At Schaumburg Township District Library (847) 985-4000

English As A Second Language Classes (ESL)

English As A second Language (ESL) classes, are taught by High School District 211 at the library. Classes will begin in February, 2006.

You will register and be tested the same day. This is important to remember. These classes are FREE, but a small fee may be charged for materials.

Beginning Level ESL

Registration and testing is Tuesday, Feb. 6 in the Adult Classroom, 2nd floor.

Morning class testing and registration starts at 9:30 a.m.

Afternoon class testing and registration starts at 12:30 p.m.

Classes begin Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Morning class meets from 9:15 until 11:45 a.m.

Afternoon class meets from 12:30 until 3 p.m.

Classes meet every Tuesday and Thursday for 12 weeks.

Intermediate Level ESL

Registration and testing is Monday, Feb. 5 in the Adult Classroom, 2nd floor.

Morning class testing and registration starts at 9:30 a.m.

Afternoon class testing and registration starts at 12:30 p.m.

Classes begin Monday, Feb 13.

Morning class meets from 9:30 a.m. until noon.

Afternoon class meets from 12:30 until 3 p.m.

Classes meet every Monday and Wednesday for 12 weeks.

Read To Learn For A Brighter Future

In this class you will work with a tutor and perhaps another student. You will learn how to read and write, or improve your current literacy skills. This class meets on Monday morning.

Registration and testing is Monday, Feb. 27 at 9:30 a.m. in the Rasmussen Room on the 2nd floor.

Classes begin on Monday, Feb. 27th and meet each Monday at 9:30 a.m. until noon for 10 weeks.

This class if FREE but there is a $10 fee for materials.

Computer Assisted Programs for ESL

On Monday mornings, the Adult Computer Lab is open from 9:30 a.m until noon throughout the year to help those who are studying English. The interactive computer software programs will help all levels from beginners to advanced learners. You will be able to work on English grammar, reading comprehension, verb tenses, American idioms, a picture dictionary in English and Spanish and the 8 in 1 Dictionary in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Russian, Spanish, German, Polish, Portuguese, French and Vietnamese. These programs make learning English fun and interesting. You don't need to know how to use a computer to join this class. Call Pat Barch at (847) 923-3387 with any questions you may have.

At William Rainey Harper College (847) 925-6223

Harper College offers GED, ESL and Citizenship classes. Some classes are FREE.

Classes are taught at four locations. Call the main campus for details on registration and starting dates for classes.

Harper College, 1200 W. Algonquin Rd., Palatine, IL 60067

Harper College also offers tutoring for an hourly fee. The Community Tutoring Center is located in the Academic Resource Center, room F315 at the main campus.

Did You Know....

On Novermber 11th, Americans will celebrate Veterans Day (originally Armistice Day). We remember all war veterans and honor them for keeping our nation free. The first Veterans Day was celebrated in 1919, one year after the signing of the treaty that ended World War I. This will be a school holiday and banks and government offices will be closed.

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November -- this year on November 25th. Americans remember the first pilgrams who came from England to find religious freedom. Of the 102 who left England, 47 died that first year in America. The Native American Indians helped the pilgrams plant crops, as well as and hunt and fish. When the first crops were harvested, the pilgrams invited the Indians to a feast. They wanted to thank them for helping them survive in a new country. They served turkey, cranberries and pumpkin, plus many other kinds of food. Today we also serve these same foods on Thanksgiving day. You may want to try cooking your own turkey this year. Schools, businesses and government offices will be closed for the holiday. Many Americans will travel home to be with their families on this day.

Christmas will be celebrated on December 25th. Christians believe that God's son Jesus was born on this day. Traditional displays show that he was born in a stable where animals were sheltered. Many Christmas customs came to the United States from immigrants who came from European countries. The Christmas tree is a German tradition and it can be found in many American homes. Colorful lights and decorations in red and green can be seen everywhere. Many people decorate the outside of their homes and you can drive around your neighborhood to enjoy the festive look. It is the custom to give gifts and send greeting cards at this time of year. Families will open their gifts on Christmas Eve (the night before Christmas) or on Christmas morning. Children will find gifts left by Santa Clause. They believe Santa's magical sleigh and eight reindeer fly and land on each rooftop, then Santa comes down the chimney to put a gift under the Christmas tree for each c hild. You may want to find a book in the library about Christmas to better understand the many different customs that are a part of this holiday. Schools, businesses and government offices will be closed on Christmas day. Christmas Eve through New Years day is the traditional time for winter vacations for all school students.

New Year's Day is celebrated around the world on January 1st. New Year's celebrations will begin the night before with parties and dinner reservations at favorite restaurants. Many Americans will invite friends and neighbors to their homes for New Years parties. Football is always an important part of the American celebration. College teams and professional teams will be advancing to the championships. If football is difficult to understand, ask any sports fan to explain it to you. You may still find it difficult to understand.

Another New Years Day will be celebrated by the Chinese community on January 29th. This may be a good time to join in the celebrations and learn more about your Chinese neighbors. January 29, 2006 will begin the year of the Dog.

Learning on your Own

Many of the materials in the Literacy/ABE collection will help you teach yourself reading, writing and grammar, or help you work on pronunciation. Always take time to look through the materials in this special collection. It's located on the second floor to your right as you get to the top of the stairs or get off the elevator. The "Literacy A.B.E." sign hangs over the collection.

There is a special seven- volume set titled Computacion sin Barreras. ABE CD ROM A 005 WIN COM. This new addition to the collection will teach you how to understand, buy, connect and install a computer in Spanish. You will be able to use a CD-Rom and DVD to help you learn Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point. Each volume will have a Spanish language workbook and step-by-step instructions on how to install the CD-Rom and DVD.

Other bilingual materials to help learn English can be found for most of the languages spoken in our community. They are titled Learning To Speak English and are located on the lower shelf of the wooden display case in the Literacy area.

Please contact Pat Barch, Literacy Coordinator at (847) 923-3387 if you have questions about our programs or if you need help finding materials.