Where there is charity and wisdom, there is neither fear nor ignorance.
-St. Francis of Assisi
IN THIS ISSUE:
awhite@ccda.net, x235
Cindy Brown, Associate ESL Coordinator
cbrown@ccda.net, x239
Diana Gibson, Associate ESL Coordinator
dgibson@ccda.net, x231
Erin Maradiegue, Associate ESL Coordinator
emaradiegue@ccda.net, x251
Kristen Gasimov, Associate ESL Coordinator
kgasimov@ccda.net, x237
Sheila Sullivan, Associate ESL Coordinator
ssullivan@ccda.net, x238
Phil Spencer, Associate ESL Coordinator
pspencer@ccda.net, x243
6201 Leesburg Pike
Suite 307
Falls Church, VA 22044
(T) 703-534-9805
(F) 703-534-9809
http://www.ccda.net/
If you would like to have this newsletter sent to a different e-mail address or if you would like to unsubscribe from the mailing list, please e-mail emaradiegue@ccda.net.
Happy 2008, friends and volunteers of Hogar! I can
hardly believe it – we’re almost to the end of the 00s and we haven’t
comfortably found a way to refer to these years. We had the 70s, the 80s,
the 90s, but what are we calling the “00s”? We better figure it out soon!
We only have two years left!Everyone around me seems to have made New Year’s resolutions. Some of them are the regulars: lose weight, get in shape, quit smoking, keep in touch better with friends and family, pick up that instrument that’s been gathering dust in the corner, etc. A friend of mine said that he hopes to volunteer in 2008 to make a difference in his community. I smiled because I happen to know 275 volunteers who are already making a difference in their communities - all of you!
We have so many goodies in this issue! One of our employees, Nancy Carbajal, has been with Hogar Hispano since 1991! Read her story below and see how things have changed throughout the years. It is our pleasure, as well, to highlight a Legal volunteer, Bill Barbieri. He is one of those people who will happily do anything to lend a hand – even when it means helping to stuff 5,000 Spanish bulletins. Furthermore, I want to direct your attention to Arlington Education and Employment’s (REEP) student project entitled “Beyond the Simple Present.” It is “a theatre piece based on the life stories and experiences of the numerous adult students from many different cultures. The performance is their story as they endeavor to learn English as a Second Language, reshape their identities, and piece together a new life.” I will be there to support our fellow literacy provider and also these inspiring language learners!
Lastly, since this is my first opportunity to formally thank you in 2008,
THANK YOU!!!
Have a great semester and please feel free to email us with any questions, concerns or student success stories. (Especially the latter.)
Abrazos,
Amy White
ESL Program Coordinator
Resolve to help others in the new year? Volunteer with us!
Catholic Charities Hogar Hispano is looking for dedicated individuals to teach ESL classes once a week at one of our 13 locations throughout Northern Virginia. No ESL experience or second language is necessary. We will provide training and material. This is a wonderful opportunity for someone who loves to meet new people and wants to learn more about ESL.
If you or someone you know is interested please contact Sheila Sullivan at ssullivan@ccda.net or 703-534-9805 x 238.
NEXT MONTH
Hogar's Winter 2008 Teacher Training Series Will Be Unveiled! Stay Tuned!
Creating a lesson out of a popular song.
If you have access to an ipod with speakers or a CD and a boombox, an excellent way to incorporate listening skills into your lesson is to introduce students to a popular English song of your choice. The song should be reasonable slow in tempo and the words should be as clearly articulated as possible, preferably with a good amount of repetition. A heavy metal or rap song would, of course, not be ideal for this situation. Some suggestions include Beatles’ favorites, country/folk songs, and songs by pop rock artists. You may choose a song based on its topic and vocabulary (as it corresponds with your lesson), or based on the grammatical forms it uses. For example, the song “I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For” by U2 is great for students who are practicing the present perfect tense. The lyrics include various examples of this.
I have climbed the highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Make sure you can find an accurate transcription of the song lyrics, either in the album cover or on the internet. Finding the lyrics to a song can be done by simply entering the song title and the word “lyrics” in a Google search.
Before you play the song give the students a context
for it. This may be as simple as writing the song title on the board and
having them spend a few minutes brainstorming what it is about. Or you may
give them the theme, for example “love”, and ask them to list vocabulary
associated with that theme. The first time you play the song students
should be assigned a simple task to accomplish. For example, you could
choose a frequently-occurring word and ask them to count how many times
they hear it. Or you could have them listen for vocabulary words they
listed in the warm-up exercise. After the first play have the students
report what they heard in order to gauge their comprehension.
Prepare a printout of the song lyrics. Omit random words and replace the word with a blank space for students to fill in. Be careful not to omit advanced words that are unfamiliar to students. Choose words from the chorus that are repeated so that students have several opportunities to catch them. Be sure to leave a few lines of verse in between the words you omit so that students will have time to write what they hear. Students will require you to play the song 2 or 3 times in order to complete this exercise. Go over the answers as a class and allow time during the activity to explain new vocabulary. Students love the challenge of this activity and will appreciate you for helping them to understand the radio’s hippest songs.
For over 20 years, Bill worked as an employee of the federal government in what can only be described as the most interesting, least known, federal agency: the Inter-American Foundation. Formed in the 60’s as an alternative to traditional federal funding of foreign governments, this agency gives independent foreign assistance to non-governmental community organizations in Latin American countries to promote participatory self-help development. Bill worked as a country representative for a host of Latin American nations during his time with the IAF. After leaving the Inter-American Foundation, Bill landed another exciting job as the country director for the Peace Corps in Belize. He retired from this position in January of 2006, and has since then moved back to the D.C. area so that his wife can be near her grandchildren, and he can put his Latin American expertise to use as a volunteer.
After volunteering with Hospice and as an English teacher at the day laborer center in Shirlington, Bill came to Hogar in hopes of putting to use his work experience, Spanish fluency, and desire to help find a positive answer to today’s immigration issues. Bill has been invaluable to the Legal Service side of Hogar as a translator, and looks forward to increased client contact as his familiarity with the job grows. Thanks to him and all of our wonderful, multi-talented volunteers.
If you know of an outstanding volunteer who you would like to see in the spotlight, please contact Erin Maradiegue at emaradiegue@ccda.net or 703-534-9805 ext. 251.
This month, in honor of the new year, we have decided to take a moment to honor a piece of Hogar Hispano's past, present, and future by recognizing Hogar's most loyal employee, Nancy Carbajal.
Much has changed since 1991, the year that Hogar Hispano’s receptionist and longest serving employee began work. Nancy Carbajal, affectionately known as Nancita to staff and clients, as well as many others in the greater Northern Virginia area, is the true voice of Hogar Hispano. Undoubtedly, many of you have indeed spoken with her when calling the office. She is truly the heart of Hogar Hispano.
In addition to her normal duties of answering the
phones, filing cases, opening and distributing office mail, Nancita works
tirelessly each day to inform countless individuals of not only the
services that Hogar Hispano provides, but also the services of other
groups in the area. Her knowledge of both the legal and social service
organizations is unparalleled. Nancy immigrated to the United States from Peru in 1982, and began working for Hogar Hispano in 1991. At that time, Hogar Hispano was located on Columbia Pike with a total of 9 staff members. In 1994, the office was annexed by Catholic Charities. Since that time, the office has moved to its current location in Seven Corners and has grown immensely. Staff members and Program Directors have come and gone in the past sixteen years, but Nancita has remained the constant throughout.
On January 7, Hogar Hispano staff honored Nancita with a surprise “Sweet Sixteen” anniversary luncheon. Friends and family joined in thanking Nancy for her years of dedicated service. Joined by her husband Jose and her four children Diane, Pamela, Geraldine and Ashely, Nancita expressed her thanks for the wonderful surprise. But indeed it is Hogar Hispano’s staff, both past and present, as well as the many clients that she has served over the years that are the most appreciative and grateful.
Thank you, Nancita, for all that you do.
Help Others To Become U.S. Citizens
In conjunction with the Ya es hora! Ciudadania campaign, Hogar Hispano is offering its first citizenship workshop of 2008, January 26 at Arlington Mill Community Center. Become a part of the citizenship process by volunteering to help fill out U.S. Naturalization applications at Hogar Hispano's Citizenship Workshop. Training is provided at the workshop.
When: January 26, 2008, 9:30 am - 5:00 pm. Stay as long as you can.
Where: Arlington Mill Community Center, 4975 Columbia Pike, Arlington, VA
Contact: Diana Gibson, dgibson@ccda.net or 703-534-9805 ext. 250
Lunch is provided
REEP ESL Living Collage Project To Perform
REEP's ESL Living Collage Project will
perform Beyond the Simple Present: Our Collective Journeys into an
English Speaking America, an ensemble theater piece under the
direction of Maggie Cleland. Based on the life stories and experiences of
numerous adult students from many different cultures, the performance is
their story as they endeavor to learn English as a Second Language (ESL),
reshape their indentities, and piece together a new
life.Where: Kenmore Middle School's Black Box Theater
When: February 8th and 9th at 8:00 pm; February 10th at 2:00 pm.
The performance is sponsored by REEP and Towson University Department of Theatre Arts. Tickets are available for $10.00 at the door. For more information email thelivingcollage@gmail.com or call 202-288-5251
A discussion with the director and the student actors will follow each performance