Received: from hotmail.com (f177.law9.hotmail.com [64.4.9.177]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with ESMTP id h1LFrOP15290 for <nifl-esl@nifl.gov>; Fri, 21 Feb 2003 10:53:24 -0500 (EST) Received: from mail pickup service by hotmail.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Fri, 21 Feb 2003 07:21:15 -0800 Received: from 66.55.6.166 by lw9fd.law9.hotmail.msn.com with HTTP; Fri, 21 Feb 2003 15:21:14 GMT X-Originating-IP: [66.55.6.166] From: "Susan Ryan" <susanefl@hotmail.com> To: nifl-esl@nifl.gov Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8556] Re: reading level of public resources for Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 10:21:14 -0500 Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed Message-ID: <F177j1d4vJFRFWMozgY000015f9@hotmail.com> X-OriginalArrivalTime: 21 Feb 2003 15:21:15.0212 (UTC) FILETIME=[DFD480C0:01C2D9BC] Status: O Content-Length: 4851 Lines: 130 We live in Florida so have the usual preparedness mentality for hurricanes, but duct tape-- please--I think worthless against such disaster as they are portending. Some of this media fear-feeding is only to rationalize the need for a wrongful war. Susan >From: Pamela Brown <brownpg@jmu.edu> >Reply-To: nifl-esl@nifl.gov >To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> >Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8550] Re: reading level of public resources for >Date: Fri, 21 Feb 2003 08:33:07 -0500 (EST) > >Dottie, > >Maybe I'm an ostrich too (at least they have long thin legs!) but I've >never put together a hurricane kit -- and I'm a transplant from the Mass. >coast! > >I also have no intention of buying duct tape and plastic; if it's my time, >it's my time. I think a reasonable approach to this might be to bring the >topic up for class discussion. Ask students what they know about "Operation >Ready," if they've bought duct tape and plastic, etc. You could even make a >list what students feel is reasonable, what they think is extreme; list >ideas they have or what they think they might need to "survive;" or maybe >even more importantly, discuss their fears. Call me cynical, but I >sometimes feel the best ideas come from us "normal" citizens and not our >government officials who often seem to be lacking in common sense (and >lately seem to be hell-bent on making us paranoid, nervous wrecks). >"Preparedness" should be a common sense approach toward safety, not panic. >21 people died in a Chicago nightclub fire that had nothing to do with >terrorism. 168 died in Oklahoma City at the hands of a terrorist who had >nothing to do with Sadaam Hussein or Osama Bin Laden. > >OK, I'll get off my soap box! Hope all of you on this list who have been >buried by snow or ice are thawing out! > >Pam > >--On Thursday, February 20, 2003 6:08 PM -0500 Dottie Shattuck ><dottie@shattuck.net> wrote: > >>Just yesterday, one of my colleagues said she thought we should develop a >>lesson on this issue for our beginner adult ESL students. I must admit >>that I'm only luke-warm to the idea. [I've lived in NC 6 years & have >>yet to make a hurricane/severe storm kit. Maybe I'm an ostrich.] >> >>I've developed & taught lessons on the unusually cold winter we've had >>(frostbite, wind chill, no charcoal grills in the house, carbon monoxide >>poisoning) because most of my students are from tropical countries & had >>no concept of "dangerous cold", but I've no intention of suggesting they >>buy plastic sheeting & duct tape. >> >>What is a reasonable approach to this unreasonable situation? Have any >>of you addressed -- or are planning to address -- this situation in your >>adult classrooms? I'm at a total loss about this. >> >>Dottie Shattuck >>Central Piedmont CC >>Charlotte, NC >>dottie@shattuck.net >> >>----- Original Message ----- >>From: <hsmith@coe.tamu.edu> >>To: "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-esl@literacy.nifl.gov> >>Sent: Thursday, February 20, 2003 4:41 PM >>Subject: [NIFL-ESL:8546] reading level of public resources for terrorist >>attack >> >> >>| The federal government this week launched a "Ready Campaign" to >>encourage | the public to prepare for possible terrorist attacks. That >>campaign has | instructions for preparedness online at: www.ready.gov >>| >>| FEMA has an online document called "Are You Ready: A Guide to Citizen >>| Preparedness", which can be downloaded in Word or pdf format at: >>| www.fema.gov/areyouready/ >>| >>| Using Microsoft Word's quick and dirty check of readability, I >>ascertained | that the information and instructions at ready.gov are >>written at a | Flesch-Kincaid reading level of grade 9.8. Worse still, >>the FEMA guide is | mostly written at the 11th to 12th grade reading >>level. >>| >>| I will (with difficulty) refrain from comment on that information. >>| >>| However, I made a suggestion to adult literacy and ESL teachers in Texas >>| via our statewide teachers listserv as to using this information in the >>| classroom. Perhaps some adult learners would want to develop a simpler, >>| more accessible and readable version of the preparedness guide to share >>| with friends, family and other classes as a classroom project. >>| >>| >>| ___________________________________ >>| Harriet Vardiman Smith >>| Librarian >>| Adult Literacy Clearinghouse >>| Texas Center for Adult Literacy & Learning >>| Texas A&M University >>| 800-441-READ >>| website: www-tcall.tamu.edu >>| main office email: tcall@coe.tamu.edu >>| >>| >>| >> >> > > > >-- >Brown, Pamela Greenhalgh >Workforce Improvement Network >James Madison University >MSC 9003/Blue Ridge >Harrisonburg, VA 22807 >540-568-8797 >888-637-8494 >brownpg@jmu.edu >http://www.jmu.edu/esol >http://www.jmu.edu/mainstva _________________________________________________________________
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b30 : Thu Mar 11 2004 - 12:16:03 EST