It is no secret that a substantial number of Dunkirk School District students speak Spanish, and that English as a second language has been a difficult task for the district. To embrace the diversity and hopefully benefit in more ways than one, Superintendent Gary Cerne has announced plans to implement a two-way program to help teach students English and Spanish at an early age. “We’d like to compile two sections of kindergarten next year and actually have the classroom be taught in Spanish half the class, and the other half in English,” Cerne said. “It will be strictly optional. We hope a lot of people will opt in because it’s a great opportunity for children. Our English as a Second Language children have struggled and this is a nice opportunity for them to really work on their skills.” (more…)

search for : speak Spanish, English as a second language

Writing helps reveal the complexity of the immigrant experience, teachers at Jones Avenue Adult Centre have found, and each year since 2002 they have compiled and published essays by their 300 English-as-a-second-language students. The latest edition of the anthology, called Footprints, is to be launched today, during ESL week in Toronto, at a private function at the Toronto school board’s offices. “Often students who have trouble articulating in the classroom will reveal all these layers of themselves through their writing,” says editor Momoye Sugiman, one of the teachers at the school. “I’ve gotten to know some very shy, withdrawn students through their writing.” (more…)

search for : English-as-a-second-language student

English as a Second Language (ESL), the Palo Alto Adult School’s most popular class, attracts a variety of foreign students and immigrants like Marta. The class convenes each Monday and Wednesday night on the Palo Alto High School campus and aims to provide students with a better grasp of English, teaching the adults a variety of speaking, reading comprehension and cultural lessons. As the class transitions to an opening identification exercise, Alfredo, a Mexican student, tentatively asks another Hispanic named Marta, her name and country of origin. “I know Marta is from Guatemala.” Marta laughs, as her native country of El Salvador was clearly written on her name card. (more…)

search for : English as a Second Language, ESL

For a couple of months, Maria Sanchez did not eat a on her breaks at work. Instead, she studied. The test for which she was studying was one of the most important she would ever take – the U.S. Citizenship Test. Not only did Sanchez want to become a U.S. citizen, she also wanted to help her husband gain legal status so she did not have to worry that her family would be torn apart. Immigrants have to learn English, the history of the United States and answer challenging questions. It can be very intimidating, Wildasin said. But the local Hispanic Center is trying to help by offering Path to Citizenship classes every Saturday. This gives local Hispanics an opportunity to study without any distractions, learn English, fill out applications and get advice on how to successfully pass the test. (more…)

search for : Path to Citizenship class, learn English

Like any spelling bee, this was a competition filled with drama, prickly nerves and a desire to outdo the rest. But Grigori Drobot, who arrived a nervous wreck, with engineer dad Konstantin and classmates like Alli Salimyha and Aram Kim cheering him on, was no ordinary speller. Salimyha is 40, a restaurateur from Iran. Kim is 25, a law student from Korea. And Drobot is 19, one of the youngest competitors in Toronto’s inaugural Adult ESL Spelling Competition, the first level of which was held Thursday night. Drobot, who came from Belarus seven months ago, was one of 31 contestants from English as a Second Language learning centres across the city. They’d spent weeks studying vocabulary lists prepared by organizer Channah Cohen. (more…)

search for : spelling bee, Adult ESL Spelling Competition, English as a Second Language

The School of Language Development was developed to educate the large number of middle and high school (8th- 12th grade) non-English speaking students who are newcomers to the country. When the students complete the program, they are well prepared with basic English skills and are better prepared to succeed in a comprehensive high school. The students attending the School of Language Development earn high school academic and elective credit toward high school graduation. The students benefit from low student-to-teacher ratios, individual remedial tutoring, pull-out interventions, bilingual assistance, and health screenings. Parent ESL and Basic Computer skills are also offered. In addition, students cultivate positive self-confidence in English based academia, develop an appreciation for cultural diversity, and can better assimilate into the school and community culture of Fontana. (more…)

search for : School of Language Development, non-English speaking students, ESL and Basic Computer skills

Advocates for Youth, a Washington, DC–based nonprofit that studies and advises on youth health issues, notes that a “complex interaction of factors” affects the lives of young Latinas. For example, Latinos are disproportionately impacted by poverty: estimates of Hispanic families living at or below the poverty level hover around 25 percent. Further, about 40 percent of the entire Latino population was born outside of the United States. The daughters in these families, whose English skills are honed at school, often serve as cultural liaisons for parents whose struggle to navigate a new country is hampered by a language barrier. (more…)

Superior is one step closer to becoming a bilingual city. The school district is moving forward with its consideration to offer a foreign language immersion school. Following a lengthy discussion Monday, school board members expressed support in a 4-2 vote. Student representatives joined the discussion to voice the concerns of those who attend Superior High School. Board members voiced their own concerns. In a foreign language immersion school, students learn every subject entirely in the target language to fluently learn the tongue. Instruction in English is does not begin until second grade. English is phased in, with the foreign language gradually limited to few hours a week by high school. (more…)

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