{"id":5417,"date":"2021-09-08T15:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-08T19:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.com\/blog\/?p=5417"},"modified":"2021-09-08T15:32:03","modified_gmt":"2021-09-08T19:32:03","slug":"lets-talk-about-literacy-for-a-human-centered-recovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/teachersfirst.org\/blog\/2021\/09\/lets-talk-about-literacy-for-a-human-centered-recovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Talk About Literacy for a Human-Centered Recovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

International Literacy Day is celebrated annually on September 8th. This year’s theme center’s around recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Unesco <\/a>facilitates the global celebration as a day to remember that literacy affects a person’s sense of dignity and that globally there are over 773 million people who lack basic literacy skills. While we are in various phases of recovery from the pandemic worldwide, many schools and literacy programs still cannot meet face to face. In many areas, the limited ability to work towards literacy during the pandemic has created a significant interruption in our progress towards Sustainable Development Goal #4 – Quality Education.<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

As part of the International Literacy Day remembrance, we are asked to consider the digital divide<\/a> and its impact on getting schools and literacy programs back on track.  Research <\/a>tells us that 19% of underserved students in the United States (those who are minority or low income or whose parents did not go to college) have access to a single internet access device at home. For many, that device is a smartphone. Unfortunately, as teachers, there’s not much that we can do about students’ need for devices or internet access. The digital divide has been problematic for a long time<\/a> and really is more a matter of public policy at this point.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As educators, we can\u00a0create plans that account for students who have limited access to technology and\/or the internet<\/a>\u00a0– especially as we try to recover from the sudden switch to remote learning and subsequent in-class\/remote\/hybrid configurations that still seem to be highly variable. Creating a consistent “learning at home” plan will help students and their caregivers anticipate what they need to do to ensure that learning continues if there is an interruption in the everyday go to school routine. For reading, most students will benefit from something simple that will touch on the essential components of reading<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sample Reading Plan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Unless your students are in high school and reading above 200 words per minute, I would suggest trying a plan that looks something like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Phonemic Awareness:<\/strong> Create a Synth channel (reviewed here<\/a>) and have your students record themselves practicing decoding nonsense words.<\/p>\n\n\n\n