Navigating daily life when English isn’t your first language
If English isn’t your first language, everyday tasks like going to the grocery store, seeing a doctor or meeting with your child’s teacher can seem impossible. Not only is there a language barrier, but cultural unfamiliarity can lead to more confusion if you’re new to America. What are some ways we, at HopeWorks, work to combat these challenges with our students?
One of the programs we offer is called AESL (Adult English as a Second Language). In these classes, we teach students how to speak, read and write English, practice digital literacy, discuss and comprehend various civics topics, and work alongside our Workforce Development team to help with job placement. Each course level covers four focus areas – functions, listening and speaking, vocabulary, and grammar – starting with the basics, working up four levels and moving into transitions. The courses cover 10 units, building upon each other as you progress through the program and develop a knowledge of not only the English language but American culture.
The nine units are:
- Personal information
- At school
- Friends and family
- Health
- Around town
- Time
- Shopping
- Work
- Daily living
Basics
The first part of our AESL course builds a foundation for the English language and culture. We start by teaching the alphabet, spelling names, identifying classroom objects and numbers, and learning and following classroom directions.
From there, students learn how to exchange and ask for personal information (names, area codes, addresses, etc.), identify classroom objects and their location, discuss family relations, describe health problems and how to communicate needs with medical professionals, identify buildings and places, ask the time, read prices and identify clothing items, answer questions about free time and activities and much more. In addition to these conversations, students also work on pronunciation and other elements of the English language that are useful in these discussions.
Level 1
Level 1 begins with a recap of the basics and moves into abbreviations, days and months, and more, with a heavier focus on listening and speaking. Students learn different greetings and manners, how to express sympathy and appreciation, clarify directions, describe habitual activities, identify job skills, discuss past actions and future plans, and more. On the grammar side, students begin learning contractions, singular and plural nouns, irregular verbs and more.
Level 2
In Level 2, the course starts with students introducing themselves, discussing their skills and asking classmates questions about their lives. From here, students move into descriptors (describing hair, clothing, actions, etc.), offering advice, learning computer terms and parts of a car, identifying appropriate actions after an injury or accident, learning about modes of transportation and asking questions about travel schedules, inquiring about life events, comparisons, asking for recommendations and responding to requests. The grammar in this section focuses on adjective order, want vs. need, comparatives and superlatives, and direct and indirect objects.
Level 3
Level 3 begins with discussions of goals, completing a goal form for the unit and discussing daily routines. From there, the course moves into discussing personal likes and dislikes, describing and discussing personality traits, explaining study habits, offering help, agreeing and disagreeing, discussing borrowing and lending, conversing about diet and exercise, describing actions with expectations, working on time management and prioritization, discussing finances, identifying job procedures and much more. The grammar in level 3 focuses on verbs and gerunds, comparisons, commands, time clauses and collocations.
Level 4
During the welcome portion of this course, students exchange information and discuss study habits and strategies. From here, students begin to express opinions, inquire about educational opportunities, discuss appropriate at-home behaviors, describe volunteer opportunities, talk about time-saving devices, discuss store return policies, discuss environmental issues and concerns, compare wedding customs and more. In the grammar focus, students learn noun clauses, infinitives after passives, contrasting conditionals and past, present and perfect verb tenses.
Transitions
The final stage of our AESL program is transitions. This section focuses on the communication skills needed to be successful in a career, like how to sell yourself and build self-confidence, tips for a successful interview and how to fill out a job application, giving and receiving feedback, writing at work and school, and more. By the end of this unit, students are expected to have a solid grasp of the English language, an understanding of conversation flow and a foundation of the American workforce.
We know how hard it can be to uproot your life and move to a new, unfamiliar country. At HopeWorks, our friendly, knowledgeable staff is here to guide you through the transition while developing personal relationships with your classmates. If you or someone you know is interested in our AESL program, call us at 901-240-0171 or fill out the Class Preference Survey at the bottom of the AESL webpage.