Congresswoman Betty Sutton Reminds Us Why It’s Important to Vote

With the primary elections almost upon us and the presidential elections not too far off, everyone needs a reminder of why voting is important and about how every election can impact our daily lives.  Recently, Project Learn provided our students–GED, Literacy, and ESOL–with the opportunity to meet with and ask quesitons to one of the members of congress that represents them, Congresswoman Betty Sutton. 

During this discussion, Congresswoman Sutton explained the importance of and encouraged the classroom full of students to vote in the presidential primary in March and election this fall.  Project Learn staff and students are extremely grateful for the time that Congresswoman Sutton took out of her busy schedule to come to speak with us and her continued support of our program. 

Don’t forget to vote this upcoming Tuesday!

Test Taking Strategies II

Here are a few more test taking strategies that I tell all of my students.

4.  Pictures are key.  When taking a math test, draw a picture whenever possible.  Most of the test sites don’t let you write in the test booklet.  Instead, draw the picture that is in the test on your scrap paper.  Now write all over it.  Fill in the numbers that you’re given, and any numbers that you come up with on your own.  If you aren’t given a picture, draw your own, it doesn’t take much time, but it benefits you greatly.  Looking at a picture uses a different area of the brain than words.  The more areas of the brain that you can get involved, the better your odds of getting the right answer.

5.  Skipping around.  Everyone gets to a question that makes you go “huh?”.   Don’t let it stress you out.  Instead, go to the next question and save it until the end.  Make sure that you put a small mark to the left of the number on your answer sheet.  This way, it is away from the bubbles so the computer won’t read it as an answer.  By marking it this way, you won’t forget to answer it later, and you won’t put the next answer in the wrong space.   Also, if you don’t have time, or forget to erase the marks later, it’s no big deal.  Many times, giving yourself a break from the difficult questions relieves enough of the pressure that you can better focus on the question at hand.  Then when you return to the questions that you skipped, you’ll have a new perspective that allows you to look at the questions differently.  The result is more correct answers.  And isn’t that what you’re after, anyway?

6.  Essay planning.  When it comes to writing an essay, think about it first.  You have 45 minutes to write the essay.  I suggest spending at least 10 minutes thinking about it first.  Then map out your ideas.  Often, your first response isn’t the one that you can write about the easiest.  For example, here is a possible topic for an essay:  Americans love to watch sports, do you prefer to go to a game, or watch it on TV?  My first response is that I don’t watch sports.  But, since I have to write on this topic, I would have to say that I’d prefer to go to a game.  However, I can’t come up with many reasons why I prefer to go to a game other than I like the action.  On the other-hand, I can come up with several reasons for watching a game on TV.  The cost, comfort, and healthier food are reasons to stay home.  Do your best to come with 3 reasons for your answer.  Then explain them in more detail in your supporting paragraphs.  Your essay is supposed to look like a rough draft.  When you finish writing it, go back over it and make corrections.  Keep in mind that the graders who read the essays have only 60 seconds to read and score it.  Their focus is on whether or not you answered the question and gave support for your answer, not spelling and grammar.

Good luck!

Krista

New Year’s Resolutions

Right before I got back from my 3-week vacation (I didn’t really do anything, but after a rough semester of grad classes I needed to relax), I asked Marquita and Carol Joy to conduct some New Year activities in both my ESOL classes.  Yeah, I know asking your students to write New Year’s resolutions isn’t a largely creative activity, but I don’t think setting goals for the upcoming year or semester is too much to ask.  Now, I know that it’s actually February and an entire month since we’ve made and forgotten the promises we secretly swore to uphold this upcoming year (maybe yours aren’t secret but I’ve decided to keep mine on the QT so that my friends and family don’t call me out on them all year long), but I thought you might like to hear what my students had to say.  Below is a list of a number of the goals my students made for the upcoming year.    It’s not all of them, but it will give you a good taste.  Here you go!

I want to be a United States citizen.

I want to study English and drive a car.

I want to study English in 2008.

I want to do everything that I wrote in my 2007 resolutions list.

I want to work a lot and make money.

I want to learn computer in 2008.

I want to go to visit Laos and my friends in 2008.

I want a fantastic year in 2008.

I want progress in my job.

I want to learn to use the computer and do exercises in 2008.

I want to watch the musical of The Lion King in NY.

I want to save money.

I want to buy a car.

I want to take care of my and my husband’s health.

I want to read more books.

I don’t want to waste our money on impulse buying.

I want to speak English well.

I want to go back to visit my mother in my country. 

I want to teach dance for Hmong National Day.

I want to be on time for class.

Hope you enjoyed them.  I corrected a several grammar mistakes to make it easier to read.  They might not be perfect, but my students are coming along.