Learn more about the contributions Hispanics and Latinos have made to the United States.  Click on the U.S. government link below.

National Hispanic Heritage Month

Hello students,

I hope you had a good summer break and had time to enjoy being outside in the warm weather.

Labor Day Weekend traditionally marks the end of summer and the beginning of school.  I am really excited to be back teaching again this fall.  I had a great summer break visiting my kids and golfing, but I miss seeing all of the students.  I also attended some trainings this summer so I have some new ideas for class.

Hopefully, you received a postcard from me about the start dates for classes.  You can call or email me with questions.

I hope to see you in September!

Pam

Our class schedule:

Big Lake Tuesday/Thursday Class starts Tuesday Sept. 8, 9am-11am

Big Lake Wednesday Class starts Wednesday Sept. 9, 1pm-3pm

Big Lake Thursday Class starts Thursday Sept. 10, 6:30pm-9:00pm

Monticello Class starts Wednesday Sept. 9, 6:30pm-9:00pm

St. Michael-Albertville Class starts Wednesday Sept. 9, 9am-11:30am

July 4th is a big holiday in the U.S.  It is Independence Day. Many families plan vacations, family reunions,  and picnics for the week. Next week we won’t have classes.  Classes will resume on July 6.

Learn more about the holiday by watching this video:

Declaration of Independence Video on History.com

Six student authors read their stories at The Loft Literary Center in Minneapolis on Thursday May 21.  Two students were not able to be in attendance that night.  The stories are published in Journeys, An Anthology of Student Writing.  The book is published by the Minnesota Literary Council and are available for purchase at http://mnliteracy.org/journeys.  We met student authors from many countries who attend adult classes throughout Minnesota.   Everyone read beautifully with excellent pronunciation so that the audience could understand them very well.  In addition, volunteer Phyllis received an award for her excellent work in Big Lake.  It was a wonderful evening!  Congratulations to all of you!

Here is a news story from MPR about the reading May 21 at The Loft in Minneapolis.

Hope and Heartbreak in Minnesota Student Stories

Memorial Day is often considered the start of summer fun. This year, Memorial Day is on Monday, May 25.  It is a national holiday which means we won’t have classes that day.   Watch this video from www.History.com  to learn a little more about the history of the holiday.  The commentator speaks very fast so you might have to listen to it several times.

History of Memorial Day

Do you use Facebook?  There is a good Facebook page called           USA Learns which is a free site and helps people learn English.  If you like their page on Facebook, you’ll get their updates.  They always have something very interesting to learn.  Below is the link on Facebook or you can just search on Facebook for “USA Learns”.

https://www.facebook.com/USALearns?fref=nf

Their recent lesson was about the different meanings of over.  See their image below:

Congratulations to all 5 authors for the excellent reading of their stories at the Monticello Cultural Journeys Event on February 19, 2015.

Monday February 16 is Presidents’ Day.  It is a national holiday.  It is a day to honor our Presidents.

We won’t have school that day.

What do you already know about the Presidents of the U.S.?

To learn a little more about the Presidents, go to this good website by the U.S. government:

The U.S. Presidents

Post a comment on this post about what you learned.

February 2 is Groundhog Day.  What do you already know about Groundhog Day?  What is a groundhog?  What kind of  holiday is it?

Watch the video two times:    Groundhog Day 2014

Can you answer the questions now?

Now search on the internet to see what Phil predicted for this year.

Add a comment using the ipads in class.