National Adult Literacy Database

For Youth and Adults

Authors: NWT Literacy Council

Collection: Learning Materials

This is an annotated list of more than 300 books for youths and adults that combine interesting material with relatively low vocabulary.

The listing for each book includes its title, author, publisher, and a brief summary of its contents.

Each book is rated for its readability. While the reading level ranges from Grade 1 to Grade 12, most of the books fall into the Grade 1-6 range. Some books are specifically intended for adult learners.

The list contains both fiction and nonfiction, representing many topics and genres. Among the nonfiction selections are biographies, how-to guides, and books about the environment.

The fiction selections include mysteries, romances and novels about teenage life. Some of the novels have been written specifically for adults with low literacy skills by such well-known contemporary authors as Roddy Doyle and Maeve Binchy. Others are classic works by such authors as Jack London, Oscar Wilde and D.H. Lawrence, retold by other writers in a style that retains the spirit of the original while simplifying the vocabulary.

Added: 2013-06-18

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Authors: NSCC Adult Learning Program 4 class of 2006

Collection: Learning Materials

This High Nutrition / Low Budget Cookbook includes the following:

-Tips & Hints For Food Shopping;
- Healthy and Unhealthy Habits;
- Comparing Prices;
- Weekly Planner 1 & 2;
- Weekly Planner (blank);
- Healthy Breakfast Options;
- Healthy Lunch Options;
- Chicken/Turkey Dinners;
- Beef Dinners; and
- Pork Dinners.

Added: 2007-09-06

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Women's Education des femmes, March 1984 - Vol. 2, No. 3

Series: Canadian Congress for Learning Opportunities for Women (CCLOW)

Authors: Susan McCrae Vander Voet

Collection: Research Materials

CCLOW solicited mini-essays from students at Central Peel Secondary School in Brampton, Ontario. The central question posed to the students was 'What are the three main concerns of young people today.'

About fifty students from grades nine to twelve responded with some very powerful insights, questions and worries. This article contains excerpts from some of the essays.

Added: 2004-08-27

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Authors: Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF)

Collection: Research Materials

This report grew out of a forum held in February 2010 that brought together stakeholders in apprenticeship programs from across Canada.

Key suggestions from the forum included communicating to youth, parents, educators, guidance counsellors and employers the benefits of participating in a high-school-to-apprenticeship transition program; recognizing learner achievement to encourage completion of such programs; enhancing program flexibility and adaptability; getting buy-in from school boards, administrators and industry to grow and maintain programs; and doing more to measure the performance of transition programs.

Data from a survey showed that only seven per cent of people registered as apprentices in Canada between 2002 and 2004 had taken part in a youth apprenticeship program before leaving high school.

Added: 2010-05-18

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See also:

• Le passage de l'école secondaire à l'apprentissage au Canada : La recherche et le partage de pratiques exemplaires

Authors: Thomas G. Sticht

Collection: Research Materials

Mr. Sticht looks at the pros and cons of the Adult Education and Literacy System (AELS) of the United States changing its emphasis from encouraging Adult Basic Education students to obtain a GED to obtaining a "transitional" GED which would allow them to qualify for and transition into college, and acquire a two- or four-year college degree. This shift in focus is due to pressures from the labour market to hire more people with post-secondary education.

Added: 2007-03-13

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Series: Miramichi Literacy Writers

Authors: Dawn MacLean, Miramichi Literacy Writers

Collection: Learning Materials

This booklet was written in clear language and is suitable for adult new readers. It is part of a series of 24 booklets by Miramichi Literacy Writers. Some of the other titles include:

Ferry Boats of Days Gone By
The Irish of the Miramichi
Native Peoples of the Miramichi
Old Lumber Camps on the Miramichi
The Dungarvon Whooper

Added: 2009-05-08

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Reading the Future: A Portrait of Literacy in Canada

Series: International Adult Literacy Survey

Authors: National Literacy Secretariat (NLS), Secrétariat national à l'alphabétisation (SNA)

Collection: Research Materials

This report synthesizes the results of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS), for Canada. IALS was a seven-country investigation undertaken in the fall of 1994. Its main goal was to create comparable literacy profiles across national, linguistic and cultural boundaries. Highlights from the Canada Report include :

Demographic distributions of literacy in Canada
Economic dimensions of literacy in Canada
Literacy practices in Canada
Measuring the success of the IALS
Appendices contain details on participants, literacy performance on three scales : prose, document and quantitative, as well as international standard occupational classification breakdowns at different group titles.

Regional distributions of literacy levels in Canada are examined, and results of IALS are compared with those of LSUDA (1989), Literacy Skills Used in Daily Activities. Other variables taken into consideration are : literacy and educational attainment, literacy and language, literacy and age. Under economic dimensions of literacy, researchers investigate relationships between literacy and employment.

The statistical data in the document are broken down by language, age, gender and religion. It provides new information with which to evaluate Canadian policy on literacy, education, and socio-economic development. The report gives Canadians a glimpse of their possible future, by opening a window on their life at home, in the community and in the workplace.

This publication is a joint effort of Statistics Canada, Human Resources Development Canada and the National Literacy Secretariat. It can be ordered at a cost of $49.00 through Statistics Canada, Operations and Integration Division, Circulation Management, 120 Parkdale Avenue, Ottawa, ON K1A 0T6, Tel. (613) 951-7277, or 1-800-263-1136, Fax (613) 951-1584. E-mail : order@statcan.ca (96.10.05)

Added: 1996-07-23

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See also:

• Faits saillants du rapport canadien

Literacy in the Information Age

Series: International Adult Literacy Survey

Authors: National Literacy Secretariat (NLS), Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Collection: Research Materials

Literacy in the Information Age, the final report from the International Adult Literacy Survey, presents evidence on the nature and magnitude of the literacy gaps faced by OECD countries. It offers new insights into the factors that influence the development of adult skills in various settings - at home, at work and across the 20 countries for which comparable household assessment results are included. Findings point to large differences in the average level and population distribution of literacy skills both within and between countries. Low literacy skills are evident among all adult groups in significant - albeit varying - proportions. Literacy proficiency varies considerably according to home background factors and educational attainment in most of the countries surveyed. However, the relationship between literacy skills and educational attainment is complex.

Many adults have managed to attain high levels of literacy proficiency despite a low level of education; conversely, some have low literacy skills despite a high level of education. These differences matter both economically and socially: literacy effects, labour quality and flexibility, employment, training opportunities, income from work and wider participation in civic society. Improving the literacy skills of the population remains a large challenge for policy makers. The results suggest that high-quality foundation learning in schools is important but insufficient as a sole means to that end. Policies directed at the workplace and family settings are also needed. The employers' role in promoting and rewarding literacy skills is particularly important for skills development.

Added: 2000-04-20

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See also:

• Points saillants du Rapport final de l'Enquête internationale sur la littératie des adultes

Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society

Series: International Adult Literacy Survey

Authors: OCDE, DRHC

Collection: Research Materials

While most people can read, the real question is whether their reading and writing skills meet the challenge of living and working in today's information-rich and knowledge intensive society and economy. This latest report on the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) Literacy Skills for the Knowledge Society tells us that literacy means more than knowing how to read, write or calculate. It involves understanding and being able to use the information required to function effectively in the knowledge-based societies that will dominate the twenty-first century.

The purpose of formal schooling has always been to ensure that new generations develop the skills they require. Yet, the challenge of maintaining and improving the literacy skills of adults is an issue that is much broader than formal education. The International Adult Literacy Survey reveals that literacy skills can be lost if they are not used throughout life. Consequently the study argues for the development of a culture committed to learning and to the creation of literacy-rich environments wherever people live and work, that is, in the home, in the community and in places of employment. It suggests that an investment in literacy is a long-term interest-bearing bond which pays substantial benefits for individuals, for employers and for nations.

Added: 2003-08-06

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See also:

• Faits saillants du deuxième rapport de l'Enquête internationale sur l'alphabétisation des adultes

Authors: Maree Thair

Collection: Learning Materials

A guide to creating Writing Circles for Seniors.

This guidebook takes as its starting point a two year project based in Prince George, British Columbia. This program was designed to introduce writing circles to senior citizens in the community. It traces the development of a structure for the writing circles that was created to address the perceived needs of the community and the Seniors.
The project, through the insight and suggestions of the participants, was augmented and refined. These suggestions included ideas on the type of material that the writers wanted to produce and the setting of personal goals for each learner. This manual is intended to provide insights and assistance to those who may wish to organize similar Seniors' Writing Circles in the future.

This manual is available online in the NALD Literacy Collection website. For further information regarding this manual, contact Maree Thair, College of New Caledonia, Prince George, BC V2N 1P8, Tel. (250) 561-5848, Fax (250) 561-5816. (99.09.29)

Added: 1999-09-29

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