Literacy of Northern New York has a waiting list of adult students who need help with literacy skills. The agency particularly needs volunteers willing to tutor reading in Watertown, Evans Mills and Chaumont.

The agency also has math students waiting for a tutor in those areas.

Literacy of Northern New York offers three different tutor training courses.

People interested in teaching reading can take the 12-hour Basic Literacy Learner course (BLL). Participants learn about phonics, word patterns, language experience, fluency, vocabulary development, reading comprehension and lesson planning.

The 12-hour English Language Learner (ELL) course allows volunteers to meet people from other countries who are struggling to speak English better. Volunteers do not need to speak another language to tutor English. Literacy of Northern NY particularly needs tutors from Fort Drum and Watertown to teach ELL.

For either course, volunteers are required to attend the orientation class and the successful tutoring class.

People who want to tutor reading also take BLL 1 and 2. For those who want to help people speak English better, they must also take ELL 1 and 2.

All courses will be held at the third floor conference room of Key Bank Building, 200 Washington St., Watertown. There is a $25 fee for the course textbook.

The classes are scheduled as follows: orientation, 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11; BLL 1, 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13; ELL 1, 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 17; BLL 2, 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 18; ELL 2, 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 24, and Successful Tutoring, 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 25.

People who want to tutor math attend only a two-hour training. Many of the students at LNNY require help with basic math skills such as multiplication, division, fractions and word problems. The agency provides the books and materials needed to tutor. The free course will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 21, at the third floor conference room of the Key Bank Building.

After successfully completing a training course, volunteers are matched with one adult who needs assistance. Tutoring sessions are held in public places such as libraries. Pre-registration is required for all courses.

Call Literacy of Northern New York at 782-4270 for more information.

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