April 19, 2024

CARSPA learned blocks to reading skills

CARSPA met for their monthly meeting on Monday, November 18, at 9 a.m. at the Osceola Senior Center. Hostess Jeri Lytton served cookies.

Guest presenter was Ann Murr. She helps with “His Kids,” an after school program for students in 1st-6th grades. They provide lessons on God’s love, Bible Lessons, snacks, exercises, and homework assistance. They have 4-5 adults helping. They are always looking for volunteers.

Then Ann discussed the adult literacy program at Drake, a program that started in 1976. Some funding is provided by United Way. About half of the students are native English speakers. About half are from other countries and speak English but don’t read English. To get better jobs, the students knew they needed to read job materials and manuals. Vision and hearing problems affect reading. Awareness of sounds and connecting sounds with letters is the first step in reading. In Dyslexia the dis- means poor, and -lexia is words so Dyslexia is poor with words. Dyslexia can be inherited and genetic. Often those people are out-of-the-box thinkers, typically using the frontal brain lobe. Good readers us the back lobe in the brain. Other indicators of dyslexia is the inability to hear syllables in words, no memory for words, delay in verbal skills, mispronouncing words, bad spelling, or difficulty in reading letters and making related sounds for the letters. Sounds must be taught.

Linda opened the business meeting with a poem “Thanksgiving Time.”

Nine members recited the pledge and sang “Grace”, accompanied by Jeri Lytton.

Venita Escher read the October 14 minutes. Sharon Cameron gave the roll call and the Treasurer’s report. After a correction in the minutes, the minutes and treasurer’s reports were approved.

Jeri Lytton shared a joke and a song, “Turkey Tracks” to the tune of “Dashing through the snow”.

Linda Foland read an article, “Kids Quips” from the Country Woman magazine and “Words to Live By”. The meeting adjourned at 10:50. The next meeting will be March 9, 2020, with the program, Spinning Wheels. Following the March meeting, the books will be audited.