels of commitment!

Mentors Meet the Particpants and Their Parents April 14

El Centro del Pueblo (ElCentroDelPuelo.org) had its first mentoring session for The Literacy Project  yesterday, and we are all enthusiastic and thrilled about its success!


We had 3 children at 4pm at Virgil Middle School and 3 mentors (still could use one as another participant is waiting to get in).  This group is part of the Mayor's Office Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program Ramparts Area. These three 14 and 15 year old boys were so sweet and vulnerable, so eager to have someone hear them and to help them excel where they are now having difficulties. I was totally touched by their willingness to work with us.  You could feel their neediness in a way that almost hurt.

Later at 6pm at El Centro, there were 8 children from 11 years to 17. Most were accompanied by their parents. They were also very interested in participating and their parents were so interested and curious that El Centro’s Family Source Center will now also organize a Parent Support Group for helping their children and planning family events aside from the one hour weekly mentoring (6-7 or 6:30-7:30 Wednesdays).  Perhaps they'll plan the weekly screening program or events like father and son night or mother and daughter tea.

We could surely use 2 – 8 more mentors to complete the program of 16 participants. Conversing, relating and starting from their interests to help the children in reading and understanding, writing and expressing themselves to increase their sense of self esteem, and supplementing it with groups which are ready to offer musical training, art training, cooking and many other activities – that is the goal of The Literacy Project.  The end goal is to help these individuals find their own voices and express themselves as they deserve to be heard and helped.


I hope to meet some interested Social Work students this coming Thursday at UCLA's School of Social Work.  El Centro has already hired a graduate of this school as a therapist.


El Centro del Pueblo is in Echo Park, just off Sunset east of Alvarado. Virgil is at Vermont and 1st Street. The program will be mentoring one-on- one for 3 months and a group project the following 3 months. We are hoping to get a 6 month commitment from both mentors and participants.

How to Assess Progress

Luisa Crespo, The Literacy Project's cofounder and administrator, yours truly (Sydney Levine, cofounder) met with Erica Shehane, MSW, MPH who graduated from UCLA's School of Social Work and is now working with El Centro del Pueblo (one of two jobs she's holding). One of her specialties is program assessment. We want to build in program assessments to keep improving and eventually to expand.

 

Before beginning Erica suggested ways to find mentors. We might promote by email with large institutions or even visit them as I will this Thursday when I go to UCLA and speak with students in the School of Social Work. There are other colleges and universities from Otis Art Institute, FIT, and Trade Tech to USC's Schools of Social Work and Education. There are also nearby high schools.

 

Literacy and self esteem are crucial to social growth. We recognize at 68% of the dropout rate at UC are Latinos. We recognize the correlation between illiteracy and criminality. With schools closing down their preschool programs and the after school programs the need to help the youth of our cities is urgent.

 

To assess aspects of the program and its impact there may be milestones by month and larger milestones such as looking at participants' grades, graduation, etc.

 

An how can we engage volunteers and keep them? What works for each student? These are the two audiences whose retention is crucial.

 

These are some points to be aware of and to follow:

 

• Follow up with those who do not stay
• Qualitative conversations with participants, parents, El Centro and among mentors themselves
• Track attendance
• Clarity about where we are going
• Bi monthly meetings with Erica by phone and / or email
• Journal keeping is very important
• Anecdotal means are fine as a method of assessment.

A branded reassessment tool is called REAME.

 

REACH –

• Target: 16 mentors, 16 participants.
• What is our outreach plan to mentors and to participants

EFFECTIVENESS - Outcomes and changes for both the target populations

• Bigger commitment?
• Getting to know one another?
• Visible changes?
• Are kids progressing?
• Are the mentors staying?

ADOPTION – Reach at an organizational level – Of the 4 programs at El Centro:

• How much buy-in?
• Are there champions pushing it?
• Virgil MS staying together?
• El Centro – staying together?
• Setting staff support leadership?
• Top down?
• Implementation and change – what and why?

 

MAINTENANCE – Over time, resources

 

EFFECTIVENESS – 3 months, 6 months

• Need a Mission Statement
• Improving literary skills
• Improved self-esteem
• Need mentor goals 
• Need first month goals: e.g., get 16 mentors and participants
• Long range goals:
• Grants from such as Annenberg, Mary Pickford Fndn for Funing Meida, Liberty Hill, Federal Gov't
• Partners such as Community Centers, Schools, LA Latino Film Festival and membership, Los Angeles Film Festival

 

 

 

Agreement Between All Parties

Agreement Between Mentors, Participants and Their Parents




Dear Parents,

Your child has been chosen to participate in The Literacy Project, a mentoring project at El Centro del Pueblo. A volunteer will meet with your child for 50 to 60 minutes every week at either El Centro or at Virgil Middle School, where they will work on improving your child’s skill in language arts. The mentor will also consult periodically with the program’s coordinator and perhaps with the classroom teacher to assess your child’s needs.

CHILD’S NAME________________________________________________________________

MENTOR’S NAME______________________________________________________________

DAY, TIME AND PLACE OF MENTORING SESSIONS___________________________________________

A mentor journal will be kept in which the participant, mentor, program coordinator and teacher may place their progress notes. The journal will be kept at the El Centro and you are welcome to leave notes in it as well. The mentor will contact you monthly to report on your child’s progress. A participant journal will also be issued to your child to write notes, progress or problems or any other issues in reading, writing and understanding.

You are a vital part of the network that supports your child’s academic progress. The attached Literacy Project Team Contract outlines the responsibilities of each team member: parent, student, mentor, teacher and program coordinator. Please review the sections of the contract with your child and discuss your responsibilities and theirs. Please sign your name on the back of the contract where indicated and have your child do the same. Return the contract to Sydney Levine, Luisa Crespo or Sandra Figueroa at the center. It will be kept in the child’s file at El Centro.

Please feel free to call if you have any questions. This promises to be a distinguished year for us all. We look forward to working with you and your children.



Sydney Levine

Project Director

SydneyJLevine@gmail.com

201 887 3469



Luisa Crespo

Project Administrator

LCrespoart@aol.com

562 882 3994



LITERACY PROJECT CONTRACT



Child:

I, ______________________________________ will work with The Literacy Project to maximize my academic potential.

I understand that my responsibilities are to:

1. Attend weekly sessions with my mentor

2. Come to the sessions ready to learn, cooperate and do my best

3. Share with my parent/ guardian what I have learned after each session

Parent/ guardian:

I, _________________________________________will work with The Literacy Project to maximize the academic potential of ____________________________________

I understand that my responsibilities are to:

1. Attend an orientation session for the program

2. Participate in training sessions and special events when possible

3. Inform the mentor or contact at El Centro by phone on mornings when my child will not be able to attend

4. Maintain monthly communication with the child’s mentor

5. Ensure that my child will come to the session on time, rested, fed and ready to learn

6. Listen to what my child has learned and share with my child what was learned after each session

Mentor:

I, ___________________________________________will work with The Literacy Project to maximize the academic potential of ________________________________________.

I understand that my responsibilities are to:

1. Attend an orientation/ training session for the program

2. Participate in ongoing training sessions when possible

3. Maintain consistent attendance at weekly mentoring sessions

4. Inform The Literacy Project coordinator of any cancellations of mentoring sessions or call the partipant’s parent/ guardian if it has been advised

5. Maintain monthly communication with the participant’s parent/ guardian

6. Faithfully record each session in the mentoring journal

El Centro Administrator Team Leader:

I ,__________________________________will work with The Literacy Project to maximize the academic potential of _______________________________________.

I understand my responsibilities are to:

1. Attend a first meeting of the Literacy Project team for each student

2. Inform mentor administrator of scheduling conficts in advance.

3. Review participant’s progress with mentor at least every 3 months.

4. Review mentor comments and report on student’s progress in mentoring journal.

5. Proved assessment data (pre and post test scores, attendance records and any other reports) to The Literacy Project Administrator as needed in a timely fashion.



The Literacy Project Administrator

I will work with The Literacy Project team to maximize potential of ____________________________.

I understand my responsibilities are to:

1. Maintain communications between all parties on the team.

2. Provide continuing learning opportunities for mentors and parent/ guardian.

3. Provide materials and other resources to support academic success.

4. Monitor and evaluate team progress.

________________________________________ ______________________________________

Student Parent/ Guardian



_______________________________________ _______________________________________

Mentor El Centro Staff



_____________________________________ ____________________________________

The Literacy Project Administrator Date

Meeting March 25, 2009

Meeting March 25, 2009
The mentors and the contacts for El Centro del Pueblo which includes the Mayor's Office's Gang Reduction and Youth Development Program Rampart Area, Family Source Center, LA County's Family Preservation Network, and the Clinical Director for social workers serving at-risk-youth and families met to discuss the blog, the Facebook page, the text Reading for Understanding and they reviewed the process and curriculum for the mentoring sessions.

Guidelines for fingerprinting, confidentiality requirement, securing all records and consultation with the contacts overseeing the program for El Centro were also reviewed.

El Centro del Pueblo is in Echo Park, just off Sunset east of Alvarado. Virgil is at Vermont and 1st Street. The program will be mentoring one-on- one for 3 months and a group project the following 3 months. We are hoping to get a 6 month commitment from both mentors and participants.

Curriculum Structure for Reading Apprenticeship. Guide to Mentors

For over 25 years, Ruth Schoenbach has developed programs, curriculum, and professional development to help students become more successful readers and writers.  Ruth Schoenbach’s Strategic Literacy Initiative (SLI) teaches teachers how to work with any curriculum, to learn how to do it differently and more actively read, it teaches the way to work with whatever you work with.

 

START WITH WHAT INTERESTS THE STUDENT

•  Interest based
•  Discussion is key
•  Activity is personal
•  Reading and writing is shared

First stage:

 

- We will talk about things we are happy and excited about, things that are difficult. In reading, comprehension, writing or in pictures.

- Practice with teacher
- Insider/ outsider: How teachers had to learn something, want children to talk to assess where child is.
- Have you ever seen a book or movie or TV you really liked?
- At home, what do people there read? What are your feelings about that?
- What do you like to do?

 

Second stage: personal reading and writing history includes family.

 

- Let’s write a story about things you like to do…will you write it or shall I?
- Let’s read this together…me, you or read together
- Then and Now: feelings about reading and writing:

•   What’s hard?
•   Writing story?

Third stage: LEARNING TO CHOOSE A BOOK: Their view counts.

 

- Look at some books and magazines…
- Put into piles : Like/ Don’t like.
- Choose 5 things
- Pick 1 or 2 we’ll look at together, talk about them:

• o the cover, pictures, interesting?
• o Pictures, some chapter titles
• o What’s it about?
• o Have you ever read others like this? (detective, science, etc)
• o Converse before reading
• o Surfacing prior knowledge
• o Would you like me to read? You read? One page me, one page you?
• o After finishing: Talk about it: like, dislike, anything like that in your life?
• o CONVERSATION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
• o Shall we write something about the story?
• o What could happen next to the person it’s about?
• o Or tell a story about you.
• o GO BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN TALKING AND READING, TALKING AND WRITING, READING WHAT YOU WROTE.

ONE TOOL TO TEACHING READING WHICH IS EASIER THAN LEARNING ALL THE SOUNDS:

 - ONSET: Beginning sounds of words

- RIME: Endings of works like –ant, -tion, -ment

 

- GOOGLE THIS: 30 ONSETS, 50 RIMES

  

- Usually this is easier than the basics from A to Z.

  

- Find these words in what you have written (with endings, beginnings, e.g.,

•  walks – ed
•  jumps – ed
•  whispers – ed

 THIS IS TEACHING KIDS TO BE LANGUAGE EFFECTIVE.

 

- Learning meanings of parts of words as well, e.g.,

• o Do – undo
• o Do – redo

- How words fit together

 

IF KIDS SPEAK SPANISH, then read and write in Spanish – VERY IMPORTANT

 

AND TEACH PARENTS - This solidifies knowledge they have achieved.
(A good read is Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed.

 

Have lots of books available.

 

Volunteer plan – mentors, administration of students to mentors, grant writing, film component, field trips, telenovela production, and whatever else volunteers come up with as possible extensions of their interests.

 

The Global Film Initiative

Become a tutor mentor and mean something to somebody who needs you.

While I was attending Guadalajara Producers Network, I attended a roundtable discussion with Susan Weeks of the Global Film Initiative which Susan founded in 2002 to promote cross-cultural understanding through the medium of cinema. Their model was based on the Rotterdam Film Festival's Hubert Bals Fund.

Grants

Privately funded, this non-profit organization gives small grants of $10,000 two times a year toward production of films from countries with little or no visibility in the U.S. Of some 80 applicants, 5 to 7 receive the grants which are awarded at script but materially given out at the rushes of the film. This week's evalutations were just finishted. The next round will be in June.

Awards are made to filmmakers whose work exhibits artistic excellence, authentic self-representation and accomplished storytelling. The granting program furthers the Initiative's mission of contributing to the development of local film industries while offering audiences a variety of cultural perspectives on daily life around the world. Monies received through the Initiative's granting program are used to support completion of film production, and to subsidize post-production costs, such as laboratory and sound mixing fees and access to modern editing systems.

The Global Film Initiative accepts grant applications from countries in the following regions: Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia (excluding Hong Kong, Iran, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand). One success story occurred in 2003 or 2004 when a woman Angola filmmaker, Maria João Ganga, was awarded the grant which became the first film out of Angola in 8 years after 20 years of civil war. The grant so impressed the government that it funded the rest of the film Hollow.

Mexico is on the award list because, like all Latino films in the US, there are not enought films made frequently enough to create a theatrical audience. And audience building, along with distribution, are two key points fostered by Global, who also acquires about 10 film a year.

Distribution

The films play in 35 to 40 cities in the US including colleges, creating an audience awareness and accompanied by a strong educational component for high schools. Whereas 40 years ago there were film societies in every college and practically every city had an art house theater, today there is virtually no business in "subtitled" films theatrically.

The Traveling Series ensures that the best of developing world cinema is available on screens throughout the United States and the provinces of English speaking Canada, with a particular focus on films in languages other than English. Ten films that represent the diversity and excellence of cinema from the developing world are chosen from the Initiative’s Granting and Acquisitions programs by the Initiative, in collaboration with the Museum of Modern Art, New York (MoMA). MoMA launched the program in an annual series (Global Lens) in New York City, November 2003 and the films go to 35 to 40 major cultural institutions each year. Partners have been invited to participate based on their demonstrated excellence in community outreach, commitment to broad educational programming and regional balance now include the year round Puero Rico Film Society and Asia Society which shows Asian films in Manila, Mumbai, Cairo. They are the only subtitled films seen on Virgin Airlines as well.

Being based in San Francisco, Global has constant access to the newest technological (digital) distribution schemes and with its aggregation of 80 films it has some leverage and can influence digital exhibition whereas with the current state of digital exhibition, other such entities pay filmmakers $200 or $300 as a flat rate to allow films to be downloaded or streamed with a click and there is no accounting for such clicks if it is not VOD. Their fair hands-on dealing with digital exhibition creates an environment where the filmmaker will hopefully sign on for the next film as well.

When the Global Film Initiative takes on distribution and a film perfoms so exceptionally well in its premier festival showings, the door is left open for the filmmaker to buy the film back should there be an offer made by a larger distribution entity to take on the film. And when they do acquire a film, they pay a minumum guarantee upfront and negotiate fair percentages for licensing to theatrical, TV, home video and digital markets.

They do their own dvd distribution now and they do not fund animation or documentaries.

Education

Global's education program is free to high school students and comes with advice on marketing, lesson plans, maps, historical background, director's notes, and notes regarding themes, music, camera and aesthetics. The flagship program was Moma and it began with the Palestinian film Ticket to Jerusalem.

The first questions after the film are What do you remember and why. The students proved to be totally engaged. Even the shy student who could speak Arabic could contribute when the question was asked if the subtitles failed to tell something that only a speaker of Arabic could understand.

The college market has so collapsed since it fostered "subtitled" films 40 years ago that building it up is done college by college, and department by department.

The Education Program of The Global Film Initiative presents full-length feature films from around the world, in specially-designed programs that encourage students to gain a deeper understanding of different cultural points of view, understnding what matters most to peoplem, how they deal with conflict, suffering, loss, being uprooted from homelands, etc. From the opening scenes of these films, students are transported to the outskirts of Cape Town, the turbulent heart of Tehran and the hauntingly beautiful beaches of Andaman & Nicobar, just after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Within their cultural contexts, this year’s films investigate universal and unique themes:

Becloud aka Vaho (Mexico). A trucker and his companion find a baby boy at the dry breast of its dead mother.

Gods (Brazil). The soon-to-be-wife of a wealthy industrialist is eager to shed her working-class background in favor of the opulence of her fiance’s elite lifestyle.

Leo's Room aka El Cuarto de Leo (Uruguay).  Not recommended, contents not suitable for families or minors. affable but secretly troubled Leo wraps himself in the comfort of his small rented room, unmotivated to finish his college thesis or find a job, and content with infrequent visits from his girlfriend. After their six-month relationship ends, Leo begins to break out of his shell by cruising the Internet for a new companion

Masquerades (Algeria) A young bride is caught in an unusual love-triangle that pits her dreams of a storybook wedding against the absurd wishes of her family.

My Tehran for Sale (Iran) Amidst personal angst and political unrest, a poet tries to break free of her conservative surroundings and leave the only home she’s ever known.

Ocean of an Old Man (India) An elderly schoolteacher, obsessed with the loss of his students to a natural disaster, struggles to cope with his loss and loneliness.

Shirley Adams (South Africa) A resilient single mother strives to create a better life after her teenage son falls victim to gang violence, and loses his ability to walk.

Adrift (Vietnam)

Ordinary People (Serbia)

The Shaft (China)
The Lesson Plans and Discussion Guides that accompany most films provide standards-based, structured learning that supports core programs in the high school curriculum.

Lesson Plans are:

Performance–based assessment tools that encourage and develop reading, writing, presentation and team collaboration skills. Assessment parameters are specified in the Lesson Plan package.

Structured on the project-based learning (PBL) model, with warm-up, film screening and post-screening activities driven by the “essential question” in the title.

Designed to meet the state curriculum and national program standards listed in the package.

Discussion Guides are:

Comprehensive background resources for the films, including information about the geography, history and cultural setting, the filmmaker’s statement and biography, and a guide to filmmaking techniques.

Post–screening resources for teachers, providing structured, theme–based discussion questions to encourage deeper understanding of the characters, stories and cultural context of the films.

Designed to meet national program standards listed in the package.

Lesson Plans and Discussion Guides are available for download on this website, in .pdf format. Additional resources available for download:
Presenter’s Guides for each film, with film highlights and talking points about the cultural context.

Fact Sheets for each film, similar to the Presenter’s Guides but with more information about the filmmaker, where the film has been screened and awards received.

Curriculum Maps to support the Project Arts and Social Studies Programs of the New York City Department of Education. These curriculum maps suggest post–screening activities that are aligned with NYCDOE Standards, Key Ideas and Benchmarks.

Subtitle Lists that correspond to the subtitles shown on the screen. Subtitle Lists can be valuable for post–screening activities that focus on the details of particular scenes or character development.

If you would like to download any of their educational materials (Teaching Guides, Discussion Guides, Subtitles, Presenter Guides) click here to log-in.

Need Books? Ask The Molina Foundation

The Molina Foundation's mission is to reduce disparities in access to education and healthcare by underserved populations.  Providing replicable and sustainable models that enhance access to education and reinforcement of activities shown to improve student achievement is one of the overarching goals of The Molina Foundation.

The Molina Foundation has 4 programs that support its goals:

 

1. Book Buddies
2. Step Up to Math
3. Experience Counts
4. Everybody Writes

History
Dr. Martha Bernadett is the eldest daughter of the late Dr. C. David Molina, the founder of Molina Healthcare, Inc. Both Dr. David Molina and his wife Mary were elementary school teachers prior to Dr. David Molina’s return to medical school. Thus, Dr. Bernadett, or “Dr. Martha” as she is known, and her siblings were raised with a deep value for education.

 

As a Family Physician, Dr. Martha understood the importance of literacy and education in overcoming health disparities. In addition, as the Principal Investigator of a demonstration project funded by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Hablamos Juntos (We Speak Together) Program, she understood the barriers to health access faced by those with limited English proficiency.

 

 

 

In 2003, Dr. Martha started a program to provide books to children without access to books in an effort to improve literacy of children to help them overcome barriers to healthcare access and impact their long-term overall health status. This program was called Book Buddies. Through support and partnership of similar 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, Book Buddies grew and grew, establishing itself as a cornerstone of literacy efforts throughout California.

 

  

To address these important issues in an ongoing and sustainable manner, Dr. Martha Bernadett formed The Molina Foundation in August, 2004.

 

 

 

I. Book Buddies

 

Book Buddies™ Literacy Program: This program has distributed about 1,000,000 new or gently used books since 2003 and was the one of the reasons driving the formation of The Molina Foundation. Through this program, we have identified and distributed hundreds of thousands of books through schools, libraries, community based organizations, hospitals and health care facilities. These books are distributed where cohorts of children and adults have been identified at high risk for low literacy, primarily due to poverty or prevalence of English as a second language. Books are received through donations from book publishers and distributors, book drives at schools and community organizations, and low-cost book purchase. The Book Buddies program has received and distributed books for First Book, the National Book Bank and numerous publishers and distributors of new and used books.

 

Book Buddies has partnered with literacy programs and existing 501(c)3 organizations to support their projects. Book Buddies has built over 50 libraries at community based organizations and schools.

 

Click here to visit our Book Buddies site.

II.  Step Up to Math

 

The Step-Up-to-Math program targets 6th graders who are at the Basic level on the California Standards Tests (CST) in math and may include English Language Learners. The program has three objectives:

• To motivate and encourage students to increase math skills
• To attain proficiency in math for the rigors of 6th grade pre-algebra
• To encourage parents to give positive messages while tracking their student’s school work.

 

Step-Up-to-Math is a model that can be applied wherever qualified and interested high school students and middle school students are already gathered in a supervised setting. The model, once proven, can be applied in Community Based Organizations offering programs for these age groups.

 

III. Experience Counts

 

Experience Counts is part of the Molina Foundation. The goal of Experience Counts is to support current school educators and administrators by sharing the expertise of experienced retired administrators and educators.

 

Experience Counts helps through: 

• Support advice online.
• Support by phone.
• In person mentoring.
• Free seminars.

Click here to visit our Experience Counts site.

 

IV. Everybody Writes

 

Everybody Writes a program of The Molina Foundation that produces writing conferences to encourage children to write.

 

Everybody Writes is a program designed to inspire children to write outside the classroom by offering exciting and engaging activities through which the children do not realize they are learning while writing.

 

The conferences and program is conducted by authors, literacy specialists and engaging teachers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mobilizing and building knowledge structures (Schemata)

Schemata is plural for worlds of knowledge and associations as they are read and triggered by particular ideas, words or situations. Schemata for particular networks of knowledge and information are activated as individuals read and add to their existing schemata as they encounter new information. In addition, their existing schemata influence the ways they approach and make sense of texts. Schemata, stores of knowledge about texts and about the world, are organized a networks of associations which can be triggered by a single word. For example, the word BALL may call up images of baseball diamonds, backstops, and bases as well as the pitchers, batters, catchers, umps, fielders and even sports commentators who take part in the game. Innings, errors, random statistics about particular players and even the smells and sounds of baseball stadiums may quickly and automatically come to mind as such images and ideas flood into consciousness. The same word, BALL, may for another reader call up a competing schema: Images of fancy gowns, corsages, tuxedos, limousine rides, and the blushing self-consciousness of a first prom. Proficient readers know they must relinquish any schema that proves inappropriate as they encounter further information from the text, but less experienced readers will often hold onto inappropriate images that block meaningful connections with the text.

Jaime Escalante on Teaching

Rimes & Onsets: Help in Tackling Literacy Issues

When you, the mentor, or the participant reads or writes and you begin to analyze words together, you can approach the material at hand, whatever it may be, by locating rimes and onsets.  This creates pattern recognition.  Here are some example of rimes and onsets which you can feel free to print out and copy.

StarSpell 2.3 Onset & Rime lists Copyright © Fisher-Marriott Software 1999. These lists may be copied and used for non-commercial purposes. Please acknowledge our copyright.



RIMES (2 letter endings)

'.ad' as in dad:

dad: A dad is a father

lad: Here is my dad as a lad

sad: I feel sad to see you go

'.ag' as in bag:

bag: Her bag holds a lot

rag: She wipes her paintbrush with a rag

wag: A happy dog will wag his tail

'.am' as in jam:

jam: I like jam on bread

ram: The ram had big curly horns

'.an' as in pan:

fan: A fan keeps me cool

man: Every man was once a boy

pan: I'll boil an egg in the pan

'.ap' as in tap:

gap: My teeth have a gap at the front

nap: Sleepy people need a nap

tap: Water runs from a tap

'.at' as in cat:

cat: My cat laps up milk

hat: He wore a woolly hat

rat: A rat has a very long tail

'.ed' as in bed:

bed: I sleep in a big bed

fed: Cats often purr when they're fed

red: This box is red all over

'.eg' as in leg:

leg: I can stand on one leg

peg: My coat hangs on a peg

'.en' as in hen:

hen: My hen lays brown eggs

pen: She writes with a red pen

ten: My toes add up to ten

'.et' as in pet:

net: We need a net to dip in the pond

pet: I have a spider for a pet

'.ig' as in pig:

dig: Let's go and dig for gold

pig: The pig gave a grunt

'.in' as in pin:

bin: I put the bag in the bin

pin: A pin is very sharp

tin: Mum opened a tin of beans

'.ip' as in lip:

lip: I bit my lip

pip: An apple tree grows from a tiny pip

rip: Her new dress has a rip in it

'.it' as in bit:

bit: This bit fits here

hit: My hammer hit the nail first time

sit: I want to sit in this comfy chair

'.ob' as in rob:

job: His job is washing up

sob: It made her sob to lose her bear

'.og' as in dog:

dog: Our dog barks at cats

fog: Its hard to see far in the fog

log: A log is a seat for a frog

'.ot' as in cot:

cot: The baby sleeps in her cot

dot: My pet flea is hiding behind this dot

pot: I'll plant a bulb in this pot

'.ud' as in bud:

bud: Soon the bud will be a flower

mud: I must get the mud off my boot

'.um' as in sum:

mum: A mum is a mother

sum: This sum gets a tick

'.un' as in sun:

bun: I love a sticky bun

run: You'll never catch me when I run

sun: Summer sun is hot

ONSETS (single letter starts)

'b..' as in bed:

bag: Her bag holds a lot

bed: I sleep in a big bed

bun: I love a sticky bun

'c..' as in cat:

cat: My cat laps up milk

cot: The baby sleeps in her cot

cup: Gran has a cup of tea with me

'd..' as in dog:

dad: A dad is a father

den: He hid in his den

dog: Our dog barks at cats

'f..' as in fox:

fan: A fan keeps me cool

fox: A fox hunts to eat

fun: Her party was a lot of fun

'g..' as in gap:

gap: My teeth have a gap at the front

get: We will get wet in the rain

'h..' as in hat:

hat: He wore a woolly hat

hen: My hen lays brown eggs

hug: I like to hug my Mum

'j..' as in jet:

jam: I like jam on bread

jet: I like to fly by jet

jug: Milk comes in a jug

'l..' as in leg:

leg: I can stand on one leg

lip: I bit my lip

log: A log is a seat for a frog

'm..' as in man:

man: Every man was once a boy

mat: Please wipe your feet on the mat

mum: A mum is a mother

'n..' as in nut:

nap: Sleepy people need a nap

net: We need a net to dip in the pond

nut: I saw a squirrel hide a nut

'p..' as in pig:

pen: She writes with a red pen

pet: I have a spider for a pet

pig: The pig gave a grunt

'r'.. as in rat:

rag: She wipes her paintbrush with a rag

rat: A rat has a very long tail

red: This box is red all over

's..' as in sun:

sad: I feel sad to see you go

six: An ant has six legs

sun: Summer sun is hot

't..' as in ten:

tap: Water runs from a tap

ten: My toes add up to ten

tin: Mum opened a tin of beans

'w..' as in web:

wag: A happy dog will wag his tail

web: I saw a spider spin a web

win: Only one of you can win the prize

RIMES (3 letter endings)

'.amp' as in lamp:

camp: Our camp had four big tents

lamp: The lamp gave a soft glow

stamp: Every letter needs a stamp

'.and' as in hand:

band: I'd love to play drums in a band

hand: My hand is to hold things

sand: There's so much sand at the seaside

'.ang' as in bang:

bang: Bangers go bang

rang: The bell rang for playtime

sang: The singer sang a silly song

'.elt' as in belt:

belt: A belt holds up my jeans

melt: Snowmen melt in the sun

'.end' as in bend:

bend: Drive carefully round a bend

mend: Can you mend this broken toy?

'.ent' as in bent:

bent: The shelf was bent

dent: The crash made a dent in my car

tent: I'm going to sleep out in my tent

'.est' as in nest:

nest: Four eggs rest in a nest

rest: He had to rest after running so far

'.ilk' as in milk:

milk: I put some milk in my tea

silk: A silk scarf is soft

'.ing' as in ring:

king: The king sat on his throne

ring: She has a ring on her finger

wing: This bird has hurt its wing

'.ink' as in sink:

drink: A fizzy drink tickles your nose

sink: His sink was full of washing-up

wink: A wink is a one-eyed blink

'.int' as in mint:

mint: This mint is sweet but very hot

print: My work is neat when I print it

'.ist' as in list:

fist: Shut your hand to make a fist

list: I made a list of my friends

mist: The trees are hidden in the mist

'.ond' as in pond:

fond: I am very fond of my sister

pond: Why has this pond got no ducks?

'.ump' as in jump:

bump: I got a bump on the head when I fell

jump: A frog can jump over a log

lump: I had a lump on my head from a fall

'.unk' as in bunk:

bunk: Tom slept in the top bunk

dunk: I dunk a biscuit in my drink

trunk: A trunk is a very long nose

'.usk' as in tusk:

dusk: Just before dark it is dusk

rusk: Our baby likes to chew a rusk

tusk: An elephant tusk is long and white

ONSETS (2 letter starts)

'bl..' as in blob:

blink: Eyes blink all the time

blob: A blob of jam fell on the cloth

blot: Drip some paint and make a blot

'br..' as in brick:

brick: Here's a brick to start a wall

brim: My glass is full up to the brim

bring: Postmen bring the post

'ch..' as in chin:

check: This pattern is a check

chimp: The chimp was unhappy in the zoo

chin: Every day he shaves his chin

'cl..' as in clap:

clap: I clap my hands to the music

cling: A baby will cling to its mother.

club: The giant had a big club

'cr..' as in crab:

crab: A crab hid in a rocky pool

crisp: You can have the last crisp in the packet

crust: Who wants the crust off this new loaf?

'dr..' as in drum:

drink: A fizzy drink tickles your nose

drop: A drop of rain fell on my hat

drum: We dance as he bangs his drum

'fl..' as in flag:

flag: The flag flaps in the wind.

flap: This flap is for the cat

'fr..' as in frog:

frog: A frog sits by a pond

frost: There is frost on the window

'gl..' as in glad:

glad: I'm glad you can come to my party

glum: The bad news made her glum

'pl..' as in plum:

plank: A plank of wood can make a shelf

plug: A plug keeps water in a sink

plum: I hope this plum is sweet

'sh..' as in ship:

shell: A snail has a shell on its back

ship: The ship sails out to sea

shop: Her shop sells toys

'sk..' as in skin:

skid: Mud makes cars skid

skin: You need skin to keep your body in

skip: She likes to skip with her new rope

'sl..' as in slug:

sling: His arm was in a sling

slip: A banana skin made him slip

slug: A slimy slug slid slowly past

'sm..' as in smug:

smock: I put on a smock when I paint

smug: She looked so smug when she won

'sp..' as in spot:

spot: The paint drop made a small red spot

spud: My hot spud is full of butter

'st..' as in step:

stand: We saw the match from the stand

step: She fell from the top step of the stairs

sting: A wasp will sting if it is angry

'sw..' as in swing:

swim: I can swim across the pool

swing: Push me high on my swing

'th..' as in thin:

thick: A big brush paints a thick line

thin: A thin dog needs his food

thing: A cup is a thing for holding drinks

'tr..' as in truck:

trot: The horse set off at a trot

truck: The truck carried a load of bricks

trunk: A trunk is a very long nose