ENGLISH AND ADULT LITERACY
Meet Alejandro, an ELL participant since 2016
and his teacher Ron.
Learn about our Norwalk Community College collaboration.
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.
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.
Class Schedule
Monday
Tuesday
-
ELL Class, registered
-
417 Shippan Ave
-
ELL Class, registered
-
417 Shippan Ave
Wednesday
Thursday
-
ELL Class, registered
-
417 Shippan Ave
-
ELL Class, registered
-
417 Shippan Ave
Friday
-
ELL Class, registered
-
417 Shippan Ave
Saturday
-
Citizenship Class
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417 Shippan Ave
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Classes are taught 5 mornings a week from 9 to 11 am, Saturdays from 11 am to 12:30 pm, and Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 8 pm. 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. While the teacher might not be the same for every class, the course follows a set time frame and curriculum
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.
At our Shippan location, we offer scheduled courses of study with classes meeting three times per week (Tuesday, Thursday, Friday) with two weeks off at the end of August and December. Registration into the class and regular attendance is required.
