Another Close Look at an ESL Classroom in the US Presented by Kilsu Park

I.Introduction Pictures of an ESL classroom taught by Ms. Barbara Hruska and Ms. Lea Abiodun Located in Amherst, Massachusetts The students are Elementary School 5 th graders.

We come to ESL at 11:00 every day. We write and read in English. We talk about all kinds of different things.

Here we are discussing our work. We like to work in groups.

Here we are discussing the "Question of the Week."The question is "What problems are the world facing today?" "How could we help to solve them?"

Ms. Abiodun points out Nigeria on the map.

The class listens intently, waiting to find out what happens next in the story. The story, a Yoruba folktale about the tortoise, is told by Aina, the guest storyteller.

Ms. Abiodun shows a traditional Yoruba indigo batik cloth called "adire."

We created rhythms together using many different instruments.

The ESL students narrated their experiences leaving their countries to come to the United States. After reading their own experiences, the students talked about their feelings during this emotional period of their lives.

When I came to America I was ten years old. My mom said we should go and pack our bags to go to America. We lived in Africa, in a country called Lesotho. It is a very small country. We came on four airplanes, one to Johannesburg; one to London; one to Boston; and one to Springfield. We stayed in a hotel when we got here. Sometimes I think about going back to my country. I have never gone to my country since I came to the U.S.A. I have never written a letter or made a phone call to my friends. I miss my friends very much. I do not want to go back to my country because I will have to make new friends. --Malebo

I came to Amherst, Massachusetts, on December 12th of We came to the United States because my father was coming to work at the University of Massachusetts. I came with my mother and my sister. I came by plane. We flew around thirteen hours. I wanted to come to U.S.A. because I wanted to see "Disney World". We haven't gone there yet. We live in South Amherst. I go to Crocker Farm School. My sister Ann goes to another school because my school doesn't have kindergarten. I'm studying English. I miss Russia. I miss my friends. --Alice.

I was six when I came to America with my family. We came from Taiwan. I was one of the first ones in my family to learn to speak English, but not very well. I was the second one taking English classes. My sister Lucy was the first one. --Samantha

When I was finishing first grade and before I started to go to second grade, I came to America. I was so interested in America. I like America better than Korea. But Korea is more fun, more than America. Because in Korea children can go every where they want to go. --Gloria