Submitted by Olivia Kolosna
Since the opening of Denmark Library, our Conversational English program has proven to be highly valued by our community. Our patrons come from all over the world, countries represented so far including: China, South Korea, Spain, France, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Japan, India, Russia, Ukraine, Peru, Lithuania, Venezuela, Israel, Philippines, and Columbia! Conversational English has become a melting pot of culture and a hub for community connection. Our patrons love sharing about their home countries while improving their English skills.
In hopes of increasing program attendance and providing more English learning opportunities for our patrons, Denmark is now hosting Conversational English every week in 2026. Our patrons were delighted for this increase in classes and our steady increase in attendance has justified the need for the change to a weekly schedule.
Check out this graph of Denmark's Conversational English attendance since our first class in April 2025:
What Happens In Our Conversational English Class? Denmark’s Conversational English classes focus on improving English reading, writing, speaking, and listening skills. Here’s a break down of a typical class:
- Theme: Every class has a theme that helps guide the vocabulary and activities in the lesson plan. Some of our past themes have been: Grocery Shopping, Technology, Sickness + Injury, Snow Days, Clothing + Fashion, Emotions + Feelings, and Daily Routines.
- Introductions + Icebreaker: Everyone shares their name, country, and answers an icebreaker question, such as “What is your favorite hot drink in the winter?” or “What is your phone screen saver?”
- Tongue Twister: Tongue twisters are a great tool for practicing pronunciation. We focus on one letter sound, such as B in “Broccoli is better than butter but butter tastes better.”
- Vocabulary: Patrons focus on their reading skills in our vocabulary section. We have 3-4 vocabulary words, and patrons volunteer to read a paragraph definition of each vocabulary term.
- Word Game: Patrons are given a card with a word on it and must describe the word on their card, then the rest of the class has to guess the word. This activity practices speaking and listening skills.
- Grammar Lesson: Patrons requested more grammar practice, so I have added a mini grammar lesson into our class. I give a short presentation on a grammar topic, then patrons complete a worksheet to demonstrate learning. We review the worksheet as a class, and I answer any questions patrons have. Some grammar topics we have covered are: Contractions, Simple Present Tense with Going To, Adverbs of Frequency, and Comparative + Superlative Adjectives.
- Think and Share Activities: For our activities, I hand out a worksheet where patrons complete a long response to an activity prompt related to the theme, then share their response with the class. Some activities we have covered are: 1) Write instructions for how to cook your favorite meal, 2) Write a casual text, informal email, and formal email to cancel plans due to snow, 3) Design an outfit for your favorite season, and 4) Describe 3 members of your family. This activity practices writing and speaking skills.
- Partner Chats: Patrons work with a partner to ask and answer a list of 6-10 questions related to the theme. This is a class favorite; it helps patrons get to know each other and make more personal connections. Patrons have so much fun chatting with each other and are encouraged to use their phones if needed to translate words or show photos, as they would out in the real world when they are trying to communicate with other English speakers. This activity focuses on speaking and listening skills.
From Student To Volunteer
Two of our Conversational English patrons are now volunteers at Denmark! Vanitha and Yasmina have both been attending Conversational English classes at our library for the past year, and are now working as Program Volunteers, helping with our storytimes. Volunteering is a fantastic way for our advanced English learners to improve fluency, feel connected to their community, and gain soft skills and experience that can help them in applying for jobs in the US. We are so delighted to have Vanitha and Yasmina join our DE Team!
Note: We just learned Yasmina got a full-time job recently, so will not be able to continue volunteering at this time, but we hope she will come back once she gets settled in her new position.
If you have patrons who want to study English but can not make any of our Conversational English classes, here are 2 really great FREE resources that you can let them know about.
- Lanier Technical College offers free ESL classes for all levels of English learners. Patrons will have to complete a placement test at Lanier Tech and then can enroll in courses at the college that best fit their schedule. Lanier Tech offers classes in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings, both in-person and online. This is not a drop in class though, so patrons need to be able to commit to each college semester. Patrons can visit Lanier Tech’s website to enroll in their ESL Program: https://www.laniertech.edu/adult-education/
- USA Learns is a website that offers free courses for beginner to intermediate English learners. This is a completely self-paced virtual course that practices listening, reading, and speaking skills. Patrons just need to create an account online to access course material: https://www.usalearns.org/
Olivia has done a phenomenal job with this program! We all look forward to hearing about the class each week.
ReplyDeleteThis is great, we often have patrons ask about "classes" for improving their English speaking skills. So glad that it's picking up and that patrons are taking advantage. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThat is fantastic!!!
ReplyDelete