[EnglishLanguage 824] Re: FW: [FamilyLiteracy 436] Three DaysinNovember

dezreen at excite.com dezreen at excite.com
Tue Nov 7 22:34:31 EST 2006

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As part of our overall study of Thanksgiving, my high school ESL students have baked pumpkin pies together under the guise of a contest for the best pumpkin pie. We read and compare a few different recipies and then they are broken into 2 or 3 groups (depending on how big the group is) and must make a pie together. One recipe has chocolate, another sweetened condensed milk, another orange peel, etc.

A lot of skills are involved from reading a recipe, reading fractions and other measurements, using kitchen vocabulary, handling tools and new foods, following sequencial actions, working together, making predictions, stating opinions, voting and making cultural connections. As we are based in a school, we have access to the kitchen, which is most helpful.

Most of my students have never eaten sweetly cooked pumpkin and they tend to have very strong opinions about how the pies taste. One year it was revealed that a student didn't know how to use a can opener because she grew up with cooks, which caused a bit of laughter. My students also want to know why we aren't cooking the pumpkins and are relying on canned pumpkin instead! The contest piece is natural as they all easily connected to their own cultures and who in the community makes the best kinds of foods. They love it, I love what I have learned about them and some of them have taken the recipies and proudly made pumpkin pies for their families at home.

Kathleen Morgan
Telluride CO

--- On Tue 11/07, Janet Isserlis < Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu > wrote:
From: Janet Isserlis [mailto: Janet_Isserlis at brown.edu]
To: englishlanguage at nifl.gov
Date: Tue, 07 Nov 2006 17:16:24 -0500
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 823] Re: FW: [FamilyLiteracy 436] Three DaysinNovember

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Sharon and all 
 
I also wonder, in terms of civics, if students talk about their understandings of sharing, giving, taking and appropriating. 
Just as Rethinking Columbus (see <a href="http://www.rethinkingschools.com/publication/columbus/columbus.shtml)">http://www.rethinkingschools.com/publication/columbus/columbus.shtml)</a> problematizes the "discovery" of America, there might also be important ways to speak to the history of settling and settlement in this country that needn't be partisan but that can also address what happens when new immigrants show up, for better and for worse. How are they received? What do they contribute? If we look at the history of native peoples in this country (and in others) and the history of interaction with colonists, there might be some useful parallels to be drawn to contemporary issues. 
 
Janet Isserlis 
 
 
<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="95%">From: Sharon McKay <smckay at cal.org> 
Reply-To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List <englishlanguage at nifl.gov> 
Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 17:07:11 -0500 
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List <englishlanguage at nifl.gov> 
Conversation: [EnglishLanguage 821] Re: FW: [FamilyLiteracy 436] Three DaysinNovember 
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 822] Re: FW: [FamilyLiteracy 436] Three DaysinNovember 
 
Thanks for you words of caution, Barbara. I know that we have adult English language learner in many different situations throughout the country. I have certainly had a wide variety of legal and civil statuses represented in my classes in Northern Virginia over the years. 
 
And thank you Tom for an excellent reminder of November's gifts, especially for adult education. I would just like to add Thanksgiving to the November list. I have found that students are very interested in this holiday because they don't have it in their countries. But many cultures have a tradition of giving thanks in their cultures. It can be valuable to examine these practices. 
 
 Over the years, I have done everything from hand turkeys that post what beginning students are thankful for to jigsaw cooperative readings that observe historic Thanksgiving from four perspectives: the Mayflower voyage, the new government, the native Americans and the feast itself. There is certainly an opportunity to examine cross-cultural heritage and customs. I have also had students imagine how that banquet would work today if we had it. 
 
I would like to hear from other teachers about their ideas for EL Civics instruction for the month of November. 
 
 
 
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<HR ALIGN=CENTER SIZE="3" WIDTH="100%"> From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [<a href="mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov]">mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov]</a> On Behalf Of Barbara Tondre 
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006 6:04 PM 
To: 'The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List' 
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 821] Re: FW: [FamilyLiteracy 436] Three DaysinNovember 
 
 
 
 
 
Oops! The general assumption that “most adult English language learners probably aren’t citizens and can’t vote” is dangerous and inaccurate, especially in these troubled times… let’s be careful… 
 
 
 



 
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From: englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov [<a href="mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov]">mailto:englishlanguage-bounces at nifl.gov]</a> On Behalf Of Lynda Terrill 
Sent: Monday, November 06, 2006 4:18 PM 
To: The Adult English Language Learners Discussion List 
Subject: [EnglishLanguage 819] FW: [FamilyLiteracy 436] Three Days inNovember 
 
 
 
Although most adult English language learners probably aren't citizens and can't vote, the information below is interesting and may spark some discussion in the ESL classes, I think. At the very least, it's good information for all teachers of adult learners. 
 
Best, 
 
Miriam Burt 
 
(moderating the list while Lynda Terrill is out) 
 
 



 
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From: familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov [<a href="mailto:familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov]">mailto:familyliteracy-bounces at nifl.gov]</a> On Behalf Of Gail Price 
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006 7:34 AM 
To: Family Literacy Discussion List 
Subject: [FamilyLiteracy 436] Three Days in November 
 
 
 
The following message is posted on behalf of Tom Sticht. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Three Days In November 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This last Saturday (October 28, 2006) I had the pleasure of speaking to the 
 
 
 
assembled adult learners from San Diego county who were attending the 
 
 
 
annual adult learners conference sponsored by READ/San Diego and other 
 
 
 
literacy groups in the county. I spoke about three days in November which I 
 
 
 
think it is important for all of us who work in adult literacy education to 
 
 
 
be aware of and to take action on. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
First, on November 3 we celebrate 40 years of service to adult learners in 
 
 
 
the Adult Education and 
 
 
 
Literacy System (AELS) of the United States of America which became 
 
 
 
formalized when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Adult Education Act 
 
 
 
of 1966. Adult literacy educators and adult learners alike should find a 
 
 
 
way to celebrate this third branch of education in the U.S. and the more 
 
 
 
than 100 million enrollments it has witnessed in the 40 years of its 
 
 
 
existence. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Next, on November 7, Election Day, it is imperative that adult literacy 
 
 
 
educators and adult learners go to the polls and vote. I pointed out in my 
 
 
 
presentation that hundreds of thousands of adult learners have fought in 
 
 
 
the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the 
 
 
 
Vietnam war for the freedom that we all enjoy. Further, adult learners of 
 
 
 
African-American descent by the hundreds of thousands learned to write 
 
 
 
their names and to vote during the years leading up to and encompassing the 
 
 
 
Civil Rights movement in the second half of the 20th century in the U. S. We 
 
 
 
owe it to those who have fought on the battle grounds and struggled for the 
 
 
 
vote under the duress of Jim Crow laws to get out and vote on November 7th. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Finally, on November 11, Veteran’s Day, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of 
 
 
 
the 11th month we need to pause for a minute and remember the adult 
 
 
 
literacy teachers and adult learners, as well as the other hundreds of 
 
 
 
thousands of our fellow citizens who fought in wars and gave their lives 
 
 
 
gaining and protecting the freedoms we all enjoy today. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
These are three very important days in November for adult literacy educators 
 
 
 
and adult learners. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Tom Sticht 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Gail J. Price 
 
 
 
Multimedia Specialist 
 
 
 
National Center for Family Literacy 
 
 
 
325 West Main Street, Suite 300 
 
 
 
Louisville, KY 40205 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Phone: 502 584-1133, ext. 112 
 
 
 
Fax: 502 584-0172 
 
 
 
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