LCFS Adult Education

October/ November Topic -- Housing

2009-10-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

One ESL topic that you could focus on for the remainder of October and into the beginning of November is Housing or the Home. There are a lot of language skills related to housing that could be focused on related to the home, from finding a place to live, to calling for repairs, to paying utility bills. Below, I will break these topics down into levels.

Note: Because my program has a contract with the Fair Housing Council of Suburban Philadelphia to do community education on housing discrimination, I may be contacting each of you in the next month to see about coming in one time as a guest speaker to each of your classes (except for those teaching the lowest level students).

Competencies for Low Beginner Level:

Vocabulary

Know the names of rooms.
Know the parts of rooms (window, floor, ceiling, wall, door, curtain, carpet)
Know common furniture or appliances.

Grammar:

Know prepostions to describe where things are in a room or in a house.
Know how to ask where questions.
Know: Subject - Be verb - Prepositional phrase sentence structure. "He is in the attic."
Know: There is/ There are - Noun/Pronoun - Prepositional phrase sentence structure, including statements and questions. "Are there mice in the building?"

Skills:

Telephone: Be able to prepare a message/ leave a message on a home answering machine. Be able to respond to unwanted sales calls. Be able to take a message another family member who is not home.
Utility bills: Be able to read a bill, determine how much is due, and when it is due.
Know how to write their address correctly and the correct placement of a recipients address and a return address on an envelope.

Competencies for High-Beginner / Low-Intermediate Level: In addition to the skills listed above, students should learn the following:

Vocabulary:

Types of home: apartment, duplex, twin, farm house
The names of common household problems: leaky roof/pipes, clogged drain, termites, cockroaches, "The fire detector/ furnace/ electrical outlet is not working."
The names of people to call for household problems and improvements: plumber, painter, exterminater, HVAC, landscaper, carpenter, home energy auditor

Skills:

Be able to ads listing houses for rent in the newspaper (I have a handout that can help with this) or on the internet.
Be able to call and ask questions about a house listed for rent.
Be able to find contractors to do home repairs and improvements, by using the yellow pages and/or the internet.
Be able to call a contractor and describe a problem with their home.

Competencies for High Intermediate Students: In addition to the skills listed above, students should learn the following:

Find and read real estate listings on line.
Know where to look to participate in state/county/federal first time home buyer programs.
Describe the type of home where they would like to live in the future.
Be able to dispute charges on a utility bill or call the phone company and learn if they are paying for services that they are not using (caller id, call waiting, voice mail, cell phone services such as internet, texting)

These are some of the ideas I have thought about for this topic. Feel free to add COMMENTS with lesson plans or suggestions for activities.

Transportation, Travel, and, the World

2007-04-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

For the month of April, our big topic will be transportation, travel, and the world. Below, I will list specific competencies for each level.

Low Beginner:

Know vocabulary for different kinds of vehicles, and be able to use them in a conversation such us the following: How did you come to class? I came by (bus, car, foot).
Know the words for all classmate's country, nationality, and language. Be able to respond to questions such as: Where are you from? What is your nationality? What language do you speak? - using sentences such as: I'm from (Vietnam). I am (Vietnamese). I speak (Vietnamese). Be able to say similar sentences using he, she, or they.
Know vocabulary for political geography: country, state, county, city. Be able to answer questions about the city, state, county, or country that they live in, and the city and country they came from.
Know some basic vocabulary about physical geography, using a world map. Vocabulary should include: ocean, continent, island, river, mountain. Be able to find their own country on a world map.
Know basic vocabulary for driving directions. Turn right, turn left, go straight, slow down, stop.

Some ideas for practicing the above competencies include:

Playing vehicle bingo. I will try to bring a copy of this.
Click here and enter the password I forwarded to get a vehicle label printout. Click here for a different one.
To practice giving directions, I sometimes play a game where some students are blind-folded and others have to give them directions to get to some place.

High Beginner Review some of the competencies for the low beginner group. In addition, teach some of the vocabulary that may be important for the PA driver's test, including:

Know the names of parts of a car such as: steering wheel, seat belt, gas pedal, tire, etc.
Be able to use and understand vocabulary related to permission and restriction: can, may, should, must, must not, may not, be allowed to, never, always, using examples from the state driver's manual.
Be familiar with distances used in our system of measurement (feet, inches, miles).

In addition:

Know vocabulary items related to physical geography: hills, mountains, desert, lake, etc.
Be able to read a world map and a road map.
Know prepositions used for describing location of buildings. Be able to describe a buildings location.
Be able to read a bus schedule and/or use SEPTA's website: www.septa.org.
With sufficient scaffolding, be able to write a one or two paragraph description of a tourist site in their home country.

Intermediate/ Advanced: Review some of the high beginner skills. In addition:

Be able to use a road atlas, and/or an internet map search tool.
Be able to give directions to their home, or from their home to other locations.
Be able to discuss travel plans with a travel agent, and/or use an internet travel service.
Be able to describe and write about a popular tourist destination in their home country.
Have English skills needed for flying internationally.

Big project for the month:

In previous years, we have worked with students to create a book about their lives and decision to come to the United States. This year, I would like to do something a little different. I want to work with all high-beginner through advanced students to create a book describing tourist locations, or interesting things that can be seen in their country. We can call it something like "A Tour of the World" by the Upper Darby ESL Class. This will take some planning, and some coordination with Bob Zakrewski, who will need to be present when students are working in the computer room. Let me know what you think of this idea.

Health and Health Care

2007-02-21T10:55:00.000-08:00

One of the topics that is one of the most interesting and useful for adult ESL students is health and health care. For the month of March, we will be focusing on this topic.

The following is a list of competencies that we hope students will be able to achieve during the month.

Low Beginners

Know the most basic parts of the body (eyes, hair, back, leg, hand, etc.)
Be able to talk about common health problems or symptoms (headache, backache, sore throat) using the form, "I have a __________."
Being given a bottle or package of something that could be bought at a drugs store, be able to tell what the product is for by looking at the label. Labels can include over-the-counter medicines (pain relievers, children's cold medicine, cough drops, laxatives, etc.), first aid supplies (bandaids, elastic bandages, antiseptic) personal care items (shampoo, deoderant, toothpaste, dental floss).
Talk about dates and times of appointments.
Call 911 and say their address.
Tell what language they speak and request an interpreter (for example if they are in a hospital emergency room).

High Beginners -review the topics listed above for low beginners, but go into greater detail, in the following ways:

Know parts of the body including less commonly used words (eyebrow, tongue, elbow, thumb, wrist, waist, skin, etc.) Also include some basic internal organs (heart, lungs, bones, brain, blood, stomach, etc.)
Talk about health conditions (high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes, AIDS, etc.)
Read the labels on OTC medicines to determine the correct uses, and dosages given age/weight. Be able to read warning labels.
Call a doctor, navigating voice mail, to set up an appointment. Follow directions at a doctors office.
Call 911 and give information about the nature of the crisis and answer questions.

In addition, they should be able to do the following:

Give advice about health and problems using "You should / shouldn't . . "
Follow simple first aid instructions.

Intermediate Group - review some of the topics covered by High Beginners but go into more detail in the following ways.

Talk about internal organs and systems.
Talk about health concerns, also including mental health issues.
Be able to follow instructions for prescription medicines.
Understand about different types of health insurance (HMO, PPO), including terminology (deductible, premium, Primary Care Physician [PCP]). The following link is for your knowledge as a teacher, not meant as a handout: Defininitions of Health Insurance Terms
Give/ take a health history either as an interview or filling out forms.

Advanced Group - Here the goal is for students to have the language they need to take health care decisions into their own hands. At this level, they may also have friends who are asking them for help as interpreters when they go to the doctor's office.

Talk about internal organs and systems.
Read a simple article about prevention and treatment of illnesses.
Find information on-line about prescription drugs.
Read their health insurance policy and/or be able to call their health insurance company to ask questions about treatment.
Give / take a health history either as an interview or filling out forms.
Have general comprehension when listening to a clip from a radio health report (see me for details).
Follow instructions that might be given as part of a First Aid / CPR training.

End of month activity - At the end of the month we may want to do a special activity for our learners (probably excluding our low beginners). We have sometimes had a guest speaker. If anyone knows a physician or other health care professional who may be able to come in, that would be great.

Getting a job/ Valentines Day

2007-01-26T07:31:00.000-08:00

The theme in January and February is getting a job. The following are some of the functions that you can work on, depending on the level of the students.

Low Beginner/ Basic Literacy
Students will be able to
1. Know the names of some common jobs, particularly entry-level jobs.
2. Introduce themselves.
3. Ask for an application.
4. Fill out a simple application.

Know words for first name, last name, SSN, signature
Know how to write addresses (abbreviations for words like street, avenue, north, etc.)
Know how to write dates in various ways (January 26, 2007; Jan. 26, 2007; 1/26/07)

5. Talk about present employment using formats:

"I am a _______."
"I work at _________."
"I work from _______ to _________."

High Beginner ESL
1. Know the names of many jobs, including entry-level jobs, and others.
2. Ask for and fill out an application.
3. Read classified adds in newspaper and on-line.
4. Talk about their job skills and experience.

Intermediate and Advanced ESL
1. Read Classified Ads in the newspaper and on-line.
2. Neatly fill out job applications.
3. Write resumes and cover letters.
4. Answer a variety of kinds of questions asked in interviews.
5. Understand the cultural expectations for how Americans are to behave in a job interview.

How to sell themselves, project confidence, highlight their strengths, etc.

** It would be great if we could get a copy of a video/DVD that shows someone in a job interview, so that students could watch it and critique the person's interview skills. Any ideas?

Valentines Day

Wednesday, February 14 is Valentines Day. Usually, I spend time that week talking about love and marriage in the USA. Activities that I have done include:

Listen to a couple love songs, read the lyrics , and sing them together.
Read love stories (I can print some out from some ESL readers)
Teach vocabulary related to love and marriage:

to fall in love, to be in love with
to ask out, to go out on a date, to be dating
to propose, to get engaged, engagement ring
to get married, wedding, bride and groom, reception
wedding anniversary

4. Discuss cultural differences between practices related to love and marriage in students countries and the United States.

5. Roleplay asking someone out on a date.

Shopping, Clothing, Money

2006-11-21T10:50:00.001-08:00

The month is almost over and I have not sent out my resource blog. I apologize about that. Also there were a couple mistakes on the email I sent out last week, including the fact that there was no place for dates on the sample checks attached.

The following are a few suggestions for subjects to be covered in the ESL class.

Beginning students

Recognize the coins and bills, their names and their values.
Be able to inquire about the price of an item.
Be able to count out an appropriate amount of money when told a total cost of items being purchased.
Be able to count change if acting as a cashier.
Be able to reconized whether they have been given correct change.
Be able to return or exchange an item that they have purchased.
Know in what situations things typically can or cannot be returned in the USA.
Be able to read a bill.
Be able to write checks.
Be able to record the amount of money in the checkbook.
Be able to talk about opening a bank account.
Be able to make a deposit or withdrawal.
Be able to use an ATM.
Know the names of clothing types.
Be able to describe what they are wearing.
Be able to complement a classmate on what they are wearing, and respond appropriately to complements:
That's a nice sweater. Is it new?
That's a nice color on you.

Advanced Students

Be able to look buy something online.
Be able to fill out a credit card application.
Understand responsible use of credit.
Know strategies for establishing a credit history in this country.
Be able to call a company to make inquiries about a bill.
Be able to make a household budget.
Be able to call or write a letter of complaint about poor service.
Be able to recognize possible mail or other types of fraud.

I realize that you may not be able to cover all of these topics, but they are some suggestions.

In a textbook I was looking at recently, there was an interesting innovation. At the end of each major thematic unit, there was a student self-assessment

Early in December, I hope to send out some suggestions for holiday related topics as you wrap up the fall semester.

ESL ideas for Halloween

2006-10-26T11:43:00.000-07:00

Halloween is an unusual holiday, with a lot of unique traditions, as well as a lot of special vocabulary. Below, I have links to a couple websites with printable worksheets related to the Halloween or related vocabulary.

Here is a crossword puzzle suitable for High Intermediate or Advanced.
Halloween Crossword

The following are links which may be useful for Beginners through Low Intermediate students. To sign in, use the password sent to you on the email.
Halloween Matching
Halloween Fill in the Blank
Halloween TPR Activity Needs Crayons or colored pencils

There are several topics for conversation around halloween. First, and most obviously, you can talk about American Halloween customs. After you introduce the vocabulary, you could have students who have been hear a number of years tell those who are new to the country what they know about Halloween customs. You can also ask students whether Halloween is celebrated in their country, or if there is another holiday to honor the dead. For example Mexicans have "Day of the Dead" and Chinese have "Tomb Sweeping Day."

Halloween is also a good time to compare funeral traditions in various countries, and teach related vocabulary.

Finally, it is fun to have students share ghost stories. Students are typically shy to share stories, but I find if I give an example (from my own family history) some will start offering tales from their experiences or their family members experiences, or just ones they heard. If you don't know of any ghost stories, you can check out some at the following links.

Intermediate-level ghost stories

Advanced level ghost stories

The second one is long, but could also be listened to if you have streaming audio in the classroom.

Philosophy of teaching ESL

2006-10-17T11:47:00.000-07:00

Our adult education program here at Lutheran Children and Family Service depends upon the faithful service of our volunteer teachers and tutors. These volunteers come with varying amounts of experience and training, and there is much we can learn from each other. I am creating this blog as a format where our volunteers can raise concerns and questions, which I can address. I also invite each of you to add your own ideas, suggestions, and insights.

A secondary purpose for this blog is to present teaching materials which can be used, or links to other websites with useful materials. I will try to have some suggestions each month, and I invite each of the volunteers to make their own suggestions.

I recently received an Email from one of our volunteer teachers, KH, who is doing a project for her ESL teaching course at UPenn. For my first entry, I will list her questions and my responses.

KH: I heard that you are in charge of this immigrant program. What are your goal or mission, belief for this? (the more specific, the better ) Do you have your own philosophy in teaching overall?

Our mission, very broadly, is to benefit the lives of the students by helping them become more independent and acculturated to American society. Many of the students have valuable work skills that they have developed in their native culture, which they are unable to use here until they have sufficient language proficiency to use them.

You asked me about my philosophy of teaching. I would say that rather than a single overarching philosophy of teaching, I teach according to a set of principles. It is impossible to list them all here, but I will try to list a couple that may be helpful.

To the degree that it is possible, try to apply all vocabulary and grammatical concepts to students own lives. Give them plenty of chances to use the vocabulary to talk about themselves, their family, and their classmates.

For example, if I had the vocabulary item, "afraid," I might first act out the feeling of fear. I next might write an example sentence on the board, "I am afraid of rats." I would give a couple other sentences with slight variations, and ask if any other students are afraid of the same thing. "My friend is afraid of high places," (demonstrating this by standing on a chair and acting afraid) "Are any of you afraid of heights? "Finally I would choose a few students and ask, "Oscar, what are you afraid of?"

Later in the class, or in the following class, I might refer back to the item. I might write on the board, "What were you afraid of when you were little? Tell about a time you were afraid," and give students a chance to discuss these questions with a partner, along with several other questions.

Notice in the above example, I do not just focus on a single word vocabulary item, but rather helped to demonstrate collocations or words that go together -- (be) afraid of.

When reading a dialogue in a text book, be dramatic. Act out the situation as if you were really there. This will help students to relate it to a real situation. Later, when students have had practice with a particular dialogue, it is good to force them to get their eyes off the page and act it out themselves without the text. Always remind them that they will not have the book to refer to when they are really in that situation. The goal of all of this is to make the language come alive for them, so that when they are in a situation, they will not just do what they have done previously, but rather they will think, "Hey, how did I say that when I was in English class?"

KH There are diversities such as different age, very different proficiency and different nationality in class. To me, to meet students’ different need to learn English is the most demanding factor. So what should be the mainstream to approach the diversity? I mean , what should be considered as priority? Do we have to follow the majority of the group?I've heard that you have taught English in Taiwan. Have you confronted similar situation? Then how did you handle it? What is the most important factor to concern about dealing with diversity?

Diversity is present in all kinds of ESOL teaching situations, but it is much more an issue when teaching with immigrants, than when teaching in an EFL situations.

I find dealing with students from many different nationalities preferable to teaching students from one language background. When they need to do communicative activities in English, there is less danger of them using their first language instead of English. Also, it is realer for them, because English really is the only way they can communicate with each other. It is a better situation for teaching an aspect of culture, because it is possible to compare and contrast a variety of cultural norms, which may help them get past the question of which is the right way to do something, but rather see that there are a variety of equally valid cultural views and behaviors.

Diversity of levels is more tricky. First, I will say that if someone seems to have a far higher level of English than others in the group, it is okay to refer them to the higher level classes. The testing system is not perfect and some students would be better off in a higher level. I trust your judgement on this.

When there are differences in level, it is good to have students work cooperatively in small groups or pairs. When a language concept is introduced, it may be totally new for one student and may be a review for another student. That is okay. One of the best ways to really fix a concept in someones mind so that they do not forget it is to have them explain it to someone else. 16 years ago, I learned a few Japanese phrases, so that I could teach them to a group of other students as a part of a language teaching simulation. I have never had need to use those phrases since then, but I can still remember them fairly well today.

KH: What do you expect from them after joining this class other than learning English?

Of course the primary focus of the class is language learning, but there are a number of side benefits. A major goal for them to better understand American culture. For example, in the previous unit you may have discussed what is expected of parents when interacting with the American school system.

Another purpose is to open their eyes to possibilities. Maybe they never really thought about buying a house, and by discussing the process, they may decide they are ready to. Once when I was teaching a unit on food, we discussed the food nutrition labels. We then took a trip to the supermarket, and looked for food with certain nutritional requirements (soup with low sodium, low fat milk, 100% juice, etc.) One of the students came up to me later and said, "You have opened my eyes." We allowed her to see something that was always there before her, but she never took advantage of it.