Buffalo Creek Literacy Project

Because I’ve spent so much time in the last few years teaching reading, both to individuals and to small groups of students, I have seen the toll that struggling to read takes on adults and children. Through the teaching process, you really get to know the students you’re teaching and consequently, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about the issues that haunt them because they cannot read as well as those around them can. Almost every struggling reader has developed low self-esteem, the natural consequence of struggling to do something that most around you do not struggle to do. Because the inability to read well is so pervasive and impacts almost all aspects of one’s life, that single area of weakness overshadows significant strengths which every student that I … Read entire article »

Change a life!  Volunteer to tutor an adult or child.  Make a tax-deductible financial contribution.  It costs about $250 to train a tutor.  Send your check to: Buffalo Creek Literacy Project, P.O. Box 626, Germanton NC 27019 Support your local schools and their efforts in reading instruction at all levels. Read with your own children. Spread the word.  Start the conversation about literacy in your own neighborhood. Learn more.  Start with the links on our home page. Call Jeff Pratt at 336-816-7758.   … Read entire article »

Difficulty reading single words. Difficulty decoding nonsense words. Inaccurate and labored oral reading. Trouble with small function words. Slow reading. Poor spelling. Fine motor skill difficulties. Reading avoidance behaviors. Delayed spoken language … Read entire article »

Dyslexia – Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurobiological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition, and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and a reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. … Read entire article »

We are a North Carolina non-profit corporation, organized under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, serving adults and children in Stokes and Eastern Surry Counties who want to improve their reading skills. Currently we offer one-to-one tutoring, a literacy class and offer effective instruction in order to ensure success. Grants from the generous donors below make the fulfillment of our mission possible. Please read more about them on our resources page. Our goals are many and varied, and our volunteer tutors, students, donors and friends at the Stokes Volunteer Center, libraries, Government Center, Stokes and Surry counties school systems, churches, YMCA and Forsyth Technical Community College as well as others, make our mission to eradicate illiteracy in Stokes and Eastern Surry counties a real possibility. … Read entire article »

In Stokes and Surry Counties, 54% of the adults read at levels 1 and 2. That means that these adults have trouble locating single pieces of information located in short text. They also have trouble locating or entering specific information on a form and performing simple math – see complete explanation in Literacy in NC by (Mary Siedlow/National Adult Literacy Survey/State Adult Literacy Survey). In North Carolina: 52% of the adults read at levels 1 and 2. In the United States: Between 46 and 51% of the adults read at levels 1 and 2. In the world: Over 861 million adults are functionally illiterate, and 113 million children are not in school or exposed to literacy instruction. … Read entire article »