Looking for resources to teach a non-English speaking friend to read; any advice?

I've worked with Cecilia for nearly a year now. She is a very tough, clever, funny woman, but she's miserable in a job that doesn't appreciate or accomodate her. Our food-service job prints instructions in Spanish and English, as a lot of jobs do today, but her inability to read really holds her back. Once I leave this job in a few months she won't have a translator and I don't think they'll hold onto her. There aren't many services available in middle Tennessee to teach a Spanish-speaking woman how to read, but I have a little teaching experience, I'm decent with the Spanish language, and if I had the right tools--a curriculum and a few simple readers--I could at least get her started and hope her curiosity and intelligence would do the rest.

I'm searching online for resources now, but I would appreciate any input from DUers.

Edit: I think I should clarify; Cecilia does not read English OR Spanish, and does not speak English. My hope is first to teach her to read in Spanish; this will make it easier for her to learn to read and speak English, as she wants to do.

an English as a Second Language program. I would call your local community college, they may be able to direct you to a suitable program for her.

I don't know if ESL programs are designed to deal with that double hurdle. Also, between children and work, I doubt she would end up attending class regularly. I don't mind going to her house a few times a week and teaching her myself, and I'm relatively sure I could do it with some success; I just need a few teaching tools.

they're usually big classes, & her reading & speaking level are mismatched, so she won't fit well into any ability group.

But they'll have basic literacy materials & are typically glad to advise.

also they'll know about other options. my town has a literacy tutoring option, run through the library; the esl folks will know if your town has something similar.

in this option, in my town, you could sign up as a tutor, with her as your tutoree, have access to their materials, & tutor off-site if you liked. you'd just have to go through their training (1 day).

Or is she completely illiterate?

But she lives in the United States now and really needs to learn English. I think you need to speak with someone who works in an ESL program. They can give you guidance.

and

Education for a critical consciousness

These deal not only with teaching people but teaching them concepts for survival and methods for teaching the illiterate or undereducated.

If you read these two books, you might be able to help her in many ways.

But you will also learn some techniques to help her teach herself.

Thank you!

Most libraries have a group. They have a program for both adult non-readers and English language learners. I volunteered with them years ago, excellent program.

http://www.readwriteact.org/materials/authors/organizations/laubach_literacy_action/

your area to teach illiterate adults to read? If she speaks even decent English, that might be a start.

Also, I'd recommend good children's books as a start. They are relatively simple and give lots of context to learn words. Especially if she reads them out loud to herself. If she can pronounce the words, she will understand most of them, and will build her vocabulary that way.

I don't know much about adult literacy or ESL programs in Tennessee, I'm researching that right now with my 20 minutes of libary computer time, lol.

Children's books are an idea I had, I suppose I'll need to find and order them in Spanish.

she's in a very bad place. An ESL program is probably the best thing for her.

Also, as difficult as it is, she simply needs to find a way to get herself out there and immersed in English so she can learn to speak it decently. If she has a TV, she should only be watching English language channels.

More than two decades ago I knew a woman who'd moved from Mexico City to Phoenix, and told me she really learned a lot of English from watching TV. At that time there were no Spanish language channels on the cable systems in Phoenix, which helped a lot.

Already I've gotten some valuable information here; thanks to all who took the time!

staffed by volunteers. I'm sure you can find some community outreach programs or even church programs that can help your friend out.

specialties store should have leveled reader collections for pre-K and kindergarten level readers. Yes,they will be kiddie books, and they might be a tad expensive, as most of these stores are gougers. Many of these types of book collections have companion tapes (or CD these days).

Msongs

*** your first priority is to teach her the language she needs for work. What vocabulary, phrases are the most common on her job? What interactions does she have with her boss? coworkers? Start there. Use objects and tools from her/your workplace as visual aids. Use role play to practice the conversations that go on there. Write them down and have her repeat them so that she gets used to the rythmn and the sound of these conversations.

(This is known as the Whole-Language approach. Meaning that you are learning the language in its situational context, the way children do when they are first learning to talk.)

*** Like another poster, I'm pretty sure the local community collage has ESL classes. Please look into it. It's going to be tougher for her being illiterate in her first language. She'll need to learn tips and tricks about how to study along with the new language, but it's certainly not impossible. They can also tell you what books and workbooks work best with beginning learners. When I did it eons ago, it was Addison-Wesley products, but that has probably changed.

Web resources:

Here is a website that has been popular with ESL sudents over the years:

Dave's ESL cafe: http://www.eslcafe.com/search/Publishers/index.html

Pimsleur provides excellent language courses that focus on listening and speaking before reading. She can learn to understand and speak English without reading a word. The courses gradually introduce simple reading exercises.

a program in your state, but volunteers who can work one on one, can be difficult to find. She may feel uncomfortable in a class setting, or have trouble finding one which fits her schedule. I've found it takes a real motivation on the part of the student to learn english as an adult, it's quite a difficult language.

You mention she has children, if they're young, and she has access to TV, she probably gets some PBS stations. One student I worked with had toddlers, and although she didn't speak spanish much, she knew more spanish than english- Shows like Maya and Miguel REALLY helped her transition into english. There are others which blend spanish & english along with word recognition, I know it sounds kind of silly, but I was amazed at how much my student picked up between our lessons thanks to bi-lingual kids programing.

You may be able to access some books and teaching tools through your local Second Start ESL office- They may have ideas and contacts who can help. Maybe contact your local community college and see if there are any students who could use some extra practice and opportunity to work on their conversational skills in exchange for helping your friend make some progress with english?

I hope you find some answers- thank you for your caring heart. We'll all get by with a little help from our friends :)


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