Program Areas

The Northstar Digital Literacy Assessment is a self-guided, online set of assessments that show an individual’s ability to perform basic computer skills in eight skill area areas:

• Basic Computer Use
• Internet
• Windows OS/Mac OS
• E-mail
• Word Processing (using Microsoft Word)
• Social Media
• Excel
• PowerPoint

Use these assessments for post-testing your students on these various skills.

If you listen to NPR radio, you may hear both famous and unknowns discussing their core values and beliefs on weekly broadcasts of the radio spot “This I Believe,” a take-off on Edward R. Murrow’s original 1950s radio show. The site is an archive of all the modern broadcasts accompanied by the original print essays and contains a searchable database of thousands of other essays on numerous topics ranging from patriotism, to family, to sports. Each short essay that has been broadcast on NPR has a “listen now” link to hear the authors read their essays, which provides a listening component for the ABE student. The audio can be the basis for exercises on note-taking, listening for main ideas, supporting details, and cloze (listening for missing words).

This activity is an ice breaker to use on the first day of class to help students learn about one another and to help them begin to form a community of learners. Studies have shown that where community exists, persistence is less of a problem. This Web site lists 10 ice breakers for use in adult classes with complete step-by-step instructions. This activity highlights the People Bingo activity.

Use an end-of-class meeting classroom assessment technique in which you ask students what they learned, what they don’t understand or need more practice with, or a specific question to check students’ understanding of the lesson content. Quickly and easily (without account registration) create an online poll for brainstorming, voting, or exit tickets (used for formative assessment, student self analysis, instructional strategy feedback, and open communication with students).

Use the Web site's resources in a Citizenship class or as part preparation for/teaching of the EL Civics Government and History Unit.