ENGLISH AND ADULT LITERACY
Census data indicate that most new immigrants lack English language skills, a fact that hinders their integration into the community and creates a critical issue as they seek living wage employment.
English Language Learning instruction (ELL) is one of the main programs at B1C. We offer 4 levels of ELL, from beginner to conversational, and also provide English and Spanish literacy for adults who would like to learn to read/write, and English practice for the US Citizenship test. Dedicated volunteers provide all English language instruction at the center.
Adults wishing to take our ELL classes should come to the center 30 minutes before the first class to register and take an exam for ELL level placement. After attending 20 sessions, students’ English language skills are reassessed, and they may move up one or more levels.
We also offer tutoring sessions where students can work in smaller groups on specific subjects.
COVID-19 Changes
We currently only offer small, socially distanced, classes onsite.
Our online ELL program is in full swing. Please reach out to Suzanne if you would like to participate - 203.883.2098 or [email protected]
To all our program participants we suggest that you use the following FREE Apps to continue to learn and practice - Learn to Speak English, Speaking English Practice, English Listening & Quiz, and English Vocabulary Practice.
HOW IT WORKS
1.
Come to our center for an
English language test.
2.
Attend classes at your level
or tutoring sessions.
3.
We will re-test your ELL level
after 20 lessons.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Classes are taught 5 mornings a week from 9:30-11:30 am, Saturdays from 11:00-12:30 and Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 - 8:00 pm. Please see our monthly calendar for complete class offerings. All our classes are drop-in, and run throughout the year, with 2 weeks off at the end of August and December. We also offer tutoring sessions, where smaller groups of clients meet in a more informal setting.
Our ELL classes are taught following our own 13-theme curriculum, which changes every week and provides recent immigrants with practice to feel more comfortable living and working in the United States.
Our teaching volunteers can come for one or several classes per week, so you may have different teachers on different days of the week.
Citizenship classes help those preparing to take the citizenship test with practicing the 100 test questions and preparing for their interview. Students must have an ELL level higher than 1 (2 and above) to join a Citizenship class, unless it is marked in the calendar as Citizenship in Spanish).
No. Although some are experienced ELL teachers, our volunteers are of different ages and backgrounds; this provides our students with real-life exposure to teaching styles, accents and experiences, which mirrors our diverse community.
