Students coming into the Carthage R-9 School District not knowing how to speak English now have a new tool to help them learn English. ELLIS, a new software program, has been installed in all of the Carthage schools. “Last year, the district decided to do something for those who don’t speak English,” said Coral Russell, the ESL teacher for grades kindergarten through second at Columbian Elementary School who was appointed to find the best system.

The program uses age-appropriate cartoons to tell a story. The students then are given a test over the story, and a student must score at least a 90 percent to move to the next level. There are three levels of teaching: One for kindergarten through first or second grade, one through sixth grade and one for junior high and high school. Computers with the software installed are available after school in the labs around the district. (more…)

search for : learn English, ELLIS, ESL teacher

The demographics of US elementary and secondary schools are dramatically changing as the record-high immigration of the past dozen years increases. Students who are learning English for the first time, better known as English language learners, make up a greater proportion of the K-12 population than ever before. According to the National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs, between 1989-1990 and 2004-2005, enrollment of ELL students in US schools increased 150 percent, from roughly 2 million to well over 5 million.

Specialized ESL software is designed to help ELL students develop English-language listening, speaking, and reading skills. They range from simple, self-directed pronunciation programs delivered on CD, to complete multimedia software suites, such as Pearson’s English Language Learning and Instruction System (ELLIS) product line, which can be deployed on desktop PCs, installed on district servers, or delivered via a web browser. The common thread among these programs is their emphasis on making text-heavy information more accessible through graphics, animation, and video. Virtually all of them offer some level of interactivity, and a growing number are web-based or networkconnected. The best of them are providing more than pretty pictures. The buzz phrase here is context-based instruction, which puts students into lifelike situations using digital video. (more…)

search for : learning English, English language learners, National Clearinghouse for English Language Acquisition and Language Instruction Educational Programs, ESL software, Pearson’s English Language Learning and Instruction System

As this year draws to a close, I reflect on the interactions I’ve experienced with others in my community. I think of friendly chats, hostile stares, even arguments that ensued because of a misunderstanding, or a lack of tolerance or patience. Some of these I observed; others I was directly involved in. So for next year, I choose to try to be more understanding, more tolerant, more patient in my own exchanges with others. Here are some thoughts to keep in mind that may help you to better your own interactions in the coming year.

If you are among those who are avid and often vocal believers that if a person wants to live in your country, they should learn your language, then do something about it. Volunteer to teach English as a second language. Did you know that you don’t even have to know another language to be such a tutor? You could be teaching a Japanese, Slovak, Indian or Mexican person the English you so want them to use. And not only do you tutor them in our language, you also get to educate them about our culture at large. It’s fascinating to observe a newcomer to our society while they learn the processes of daily life and social interactions/customs in our country. (more…)

search for : English as a second language

Help wanted: receptionist for growing school. Ability to speak English and Spanish preferred. That’s basically the job description devised by Foley Elementary Principal Bill Lawrence last summer. He found the perfect candidate – Nancy Quezada Hunter, who speaks Spanish and English – to help bridge the communication gap between English-speaking staff and Spanish-speaking parents. “Sometimes, I come in at 7:30, and they’re here waiting for me; maybe a parent wants something translated for a teacher,” said Hunter, who was born in Mexico and arrived in the Mobile area in the 1960s.

Welcome to south Baldwin County, where the growing Hispanic population is transforming the landscape for school communities. They are hiring bilingual staff, helping some families find shelter and, perhaps most important, joining with civic leaders to rapidly expand English-training classes – English as a Second Language, better known as ESL – to reach entire families. The county school board recently approved spending $30,000 to refurbish the upstairs of an old Methodist church, situated adjacent to Foley Middle School at Pine Street and U.S. 98, for an ESL classroom. The program at the facility will target adults for night classes, and it’s a partnership between the school system and the South Baldwin Chamber of Commerce. (more…)

search for : Spanish-speaking parents, English-training classes, English as a Second Language, ESL

Heidi Von Dohlen spends her day shuttling from one group of students to the other at Reynolds Middle, combating one of the Buncombe County school system’s tougher challenges. She and 28 other county teachers work with a growing number of students using English as a second language. Forty different languages are spoken among Buncombe County Schools’ 1,547 limited-English proficiency students, whose numbers have grown by 17 percent over a year ago.

t the same time, the system has added no teachers for the students, who often rely on their instructors also to serve part advocate and part social worker. “I can’t imagine anyone saying, ‘We’re going to have 300 more physics students’ but yet not add any more physics teachers,” Von Dohlen said. North Carolina requires that students using English as a secondary language follow the same course of study as other students. (more…)

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Every week Judith Montilla visits La Biblioteca del Pueblo, Wilmington’s Spanish-language library, to check out books for the 16 4-year-olds in her preschool class. On Friday she was in search of new year-themed stories. “I have some students who speak only English, and some who speak only Spanish, so I try to get the same books in both English and Spanish,” said Montilla, who teaches at La Fiesta II Early Childhood Assistance Program.

With Spanish language collections like La Biblioteca’s hard to come by, it’s a challenge to get Spanish speakers interested in the library, say librarians across the country. So this month the Delaware Division of Libraries is beginning a series of nine workshops to train librarians throughout the state how to better reach out to and serve the Spanish-speaking community. The first workshop in the Spanish Language Outreach Program, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is Jan. 23 at Seaford District Library. (more…)

search for : Spanish-language library, Spanish language collections, Biblioteca’s, Spanish Language Outreach Program

Many parents for whom English is a second language prefer story time in English rather than in their native language, Erwin said. Conversely, some English-speaking parents want to bring their kids to the story time in other languages. They’re hoping their kids will pick up a few words of another language and sharpen their mental agility at an early age.

Indeed, it’s not a simple matter of picking up a book and putting up a “Story Time” sign. Volunteers of the San Jose Public Library must go through an interview process similar to a job interview, said Lorraine Oback, spokeswoman for the library. Their skills are assessed for the needs. Story time involves complex training that gives volunteers some ideas and resources, such as finger puppets and songs, to help change up their offerings for an age group with a notoriously short attention span. Volunteers must go to two three-hour sessions on consecutive Saturdays and make a minimum six-month commitment. (more…)

search for : English is a second language

Naugatuck Valley Community College’s English as a Second Language (ESL) Program is holding an open house at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 8. The two-hour event will be held in the NVCC library building on the fifth floor, Room L501 on NVCC’s main campus, located at 750 Chase Parkway, Waterbury. Those who attend the open house will receive an overview of NVCC’s ESL Program, have a chance to meet instructors and receive campus tours. Family members are welcome. There also will be a raffle and refreshments.

NVCC’s ESL Program is designed to help students whose native language is not English become proficient in English. NVCC’s ESL courses begin Thursday, January 18 and are available at both its main campus at and its Danbury Training Center, 12 Crosby Street, Danbury. The college’s ESL Program, which has grown about 35 percent over the past two years, serves about 200 students each semester. For more information about the January 8 open house, call 203-575-8036. (more…)

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