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English Learning Center summary conversation circle notes as provided to learners
(see Appendix English LC) for the layout/worksheet summary of May 14.
Below is the summary from the second session discussion (May 16) and their written answers to the learner reading questionnaire.
To start our conversation this evening, Mev gave us a review worksheet from our last conversation. On it, she summarized our last class. After each section, we had a question to answer. The questions were meant to help us have time to remember. We talked about what to write in our memoirs.
The summary was good. There was only one place in the end that one woman wanted to correct. The last sentence should be like this:
In Tibet, it is very hard for the husband and wife to separate. The daughter goes back to her parents and it causes shame. Other people make fun of the daughter and they tease her parents. They say, "She's the daughter of ____ and ___ and she's no longer with her husband."
Each of us took turns reading a section. Then Mev would read the section after us. It helped us to hear the correct pronunciation of the words. After each section, we had time to answer the questions. Everyone read her answers to the questions. It helped us to write and to think.
It was difficult for us to write the answers to these questions. This is the first time we have been asked to write what we think about ourselves and our lives. Usually, we read and answer questions about the reading. Sometimes we just fill in the blanks to questions. At first it was hard. It gave us a chance to think of many different things and to think how to write them.
It was hard because we want our writing to have perfect grammar. We kept erasing our writing to make it better. Mev said it is important just to write our ideas so we don't forget them. We should just write what comes in our minds and we can change it later. Since we wrote it, we would know what it means later. She said that later Joleen would help us to fix the spelling and grammar and make the sentences better.
These were some of the answers to the questions.
While I am learning English, I would like to read about
* Ancient history & ancient stories from all kinds of countries
* Relationships
* Children's books
* Customs in the U.S.
* Cookbooks
* History of U.S.
* Domestic violence
* Family stories
* Friendships
* Poems
* Coupons
* Anything in this new country
* Important news from the world & news headlines
* Economy
* Comics
* True stories
* Women's life in U.S.
We also depend on the teacher to choose what we should read to improve our English. "I always depend on you when you select and teach me please."
We answered questions about what we want to write in our memoirs. We wrote about why we came to the U.S. We also talked about why we want to learn English. We want to learn English because it will give us better opportunities in the U.S. It will give us more job opportunities. We can understand the U.S. culture better. It helps us to be free to do more things. English will help us to be normal. Reading English is very important because it helps people solve many problems in living life. Also, English is an international language. If we know it, we can travel more easily around the world.
One woman talked about how she does not want to return to her country but her husband does. She is concerned because she feels that in the U.S. she can get a job more easily. In her country women can't get jobs. If she stays in the U.S. and something happens to her husband, here she can better take care of herself. If something happens in her country, she probably can't get a job. She does not know how she will take care of her children.
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Number of learner
participants |
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Age Range |
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Race / Ethnicity |
Immigrant: Mexican - 2 |
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How many are parents? |
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