“now i learned to love the books”: esl book clubs
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“Now I Learned to Love the Books”: ESL Book Clubs. Ramona Lucius Outreach Coordinator San Antonio Public Library [email protected]. Recommended Reading. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
“Now I Learned to Love the Books”: ESL Book Clubs
Ramona LuciusOutreach Coordinator
San Antonio Public [email protected]
Recommended Reading
Dali, Keren. Immigrant Readers: Feeling ‘At Home’ in Library Reading Programs. Readers Advisor News, July 2010. http://www.readersadvisoronline.com/ranews/jul2010/dali.html.
Ashton, Rick and Danielle Milam. Welcome, Stranger: Public Libraries Build the Global Village. http://www.urbanlibraries.org/associations/9851/files/ULC_WS.pdf
Cohen, Hsin-Yi. How to Lead Book Club Meetings. http:// www.thereadingclub.co.uk/HowToLeadBookClubMeetings.html.
Wizner, Stacy and Laura Zurio. Using Book Clubs in the ESL Classroom. AZ-TESOL News. Vol. 31, issue 3, pp. 1-3.
San Antonio: An International Community
12.5% born outside US
43% speak language other than English at home (2010 Census)
United States: An International Community
12.7% born outside US
20.1% speak language other than English at home (2010 Census)
A great opportunity to create new library users!
Recruiting New Users
“[D]isadvantaged groups, including. . .new immigrants. . .were less likely to use public libraries.”
– Sei-Ching Joanna Sin and Kyung-Sun Kim, “Use and Non-Use of Public Libraries in the Information Age,” Library & Information Science Research 30(3), 207-215.
ESL Book Clubs
Douglas County (CO)Yuma County (AZ)San Jose (CA)Centreville (VA)Paramus (NJ)ChicagoTulsa City-County (OK)
In the US:
ReginaBrooksVancouverMasonvilleVaughanRichmondToronto
In Canada:
Origin of Book Clubs
“The book club has a distinguished role in American culture. The clubs were formed in the 19th century, primarily as a way to help immigrants learn the language of their new country.”
—David C. Kupfer, “Should the American Canon Be Discussed in a Public Library? The Selection of Classic American Authors in One Book Reading Projects.” http://unllib.unl.edu/LPP/kupfer.pdf.
Benefits of Book Clubs
“This environment, so valuable and important for many readers, is doubly valuable for immigrants who may not feel quite ‘at home’ no matter how many years they have lived in the host country. . . .The beauty of a book club, and other reading programs, is the fact that they capitalize not on differences (par distance) but similarities (par closeness) — the same favorite authors, genres, and titles.”
—Keren Dali
Benefits of Book Clubs
“The result has been increased levels of reading for pleasure, wider vocabularies, and the practice of
higher-order thinking skills. . . .”
--Barbara Vaille and Jennifer Quinn Williams
Different StrokesSome clubs
*meet once a month
*meet for 90-120 minutes*use children’s books or standard adult fiction and nonfiction*limit club size *gives the books as gifts
Dare to Read
Weekly 1-hour book club for adult ESL learners
8 meetings per semester
Two weeks per title
Partnership with Dept. of Human Services
Completion rate: 67%
Why Does Dare to Read Work?
Marketing: classroom visits, flyers, bookmarks, website, Twitter, newsletters
Convenience
Group diversity
Non-judgmental, no-pressure environment
Why Does Dare to Read Work?
THE BOOKS
Oxford Bookworms seriesLeveled readers (Stage 1: 400 headwords
through Stage 6: 2500 words)
Revised versions of classic literature in variety of genres
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Plays
Additional Formats
Oxford has some Bookworms titles with CDs Wizard of Oz, Les Miserables, Romeo & Juliet et al
Cambridge offers some leveled-reader ebooksOn Kindle
Can adjust font size and spacing between words/lines
With text-to-speech capability
Murder mysteries
Registration DayComplete registration form and survey
Hand out meeting schedule
Issue library cards and library maps
Explain circulation policies Renewals, fines, fees for lost items
Check out copies of the first title
Pre-Program Survey1. I enjoy reading in my own language.
TRUE PARTLY TRUE FALSE
2. I enjoy reading in English.
3. I can read well in English.
4. I visit a libraryMORE THAN ONCE A MONTH ONCE A MONTH LESS THAN ONCE A MONTHNOT AT ALL
What Happens at a Meeting?
Attendance, registration of new members, library card sign-up
What Happens at a Meeting?
DiscussionBackground: brief author bio, interesting facts about the book
– Although Dracula is set in Eastern Europe, Stoker never visited there.
– In versions published in India, the Tin Man is instead a snake.
What Happens at a Meeting?
DiscussionRead aloud
visual aids
discussion
What Happens at a Meeting?
Check in and check out books
Librarian carefully checks all members’ records for overdue materials, fines, etc.
Book Sample
“Tom came out of his house with a brush and a big bucket of white paint in his hand. He looked at the fence; it was nine feet high and ninety feet long. He put his brush in the paint and painted some of the fence. He did it again. Then he stopped and looked at the fence, put down his brush, and sat down.”
– Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Great Books=Great Discussions
Call of the Wild: freedom vs. security
Robinson Crusoe: skills a new immigrant needs to succeed
Christmas Carol: what does an individual owe to society?
Frankenstein: scientific discovery vs. ethics
Post-Program Survey1. I enjoyed this book club.
TRUE PARTLY TRUE FALSE
2. This book club helped me to read better in English. TRUE PARTLY TRUE FALSE
3. This club helped me to enjoy reading.TRUE PARTLY TRUE FALSE
4. I visit a libraryMORE THAN ONCE A MONTH ONCE A MONTH LESS THAN ONCE A MONTHNOT AT ALL
Successes
100% of the participants indicated improvement in their reading skills, enjoyment of reading, and library use
Comments:“I learned more day by day. My teacher Diana is very nice. We love you.”
“Now I am a better reader and I also improved my pronunciation. Diana rocks!”
“Now I learned to love the books.”
Ready to Start?
Find a partner agencyDetermine interestPlan a scheduleDetermine the format (books, ebooks, books-on-CD) Plan a schedulePromote the programHold the meetingsEvaluate the program
Ready to Start?
Find the right facilitators
Book-lovingRespectful of other culturesPatientEnthusiasticDiplomaticAttentive to body languageArticulateGood recordkeeping skills
Enjoy your club!