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 CONNECTIONS Spring
2010
A book club for English language learners
and adult new readers from the New Hampshire Humanities Council
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An Evening with Naomi Shihab Nye on May 5
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| Lesson Plan on Naomi Shihab Nye is available. |
 A Connections celebration featuring Naomi Shihab Nye will be presented on May 5 at the New Hampshire Institute of Art at 7 p.m. We are nearly booked for the event. We want to save seats for ESOL students and teachers, but you must register now. The event is free of charge and you can register seats online on our web site or call at 224-4071.
The lesson plan above was created for WGBH's NOW with Bill Moyers when he featured Shihab Nye in interviews and readings. It's written for 9- 12 graders and you may find parts you can adapt for your students. The Lesson Plan includes links to many poems, an interview transcript, and links to essays. One lesson is called "Spending Time With the Family" and includes questions to invite discussion about "My Father and the Fig Tree."
Naomi writes to us about poems to anticpate hearing at the reading. She writes, "Two poems I always read are During a War and Red Brocade." |
| ESOL Students Talk about Connections
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They say, to listen is golden
Over the past year we've found we weren't hearing enough from students about their experience in a Connections book club. The written evaluation form didn't promote reflection about their experience. So we decided to have a follow-up discussion just for that - to ask students what was important to them, what books they liked, what might work better.
We are learning a lot from students. We know that students' ability to keep the books is very important to them because owning books supports their deep belief in education for their families. We know that nearly all students read their books again with their children or husbands or wives. Students talk about liking stories that portray the emotional journey of a character or respect for the natural world.
When we ask, "What was the most important thing to you about Connections?" we hear again and again, "We talked." "We talked about our culture." "We gave our views." "She asked what I thought." "What we need is a conversation program." "We need to practice speaking English." Beginning students tell us, "We understand much more than we can say so we must practice." In addition to speaking in English, students wanted to be heard in general. A student from Bhutan recommended, "Ask the students to tell their views, even in Nepali." Here are tips on using a class participant as an interpreter.
We look forward to listening to Connections participants who are native speakers and learning what is most important to them.
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| Who was an important elder to you? |
| a sweep question |
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"The simplest thing I did was the greatest key to my success. I began each session by asking a question to which everyone responded before we even opened the book. It led the way to everyone feeling comfortable talking, and we were able to use the material later. Before reading The Hunterman and the Crocodile by Baba Wague Diakite I asked students, "Who was an important elder for you (parent/grandparent/teacher) and what did that person teach you?"
Maren Tirabassi who was facilitating
a Connections series in Veronica
Townsend's Level 2 class at
Manchester Adult Education
Baba Wague Diakite writes that his West African tale The Hunterman and the Crocodile is one of 100 versions of a tale about man learning respect for the earth from wise creatures. Other versions include an Uncle Remus tale and an Aesop's fable. After the Connections series was over, Veronica used the book to lead to the students' own writing. Here are two students' stories:
"My father told me not to cook or work in the house, only go to school and learn how to read and write. My mother said, no no, cook now."
Asha
"My grandmother loved flowers too much. At her house was a big balcony with many beautiful flowers. At her balcony it was only spring. She taught me to plant the flowers. I love flowers."
Elisabeta
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| Connections readers join in the Big Read |
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
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Hope Godino is leading Derry Adult Education pre-GED and advanced ESOL students and tutors in a Connections Big Read series in March. Hope and Literacy Coordinator Kathy Mercer were the first to propose the idea for Connections. In Keene, Literacy Coordinator Katie Delany was very interested in adapting the model for the Big Read which officially runs through the month of March for a summer Connections series. She will include ABE, ESOL, and Adult Learner Services students and tutors as participants. She's been working with facilitator Blanche Milligan and may select an adapted version of To Kill a Mockingbird which they will supplement with film clips, audio books and materials available from the New Hampshire State Library's Center for the Book who sponsors the project in NH. The Center for the Book Big Read has many partners including the New Hampshire Humanities Council.
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| Somali Bantu students ask question of author |
Muktar and the Camels by Janet Graber
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Women in the Somali Bantu Association have been gathering for a Connections series. One of the books they read is Muktar and the Camels by Janet Graber, about a Somali boy who lives in a Garissa orphanage in Kenya's North Eastern Province. In the story Muktar touches "a knarled root he keeps in the pocket of his shorts." "Take it, Muktar, his father whispered before he died. Use it wisely."
What root is this? the women in the discussion group ask. We are in conversation with the author and we can ask her. You can read an interview with Janet Graber here about writing this story. We are waiting for an answer about the root.
Many authors have web sites and contact information and will be happy to be in communication with you and your students about questions after reading their books.
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| Stories of Art as Power |
Connections at the Goffstown Women's Prison and Concord Men's Prison
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Facilitator Linda Graham's invitation to
Goffstown Prison Connections participants
 | In collaboration with the Family Connections Center of the NH Department of Corrections, we are running our first Connections series in state prisons. Literacy support is woven into the work of the Family Connections Center and Connections discussions will support inmates maintaining ties with their children. The first series, on the theme of Stories of Art as Power, was held at the Goffstown Women's Prison facilitated by Linda Graham. Staff of the FCC wanted men at the Concord prison to have the opportunity to talk about the themes of childrens' books as well. Blanche Milligan will lead discussions of Ramona and her Father and Now One Foot, Now the Other in Concord. Participants will record one of the books or passage of a novel and send the CD and book home to their families. |
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| Submissions are welcome to our on-line newsletter. Teachers and facilitators, please e-mail selections of writing, art, photos, maps, quotes, or other creations or discoveries that come from your Connections discussions, or as follow-ups after completing a series. We learn from you. Thank you.
"Home is where you raise your children.
Home is where you build your life."
Ha Jin, A Free Life | |
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To bring a Connections program to your community please e-mail
Terry Farish
Connections Book Discussions
NH Humanities Council
We are grateful to the Harry Weinbaum Readers' Endowment Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, Bishop's Charitable Assistance Fund, Granite State Reads at the New Hampshire State Library's Center for the Book as well as these organizations for their support of Connections:
 
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