Firstfind.org is an online library of resources that are identified to be relevant andreadable for the 50% of adults in New York State who read (English) at a 6th grade level

This presentation uses anAlmost-ready-for-prime-time

edition of firstfind.org.

You can visit this test site attest2.westchesterlibraries.org

Each tab on the top menu opens

a page with itsown menu to

help users findspecific

information

Some links offer generalinformation that may be

instructional and/or interactive

Other links connect withinformation or services that are

geographically specific

The Get Your GED section is the largest section on the Firstfind.org site.There are subsections with links to specific services in Westchester, details about

taking the exam, a large (and complex) interactive instructional service calledLearning Express Library, sites to build necessary skills for each of the five tests, and

practice exams with immediate scoring.There is also a smaller library for those who wish to take the GED in Spanish.

Here is a description of what we do – both in live tutoring sessionsand via Internet links and email

Most of the information on this page can be found in our bookletGetting Your GED: Gateway to Your Future.

This 37-page booklet describes the what is on the exam, the time allotted per test,how the test is scored, and lots of other stuff (e.g. that the exam can be taken in

Spanish, a student can request accommodations for a disability).

Please become familiar with the content of this booklet!!

Learning Express Library (LEL) is a large instructional platform for adults and children atdifferent skill levels. LEL is organized into Learning Centers by instructional level (e.g.,

GED Preparation Center or College Center) and by interest (e.g., Career Center). Anadvantage to this structure is that a student can access instructional tools at levels that

match his/her skill level. For example, the Skills Review: Reading section includesa link to a Reading Comprehension Course from the Middle School Learning Center.

LEL is NOT user-friendly. There is a pretty good video tutorial that can help you and yourstudents. Do take some time to look at the LEL links within the Get Your GED section.

By the way, there are also links to LEL in other sections of Firstfind.org (e.g., Look for a Job).

Note that many of our students donot have the email accounts that

are required to register to use LEL.I included a link to a tutorial on

how to set up an email account –a link that is also accessible in the

Computer Tips section of Firstfind.org.

The Adult Learning Center has good courses and practice exercises to help studentsimprove their skills in Math, Reading, and Writing.

The structure for each subject area is similar. Each has a category forLearn and Review, which includes one or more tutorials

(or courses) that reviews concepts within that subject.

Tutorials are organized by units, which are then broken into lessons. The is a Pre-Test optionfor most tutorials that are often intimidating for the student – use with caution.

There are exercises throughout the lessons, and each lesson concludes with a short quiz.There is also a quiz at the end of each unit, and a Post-test at the end of the tutorial.

Notice the option toSave and Finish Later.

This enables a student to workfor a period of time and log off.

The software will record the unit atlog off and retrieve that locationwhen the student next logs in.

A new feature on LEL is a series of practice exercises/quizzes for all the conceptsIntroduced in the tutorials. There are usually four exercises per topic. Each exercise is

instantly scored, and explanations are given for each question/answer. The software willalso recommend tutorials and/or exercises to review and build skills.

NOTE: Use of the eBooks option is limited to those who own or have other access to PCs or laptops.

Another new feature in LEL is the option to take the Practice Exercises as aLearner. The advantage of this option is that a student can view answers

as s/he progresses through the exercise, page by page.Less pressure, more immediate feedback.

Note on navigating LELThe organization of LEL is quite complex. Understanding the uses of the various Learning

Centers and their content is tough enough. Understanding the process of selecting,storing, and retrieving that content is very challenging. Once you Launch a tutorial or

practice exercise, you will be asked to Save and Finish Later (tutorials or for exercises tocomplete at another time) or to Score My Test. Both of these commands will save whatever

you are working on to My Center, located at the top right of the screen.

Navigating My Center is very important and not very intuitive. Have a look at this video toget a sense of how things work.

Get Your GED also has Skills Review sections to focus on skill development for each of the5 tests (plus another that highlights reading and interpreting graphs).

Skills Reviews are helpful because:* Learning Express Library is very formal (perhaps tedious) for some

* Some students need to retake only one test, and/or need to focus on a specific skill (e.g.,algebra)* There are many video activities in these sections – helpful for those with visual learning styles

Skills Review: Math features a sequenced list of topics with links that explainconcepts, and offer practice exercises and quizzes. There are lots of links to specific

Learning Express Library courses, and lots of links to specific topics in theKhan Academy. There is a quiz at the end of each topic to check if a student has

mastered the topic.

The organization of topics corresponds to an assessment of student skills asFundamental, Intermediate, and Advanced. There is also a link to the LEL Math Tutorials

and a final link, Get Ready to Take the Test, that offers practice tests and tips on taking thetest (e.g., how to use the calculator and how to fill out the grid forms on the test).

For students at a fundamentalskill level, it is essential to be

fluent in multiplication anddivision. The Khan Academyvideos and exercises are veryhelpful. Encourage students

to use the Flashcardsand the

Learn Your Multiplication Tables!practice tools as well.

For intermediate level students, the LEL Basic Math Tutorial: Review coversmost of the areas needed to pass the test (the Basic Math Tutorial: Comprehensiveintroduces other important concepts like exponents – so a student need to complete

both tutorials).

Many, many students have problems understanding the rules and regulationsfor using fractions. Take a look at the various links that can offer different explanations.

For example, there are Six Short Videos on Working with Fractions and theexcellent Visual Fractions that can help students understand why 3/4= 32/40.

The more you explore different sites with your students, the more they become comfortablelooking on their own. Note the link to Practice Tests from LEL at the bottom. This is a featureon all of the topics in Skills Review: Math.

Algebra is tough for anyone tutors included!

The LEL Algebra Tutorial is helpful but very text-driven.There are some links to Math is Fun: Algebra site, including a review of algebravocabulary. Algebra Help is pretty comprehensive. Lessons on Lines introduces

The coordinate system of points used to measure slopes and solve linear equations.

All of the problems on the GED Mathexam are word problems. Studentsmust be familiar with the vocabularyused in these problems.

Key Words Used in Math Problemsis a good interactive tutorial thattargets this knowledge.

Another good practice source can befound in the Basic Math Practicetests in the Middle School section of LEL.

Reading is the #1 skill required to takeand pass the GED exam. All of the testsrequire a student to be a fluent reader.

It is important to assess a student's readingskills in order to develop learning plans for

him/her. The Reading Guide in your folder willhelp you understand what skills are required to

be a good reader, and offer samples ofassessment tools to use to determine skill

levels.

The Improve Your Reading Skills section hasLEL courses for middle and high school levelstudents. There are also videos and drill-and-

practice exercises for lower-level students.

The Build Your Vocabulary section includessome helpful videos from TV 411 and a link toVocabulary.com, an interactive site that cansend weekly quizzes via email. LEL will soonadd a Vocabulary and Spelling Tutorial to its

Content.

The Read More! and Poetry sections offer studentslinks to sites (that may be) of interest to him/her,

including current news, science facts, andshort fiction.

These tools areappropriate for

students reading ata lower level.

This site is more contextualin understanding reading

concepts - and it hasaudio-visual components

Get the New York Times!

The Writing Exam is challenging for many.English is not easy! The Grammar section ischallenging enough (spelling, punctuation,subject/verb agreement) but the Essay is

Especially difficult.

There are several tools to help studentsbuild grammar skills. A favorite – especiallyfor lower-level students - is Grammar Grids,

which offers interactive video tests andexercises.

Writing the Essay has many links to tools that help students understand (andpractice) the specific organizational structure required by the readers of the Essay.

The TV411 video is a quick view on that structure.

Other Skills Review sections havelinks to help students gain a better

knowledge of the concepts used in thereading passages (and charts/graphs)

seen in exam questions.

Students may opt to take the GED exam in Spanish so we tried to find links tosites that would help them improve their skills for the exam. Not easy!

Unfortunately, LEL only offers the Basic Math Tutorial: Review in Spanish(Learning Express Library: Curso de Matematicas Basicas)

Other tutorials were not translated. There are some other online math coursesfrom Mexico written in native tongue (rather than translated).

These can be found in the Revisión de Matemáticas.

Note that we did translate the sections with information about the GED Connect!Program, along with information about taking the test.

This section could use some improvements! Any and all ideas are welcome.

And finally, there is the wiki for our tutors. Here youcan find copies of assessment tools, unofficial practice

tests, tons of math handouts (with answer sheets!),reading and writing exercises, science and social studiesworksheets, websites that enable you to design specificsubject exercises, and more. Everyone can add posts,

Offer advice, etc. - but you must sign up for an account todo so. I will need your email address (and permission) to

Add you to the member list.The URL is wikis.westchesterlibraries.org/ged

Contact me at rosborne@wlsmail.org