Group items tagged

Dalton discusses the long history of literacy problems in African Americans. It is believed that the need to become literate mainly started during the emancipation era when it was prohibited in many places for slaves to have the knowledge to read and write. Dalton goes on to speak about how certain African Americans were able to be literate, and went on to write exquisite literature. This article is very interesting and a decently easy read and it helps one out to understand not just the literacy of today, but the literacy in African Americans years ago.

This article calls for young Americans to get involved in politics and make their voices heard. Presidential candidates are promising everything to everyone but will likely fall short of that and some group will not get what they want. To ensure that young Americans get what they need, they should demand that the new president follows through with the promises he made. With Barack Obama promising Social Security reform and lowering the cost and making college more available to the youth of America. "Ask not what you can do for Barack Obama, ask what Barack Obama can do for you" challenges young Americans to demand that there needs be met by their president.

The author reports on the study "To Read or Not to Read," which was released by the United States National Endowment for the Arts. The study found that Americans read less in 2007 compared with previous years. The study found that reading abilities for teenagers and adults have declined, whereas reading abilities for younger children have increased. The impact which the decline in reading abilities has had on American workers is discussed. The author states that the amount of time which people read on a daily basis has declined. (Abstract from EBSCO.)

This article presents the American College Health Association National Health Assessment (ACHA - NCHA). It describes the process of collecting information to complete this survey. It also explains the importance of the study's results in understanding the health needs of different colleges. Moreover, the ACHA - NCHA is also concerned with drinking issues among college students. This article provides excellent statistics and gives ideas for coming up with one's own survey questions.

This article, available in PDF format through EBSCO, discusses the problem of "financial aliteracy." Most Americans have limited knowledge of strategies for saving and investing. This is a timely topic, given the current problems on Wall Street.

This article, available in PDF format through EBSCO, discusses the problem of "financial aliteracy." Most Americans have limited knowledge of strategies for saving and investing. This is a timely topic, given the current problems on Wall Street.

The "New Media" such as Youtube, Facebook, and Myspace today are changing the political scene for young Americans. The technology today allows people to be more involved with politics, as seen during the 2008 election. Now people can watch debates on YouTube or ask questions at town hall meetings with icams connected to your computer, or even "friend" a presidential candidate on Facebook or Myspace. Technology today is promoting political awareness especially with the youth of America, and will make for interesting turnout in the 2008 election. This article explains how technology is being used to promote political awareness in a new way that has never been used before during a presidential election.

A film on OhioLINK. Could be helpful for students researching bilingualism. When Massasoit hailed the Plymouth settlers in their own language, they might have taken it for a sign that English would dominate the New World. Packed with surprising etymologies and intriguing stories, this enhanced DVD traces the dynamic relationship between English and America, exploring the linguistic influence of westward expansion, cowboy culture, slave culture, and encounters with the French and Spanish languages. Key works examined include The New England Primer and Webster's The American Spelling Book. Can be viewed using a DVD player or computer DVD-ROM drive. (50 minutes, color)\nPart of the "Adventure of English" series.

A film on OhioLINK. Could be helpful for students researching bilingualism. This menu-powered DVD explores how America's rise as an economic power made it the driving force behind the spread of English in the 20th century. A world tour illustrates how English has mixed with other languages from "Franglais" in France to "Singlish" in Singapore and how the dollar's power, coupled with the lure of consumerism, has made English the international trade language. Bringing it full circle, host Melvyn Bragg returns to the British Isles to survey English as it is spoken there now, measuring the influence of American slang and vocabulary from other languages. Can be viewed using a DVD player or computer DVD-ROM drive. (50 minutes, color)

An explanation of the current nutrition facts label required by the FDA. Contains facts and statistics about the American diet and use of the labeling system.

Health literacy is basic reading and numerical skills that allow a person to function in the health care environment. Even though most adults read at an eighth-grade level, and 20 percent of the population reads at or below a fifth-grade level, most health care materials are written at a 10th-grade level. Older patients are particularly affected because their reading and comprehension abilities are influenced by their cognition and their vision and hearing status. Inadequate health literacy can result in difficulty accessing health care, following instructions from a physician, and taking medication properly. Patients with inadequate health literacy are more likely to be hospitalized than patients with adequate skills. Patients understand medical information better when spoken to slowly, simple words are used, and a restricted amount of information is presented. For optimal comprehension and compliance, patient education material should be written at a sixth-grade or lower reading level, preferably including pictures and illustrations. All patients prefer reading medical information written in clear and concise language. Physicians should be alert to this problem because most patients are unwilling to admit that they have literacy problems. (Am Fam Physician 2005;72:463-8. Copyright© 2005 American Academy of Family Physicians.)

The author, Alice-Ann Darrow, asserts her argument that music helps students to learn and is a useful tool in reading by citing various research studies dealing with the effects of music on literacy, specifically reading. Darrow states that although the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 dictates that every child should know how to read, 30% of American youths are struggling to read. Music, she argues, is a significant tool to help speed up and help the process of learning to read.

Many patients misunderstand the written questions American doctors have them answer before physical exams, a finding that calls into question the usefulness of these screening tools, new reports say.

The number of Americans studying in China increased by 25 percent last year, according to a new report.

The Report discusses how nearly half of all American adults have difficulty understanding and using health information. Many patients do not always understand health information, so they get less preventative health care and use expensive health services such as emergency care more frequently. By incorporating health knowledge into the existing curricula of kindergarten through 12th grades classes, as well as into adult education community programs, confusion in health literacy can be eliminated. The IOM makes valid points and suggestions for ending the confusion with health literacy.

An article about literacy that cuts to the heart of American citizenship and probably reflects the experience of many people across all races and ethnicities.

Have Americans been seduced into overeating by the so-called health halo associated with certain foods and restaurants?

This article from the Washington Post discusses the problem of aliteracy. Much more prevalent than illiteracy, it is also more insidious because unlike teaching someone how to read, which is fairly straightforward, how do you teach someone to LIKE to read? This article contains statistics on aliteracy in America and interesting ways in which aliteracy has changed the way our society functions.

Tuition and fees increased 439 percent from 1982 to 2007, while median family income rose 147 percent.