Libraries and Literacy

New American Horizons ESL Teacher Training Videos

2012-01-23T08:41:00.000-08:00

A new informational video is now available introducing the video training series, "Teaching ESL to Adults: Classroom Approaches in Action," produced as a service to the field by the New American Horizons Foundation. Get some great training without attending a workshop!

Readability Calculator for Easy Reading

2012-01-12T09:54:00.000-08:00

Since last summer I have been using a Readability Test from Joe's Web Tools to figure out reading levels for the easy reader section of the Lucy A. Barahona Literacy Collection. The processing department at the Library purchased reading level labels from 1-12 from Gaylord. Based on the Flesch-Kincaid grade level, I have been putting labels on the front of our books so that we have one unified system from which to rank the books. While there are many readability factors and systems, I have found Joe's calculator to be in line with my experience with easy reading materials and as an ESL tutor and teacher. Check it out!

American Dream Toolkit for Libraries

2011-12-28T09:05:00.000-08:00

Visit the new and improved American Dream Toolkit website for information on the American Dream Starts @ your library grants and bibliographical lists of all the resources for English language learning libraries were able to add to their collections with the grants. This list is great for teachers looking for new resources and for libraries developing their adult literacy collections.

Find the right book (even for adult new readers) with Lexile

2011-05-16T08:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a great website for sifting through books for younger readers based on a multitude of categories, like mystery, nature, or business. For voracious adult new readers who may quickly outgrow your adult literacy collection, yet not be ready for adult level books, this tool can allow you to quickly search books for youth by grade level, and then narrow those down to titles that would be interesting to adults.

Even if you don't know an adult student's lexile score, you can still look for books by grade level equivalent based on their last TABE test, and add information about the books the student normally reads, like they are usually at my level, they are usually too easy, or they are usually too difficult.

Even though the results are books for children, you can still find something with central adult characters by reading the one sentence summaries in the list of results. The interest level is also indicated.

For example, I put in 4th grade as the reading level, and I said that the books I read in school are usually just right for my level. On the next screen I selected nature as one of my topics, et voila, I found The Heart Calls Home, which is a book I would love to read as an adult:

"Obi tries to make a new life on a S. Carolina island, while waiting for his soul mate who is studying up North."

Grade level: 4
Lexile level: 650L
Ages: 12 to 17 (interest level)
Page count: 175
Publisher: Walker and Company, 1999
ISBN: 0802786367
ISBN13: 9780802786364

This tool definitely makes being an adult literacy librarian easier! There is even a link at the end of each page to search for the book in WorldCat. Enjoy!

Online 14-hour Adult Literacy Tutor Training

2011-05-02T07:17:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon this excellent training resource today and wanted to share. It was mentioned in Notebook: Resources for the Adult Educator, a seasonal publication from ProLiteracy.

Spring 2011 ABE/ESL Teacher & Tutor Workshop: Using Learning Games

2011-04-18T18:30:00.000-07:00

March 23rd Intermediate/Advanced ESL Conversation Group

2011-03-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

Improving Reading Skills

2011-03-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

I'm doing some informal research into how many hours of reading it would take the average adult learner to increase a reading level. The issue has come up in my TOEFL prep class in which all of the students want to be able to do well on the test, yet they are all coming into the class with different reading levels--some as low as 9th grade, I imagine. The target reading level of material on the TOEFL exam is between 13 and 14, which is the level that most college survey textbooks are written at.

This short article from About.com gives reading advice for children, yet is equally appropriate for adults. I was happy to stumble upon this article and realize that I provide these strategies for my adult ESL students at the Berwyn Library and at LTHS as a normal part of instruction.

If you know where I can find some peer reviewed estimates of how many hours a person would have to read in order to increase a GLE (grade level equivalent) level, please let me know! Feel free to leave a comment.

St. Leonard's Adult ESL Program visit to the Library

2011-03-04T11:03:00.001-08:00

St. Leonard's ESL program visited the Library Tuesday night and received a tour of the Literacy Center, which has been under construction for the past week. We're putting the final touches on our updated Learning Lab that has 7 new computers and tables for small group tutoring. I can't wait to use it! The students were very excited to hear about new computer classes.

The coordinator of their program, Gabriel Lara (bottom center of photo with his wife), requested training for their teachers, so that is our next joint project. I'm looking forward to spending some time with them to hear their stories and get some good teaching tips as well.

I was surprised to see that 60% of the group already had library cards--either from our city or from neighboring ones. Our lone circulation person was happily bombarded with 15 new library card applications.

Word Lists for Games: In a Pickle

2011-01-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

Now that I'm working full-time in Outreach Services at the Berwyn Public Library, I have more time to create helpful word lists for popular family games that we use in our ESL conversation classes. The students have fun and learn at the same time! Have you ever played In a Pickle: The What's in a Word Game? Get the word list here.

It's great for learning vocabulary and practicing the grammatical structure of comparisons. For example, learners must say phrases like "A bank is bigger than a box. A fly is smaller than a book." Stay tuned for more additions to the Word Lists for Games section in the left column of the Libraries and Literacy blog.

Meeting with St. Leonard's ESL Program Coordinator and Volunteers

2011-01-05T18:44:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful meeting this evening with Gabriel, the ESL program coordinator for St. Leonard's, and three of their volunteer teachers.

The Library is happy to offer them circulating classroom textbooks, as well as teacher/tutor materials free of charge. St. Leonard's ESL program is in its third year; textbooks were their biggest need. Students will be using these new textbooks for the first time in January 2011.

The Library has been reaching out to adult literacy and ESL programs throughout 2010 and we will continue the effort into 2011. We are focused on increasing free access to ESL teaching and learning materials that are often too expensive for adult literacy programs with small budgets. The Berwyn Public Library is the community's "Leader in Literacy and Lifelong Learning." Many thanks to the American Library Association and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation for making these partnerships a reality through the $5000 American Dream Starts @ your library® grant.

If your adult literacy/ESL program in Berwyn could benefit from a partnership with the Library, please contact Esther Chase by phone at (708) 795-8000, ext. 3044, or by email at echase@berwynlibrary.net.

How Berwyn woman set her dream in motion - Berwyn, IL - Berwyn Life

2010-12-29T22:23:00.001-08:00

Take a look at an article about recent Poetry Idol winner Jas McMullen, who tells how she got started performing poetry in Berwyn and her plans for the future. Poetry Idol is a new program created by the Berwyn Public Library with Jason L. Brock and Michael Joseph Garza. How Berwyn woman set her dream in motion - Berwyn, IL - Berwyn Life

2011 Spring ESL Classes at LT's Adult Ed. Program

2010-12-29T17:53:00.000-08:00

Click on the title of this blog entry to see the 2011 Spring ESL classes at LT's Adult Education Program.

Poetry Idol program brings new faces to the Berwyn Library

2010-12-09T19:49:00.000-08:00

The Berwyn Library hosted the first ever Poetry Idol series on Nov. 3, Nov. 18 and Dec. 1. The new program was created with poets Michael Joseph Garza and Jason L. Brock, as well as myself, to bring new patrons to the Berwyn Library, and to hear some sweet rhymes, as well as create a new community.

Poetry Idol is a blend of slam poetry and American Idol. Contestants perform their poetry live or submit via YouTube and are judged based on content and performance. Judges are free to expound on each performance. In our three part series, "Life, Love, and Liberation" two winners emerge as idols and take home cash prizes at each of the three events.

Read the front page Berwyn Life story here. See the video highlights from the first event here.

Volunteer Tutor Training: Using Adult Literacy Materials

2010-10-24T13:03:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday, October 20th at the Berwyn Public Library, I held a training for volunteer tutors serving adult literacy learners in Berwyn, IL. Program Coordinators and tutors from three literacy agencies were in attendance: Project CARE at Morton College, Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County, and School on Wheels.

The topic of the training was "Using Adult Literacy Materials." Tutors and program coordinators learned about the 4 types of adult literacy materials: published, learner-written, real-world, and tutor-produced. The new Lucy A. Barahona Literacy Center was showcased, which has recently been funded by an American Dream Starts @ your library® grant through the generosity of the American Library Association and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

Fall 2010 Libraries' English and Reading Network LEARN Meeting

2010-09-29T09:18:00.000-07:00

Join us on Wednesday, October 6th from 1-4 PM as we listen to two speakers who will help us think in new ways about how we meet the information literacy needs of our community and how we serve adult literacy learners.

Emmett Lombard, author of Pursuing Information Literacy: Roles and Relationships, will be our first speaker. Emmett brings his experience as an academic librarian and English professor to the table and will help us understand our role as in serving adult literacy learners. See a video clip of Emmett talking about his book.

Patricia Barch, Literacy Librarian at Schaumburg Township District Library, will speak about best practices in serving adult literacy learners in a public library setting, including suggestions for collection development, programs, partnering with literacy organizations, and grant writing.

A tour of Berwyn Library's new Literacy Center will be provided. The new literacy collection has been made possible by an American Dream Starts @ your library grant from the American Library Association and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.

The event will be held at the Berwyn Public Library, at 2701 S. Harlem Ave. Berwyn, IL. Additional parking is available on Riverside drive, adjacent to the library. Click here for the meeting agenda. Registration is appreciated; please call Joe Popowitch of the Indian Prairie Library at (630)887-8760 ext. 240. It is not necessary to be a member of LEARN to attend the event.

Hope to see you there! You don't want to miss it! The next LEARN meeting will be in the spring of 2011.

Recap of BPL's International Literacy Day Event

2010-09-13T09:18:00.000-07:00

The event was a smashing success! We renewed our commitment to literacy in the City of Berwyn, dedicated the new Literacy Center to Lucy Barahona, and participated in a lively poetry slam to renew our passion for the power of words in everyday life.

Read the Mark News Online article on our International Literacy Day Event here.
Pictures are viewable on facebook!
See a video montage of the event created by the American Library Association below.

Room to Read: Building Libraries In Third World Nations

2010-08-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

Emmett Lombard: Information Literacy Video and Event

2010-08-09T12:11:00.000-07:00

Hear Emmett Lombard engage public librarians and literacy professionals in a dialogue about information literacy (IL) on Wednesday, October 6th at the Berwyn Public library. Mr. Lombard is an academic librarian and English professor at Gannon University in Erie, PA.

If you've been following my blog, you might already know that Mr. Lombard was one of my professors at Gannon. He helps students develop critical thinking skills and teaches them how to do effective research, resulting in a more information literate society. The talk is open to public and academic librarians, students of Library & Information Science, teachers and tutors, and anyone interested in the topic.

Join us for a lively dialogue about what information literacy is and its role the library.

Date: Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Time: Emmett's segment is from 1-2 PM, entire event is from 1-4 PM
Location: Berwyn Public Library, Community Room (2nd floor)
Address: 2701 S. Harlem Ave., Berwyn, IL 60402

Hope to see you there!

LT Fall ESL Classes - South Campus

2010-07-21T05:47:00.000-07:00

Lyons Township High School
South Campus
4900 Willow Springs Road
Western Springs, IL 60558-1795

Students: Please note that some classes may be canceled each semester due to low enrollment. If you are interested in taking a class, please try to register by phone (below) or online at lths.net at least two weeks before classes start. I will be at the school for all of the following classes during the first week. After the first week, private tutoring is available if your class has been canceled.

Classes are $28 each. Textbooks may be purchased on Amazon or checked out from the library for free. Private tutoring is $20/hour which may be purchased in 6-hour increments.

To register by phone, please call: (708) 579-6573 Hours: 8-4 Mon-Fri CST

Beginner Speaking
6 – 7:30 PM Mondays
September 13 – November 15
Learn the sound system of American English, basic vocabulary, grammar and reading.

Everyday Writing (All Levels)
7:30 – 9 PM Mondays
September 13 – November 15
Study basic written communication, spelling rules, and phonics.

Pre-GED Reading & Writing (Intermediate & Advanced)
6 – 7:30 PM Tuesdays
September 14 – November 16
Understand and use academic English before taking traditional GED preparation classes.

Advanced Non-Fiction Book Discussion Group
7:30 – 9 PM Tuesdays
September 14 – November 16
Improve your vocabulary and conversation with this lively, snack-friendly group.

ESL Games and Conversation (All Levels)
6 – 7:30 PM Wednesdays
September 15 – November 17
Play educational English games, learn new vocabulary, and have some fun!

Business English (Intermediate & Advanced)
7:30 – 9 PM Wednesdays
September 15 – November 17
Learn to speak and write formal English for work.

Advanced Fiction Book Discussion Group
6 – 7:30 PM Thursdays
September 16 – November 18
Improve your vocabulary and conversation with this lively, snack-friendly group.

TOEFL Prep (Intermediate & Advanced)
7:30 – 9 PM Thursdays
September 16 – November 18
Study for the Test of English as a Foreign Language.

Private Tutoring (All Levels)
At a public library near you—tutoring is available mornings, afternoons or evenings. Please visit an evening class during the first week to register and schedule your lessons. After the first week, please call the school to register.

ProLiteracy Praises Subcommittee Approval of State Grant Funds

2010-07-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

David C. Harvey, president and CEO of ProLiteracy, today said he is pleased by the action of the House Subcommittee on Appropriations for Labor, Health and Human Services approving the $612 million allocation for state grants to adult education proposed by President Obama in his FY 2011 budget.

"This funding represents a $30 million increase in state grants to local literacy and basic education programs from the 2009 budget," Harvey said. "It's a modest but badly needed down payment on what we hope will be an even greater investment down the road."

ProLiteracy has learned that the subcommittee approved the President's state grant funding level as part of its review of appropriations bills on July 15. ProLiteracy also learned that the subcommittee approved a $30 million appropriation for a Workforce Innovation Fund. This fund will allow adult literacy and basic education programs funded under the Workforce Investment Act Title I and II to work together, and with other local and regional partners, to develop comprehensive proposals to scale promising practices.

"It is my hope that these innovation funds will make it possible for more community-based literacy programs to receive desperately needed resources. These programs traditionally work with adults at the lowest literacy levels, those most in need of instruction so they can find jobs that pay a living wage," Harvey said.

Congress Declares National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week 2010

2010-07-20T11:24:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON – The National Coalition for Literacy (NCL) invites you to join them in celebrating National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, September 13-17, 2010. This Congressional declaration, H. Res 1472, was sponsored by Rep. Jared Polis [D-CO] and is the culmination of literacy advocacy and outreach resulting in twenty co-signers in the House.

NCL (www.national-coalition-literacy.org) is a national adult education leadership organization comprised of 24 member organizations and adult education professionals, committed to promoting adult education and literacy, family literacy, and English language development in the United States. NCL seeks to advance adult education, language, and literacy by fostering collaboration and advocacy at the national level among public and private organizations.

Parents in ESL program have their own graduation

2010-07-15T12:45:00.001-07:00

In May, Lyons Township's Adult Education program teamed up with Congress Park Elementary school to begin offering parent English language classes. I taught the classes in the pilot program. Reporter Jane Michaels, from The Doings attended our last day of class to capture the story. Click the title of this post to read the article.

The Role of Libraries and Librarians in Information Literacy

2010-06-29T05:31:00.001-07:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

The Role of Libraries and Librarians in Information Literacy

View more presentations from PLAI STRLC.

Summer ESL Classes at LT Adult Ed.

2010-05-12T12:48:00.000-07:00

LT North Campus
100 S. Brainard Ave.
LaGrange, IL 60525

Beginner Speaking Mon 9-10:30 AM;
Jun 7 - Aug 16

Everyday Writing and Spelling Mon 10:30 AM - 12 PM;
Jun 7 - Aug 16

Intermediate/Advanced ESL Mon 12 - 1 PM;
Jun 7 - Aug 16

Private Tutoring By Appointment, Mondays; Jun 7 - Aug 16

If you are in a TESL/TESOL program and would like to observe the classes above, please send me an e-mail at esther_chase@yahoo.com.

For more info call: (708) 579-6573
E-mail: twelge@lths.net
Web: http://www.lths.net

Pursuing Information Literacy: Roles and Relationships

2010-05-12T12:05:00.000-07:00

Emmett Lombard, a Librarian and English professor from Gannon University, has published a new book!

Mr. Lombard assisted me with my undergraduate thesis and still takes an active interest in my career, five years after graduation. His influence inspired me to pursue a graduate degree in Library Science, and as you all know, teach English (to speakers of other languages).

Take a look at his new book, Pursuing Information Literacy: Roles and Relationships, and order your copy today!

A Student's Story

2010-04-17T18:06:00.001-07:00

On Becoming a Volunteer Literacy Tutor

2010-04-17T17:50:00.000-07:00

Adult ESL Emergent Reader Techniques

2010-04-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

Upcoming Library Workshop: Serving the ESL Patron 101

2010-02-07T08:18:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, March 17, 2010 9:00 AM - 1:30 PM

Metropolitan Library System Meeting Room - Burr Ridge

Hear guest speaker Dale Lipshultz, Ph.D., Literacy Officer at the Office for Literacy and Outreach Services of the American Library Association speak about The American Dream Starts at Your Library initiative.

I will be presenting on how librarians can effectively refer ESL patrons to appropriate learning opportunities in their communities and offer outreach strategies for partnering with literacy organizations.

Financial Literacy Links

2009-12-29T17:51:00.000-08:00

These websites have a "wealth" of information to use with your students. Of course the pun is totally intended! Enjoy.

Practical Money Skills - .pdfs

National Credit Union Association - Financial Literacy Education - .pdfs

Eric Digests in the Public Domain

2009-12-13T12:40:00.000-08:00

I was searching for some high quality information for an upcoming workshop I'm presenting on teaching ABE and ESL writing. I stumbled upon this great site that has articles formerly available through ERIC. There are many articles on teaching adult ESL and/or literacy. It's a very rich resource, with theory and practice in a concise format, and references are included.

Help Your Students Make Comic Strips Online!

2009-10-28T19:52:00.000-07:00

Workplace ESL Pictures

2009-10-21T11:07:00.000-07:00

My two workplace ESL classes finished a week ago. It was a lot of fun to get to know the guys and also to figure out what such a big group should learn. Teaching multilevel classes can be stressful, but all of the laughter and smiles in class make it worth it.

Fall 2009 ESL Classes at LT

2009-08-16T11:35:00.000-07:00

Click on the title above to get details for the NEW Fall ESL Classes offered by the Lyons Township Adult and Community Education Program.

ESL Reference Interview Flowchart 1: ESL Classes

2009-08-01T08:28:00.000-07:00

I've been working with LEARN (Libraries English And Reading Network) to put together a series of helpful flowcharts for librarians who serve English Language Learner (ELL) patrons.

Here's flowchart # 1: Referring Patrons to ESL Classes.

Distribute freely!

Outreach Bilingual Storytime at the Brookfield Farmer's Market

2009-07-18T18:11:00.000-07:00

Mis amigas, Natali y Karla, joined me for a Farmer's Market rendition
of the Bilingual Storytime I give at the Brookfield Library.

Thank You Caitlin!

2009-07-14T20:42:00.000-07:00

Caitlin Morris volunteered to help me with my Summer ESL class in order to prepare for her upcoming EFL teaching experience with WorldTeach in the Marshall Islands. Thanks so much Caitlin and good luck!

Outreach/Workplace ESL Class

2009-07-06T07:21:00.000-07:00

I have a new edition to my roster of Lyons Township ESL classes. I have a student who works at a factory McCook, IL. She works long hours, and gets up sometimes at 3:30 or 4:00 A.M. to go to work. She has the brightest attitude about learning despite her lack of sleep. She attends my Tue/Thu night class that finishes at 9:00 P.M.

She's been practicing her English at work. She worked there for many years without speaking English. People had asked her why she didn't learn to speak English sooner. Her supervisor has seen her confidence and her ability to speak improve so much over the last month that he called my supervisor at LT. They've set up a workplace ESL program so I can teach employees right there in the facility. I'll be there for 10 weeks from August to October. How exciting!

AzarGrammar.com

2009-06-16T06:09:00.000-07:00

The Azar Grammar series has been a staple of my grammar teaching since I started teaching ESL. It was the first series I found that really concentrates on grammar. The pages don't have too many illustrations to distract you from the actual content.

Students love this series too. I have students who tell other people about how much they love the books, which delights me still today.

AzarGrammar.com has many high quality materials you can download for free right now. If you haven't seen any of the series textbooks, request them from your local library through interlibrary loan. Be sure to try out some of the grammar games from Fun with Grammar too!

20th Century Biographies Series

2009-05-23T14:09:00.000-07:00

I just finished reading our new 20th Century Biographies Martin Luther King Jr. book. It's a great book for adults at a 5th grade reading level or above. There are adult-friendly photos (no kids pictures) and it has 10 chapters. There's also a glossary, an index, and a bibliography at the end.

The set includes: Cesar Chavez, Albert Einstein, Anne Frank, Mahatma Gandhi, Helen Keller, MLK Jr., Charles Lindbergh, Rosa Parks, Jackie Robinson, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. These titles are available from Saddleback Educational Publishing. Martin Luther King Jr. is available at the Brookfield Public Library. More titles to come soon!

Outreach Results for May

2009-05-19T20:08:00.000-07:00

The Library Card Sign-up visit at Riverside-Brookfield's Adult ESL class was a success! There are 6 new Brookfield library patrons as a result. I personally invited them to the library, gave them a brochure with pictures of our materials from our new ESL collection, and I promoted our upcoming free language and reading programs for the Fall. They also asked about our computer literacy workshops, which are free to the public, even if you don't live in Brookfield.

Hot English Magazine

2009-05-10T04:40:00.000-07:00

Check out this new magazine in British and American English from Hot English Magazine. If you ever wanted to appeal to the trendy in order to make your classes or tutoring a ton more fun, this is the magazine for you! Each issue includes a CD with the audio version of articles, telephone calls, fun grammar modules, jokes, and much more.

There are teacher pages you can purchase from the website, or you can just make your own to go with each segment you want to use in class. They have classroom subscriptions too. If you have an overhead machine, you could skip the cost and just use one magazine. Very bright colors, glossy pages, and full of content. It would take an ESL student weeks to go through all of it!

There's 4 different levels of material in each issue: Pre-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper Intermediate, and Advanced. Just a heads up--the Pre-Intermediate is for what we would think of as High Intermediate, and the Advanced is more advanced than People magazine, but very educational. The advanced level would be good for students who are at a high school senior level, or adults who've done a lot of independent reading. With 4 levels in each issue, your student will have something to read or listen to for sure. With the British English included, I have as much fun as my students do as I listen to the audio.

This magazine is now available for checkout at the Brookfield Library! Stop in and check it out!

Upcoming Outreach Services

2009-05-03T09:21:00.000-07:00

May 2009
Riverside Brookfield High School Adult ESL Class Visit

On behalf of the Brookfield Library, I'll be signing up adult RB ESL students for library cards using the online application from the Brookfield Library website. I'll also be promoting our ESL collection, Spanish and Polish language collection, and electronic resources in Spanish.

Fall 2009
Literacy Volunteers of Western Cook County Tutor Training
Saint Mary of Celle Church in Berwyn

A brief show and tell session about ESL materials will be provided to new ESL tutors through LVWCC. I'll talk about four main types of materials, as well as how and when to use them:

1. One-to-One Learning Materials
2. Small Group Tutoring & Classroom Instruction Materials
3. Independent Learning/Reading Materials (all levels)
4. Reference Materials

Connect With English

2009-05-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

In my Spanish class, my teacher showed us a video from a series for intermediate Spanish learning that I loved. It was similar to Crossroads Café for English learners, which featured "a city café where six characters come together and discuss life in their new country." It's a great series, but a little outdated. Now, Connect with English features a central character named Rebecca who travels across the US on her way to materializing her dreams as a singer.

As for pricing, Connect With English is less expensive than Crossroads Café. All the videos can be shown for free in the classroom with streaming media (can't download). So that means all you'd have to purchase are the books. Talk to your local literacy agency to see if they have these for loan. Or speak with a nice librarian at your public library to see if the workbooks could be purchased for the collection. Your students will be happy just to borrow the books and it always helps circulation statistics at the library.

U.S.A. Learns Online Classroom for Teachers

2009-02-02T12:43:00.000-08:00

U.S.A. Learns is a great resource for teachers of beginning adult ELLs. An important part of literacy is being able to use technology to gain access to information. The module is user friendly and has instructions in English and Spanish. Use these recordings and readings in class, have students practice at their local library, or they can even use the site at home if they have a computer and the internet. It's great for extra practice. This is a free tool from the U.S. Department of Education (ED), Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Division of Adult Education and Literacy (DAEL).

ESL Podcasts

2008-06-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Make sure to check out these ESL podcasts about various American cultural topics in clear, precise, and grammatically correct English.

You get a list of vocabulary your students can look up before listening for free, and if you want to upgrade to membership, you can get Learning Guides for download.

Before you listen to your first podcast, read the testimonials section. It's very impressive. I know this site will help your net savvy students!

Great Stories...Fast!

2007-10-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

We have a small time frame to encourage a joy in reading with our students.

If you are looking for something that appeals to younger ESL students, and you want to help them develop the habit of reading on their own, consider using the Fastback and Double Fastback Series. These "high-interest novels build a strong knowledge base while encouraging independent reading practice" for "reading levels of grades 4-5 and interest levels of grades 6-12." (Pearson) The genres include: Romance, Mystery, Sports, Spy, Horror, and S.O.S. (Strange Occurrence Squad).

You can talk about the Fastback Series with your agency, or you could borrow them at your local library. You can always request them through interlibrary loan if your local library does not carry them.