1. We Are New York: TV Lessons
Co TESOL 2016 Presentation
Friday, November 4, 2016
Presenter: Cara Schroeder

2. Agenda & Objective
Goal: To add to educators’ toolbox an authentic and accessible resource for enriching instruction of Adult ELLs
We Are New York (WANY) – What Is It?!
Episode Overview
Educator Website Resources
View WANY Episode
Applications – Who Can Use This?
Activity Suggestions
Take Aways

3. WANY – What Is It?! Emmy-award winning TV series
Created in 2009 by NYC Mayor’s Office of Adult Education & CUNY Adult Literacy Program
Designed to help1.6 million adult ELLS in NYC without access to classrooms learn English while informing them of the city’s resources

4. Episode Overview Ten 30-minute episodes Topics: Episodes are:
Public School System
Financial Empowerment
Diabetes
Asthma
Domestic violence
Emergency preparedness
Smoking cessation
Health insurance & Health Care Services
Episodes are:
Acted out by English Language Learners
Language is simplified, easy to understand, and spoken clearly and slowly
Relatable and relevant; promotes community and accessing resources
Subtitled
Available online, local (NYC) public TV stations, and DVD
Most appropriate for Advanced Beginner- Intermediate ELL
Available on WANY website and YouTube

5. Educator Website Resources
Full Episodes
Study Guides
Low Level Readers
Multilingual Dictionaries of Key Vocabulary
Translated Video Script/Magazine, languages available:
English
Arabic
Bengali
Chinese
Russian
Spanish

6. Applications – Who Can Use This?!
Parent Teacher Coordinators
Adult English Language Learners
Employers of Adult ELLs
Libraries
Educators & Volunteers working in:
Health Care
Adult ESL, ABE, or GED
Financial Empowerment
Emergency Preparedness
Victim Advocacy
Refugee Resettlement

7. View WANY Episode – Love and Money

8. Suggested Activities
Playing word games (i.e. rearranging sentences in the correct order)
Students writing their own dialogues (“missing scenes”)
Students writing letters to the main characters
Reading the scripts out loud
Previewing activities to predict the story
Comparing and contrasting the characters to the lives of the learners
Role Plays
Students create a handbook for other parents to use in preparing for parent teacher conferences (using “Welcome Parents” Episode)
Students take community field trips based on episodes
Students create their own videos (and screen them publically!)
Students teach lessons to peers in other classes
Source: /pdf/teacher_survey_2010.pdf

9. Take Aways What features do you like about this educational tool?
What is one way you could use this in your classroom or work setting?
What questions do you still have?

10. Questions & Contact Info
Cara Schroeder CESL Instructor, Community College of Aurora International Student Advisor, Colorado State University Presentation Materials: