World Refugee Day

Largo Public Library hosted this year's Pinellas World Refugee Day on Saturday, June 19, 2010. The celebration included a citizenship ceremony, refugee youth testimonials, and a World Refugee Day awards presentation for refugees and community leaders.

Lady Liberty welcoming everybody in.

The audience listening to a message from
President Obama.

Twenty-five people from thirteen different countries
became naturalized American citizens.


The new citizens taking the oath.

From lfsnet.org:

World Refugee Day is internationally sponsored each year on June 20 by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to celebrate and recognize the courage and experiences of the world’s refugees. The theme for the event was “Refugees of Today, Citizens of Tomorrow.” The international theme is “Home.”

“The international theme of this year’s World Refugee Day, ‘Home,’ reminds us both of what refugees have lost – their home countries and the homes they were forced to flee – as well as what they have found in Florida – a new home country and a new place to call home,” said Hiram A. Ruiz, Director of Refugee Services for the Florida Department of Children and Families. “This World Refugee Day, as we celebrate with our refugee neighbors in their new home, we must also remember the millions of refugees worldwide who have lost their homes but remain stuck in refugee camps, with little hope for any new home.”

Refugees are an integral part of the Tampa Bay community. In the last five years alone, a total of 17,398 refugees were resettled in the region. Refugees in the area come from many countries including Cuba, Haiti, Burma, Iraq and Colombia

Local News Articles:
At local naturalization ceremony, one refugee dreams of citizenship
Naturalization ceremony for 50 Bay area refugees
Refugee students become citizens

Phonetics is the key.

Does your student have trouble pronouncing certain sounds? Do you have difficulty explaining how the student should produce the sound?

Different languages have different speech patterns. Sometimes, a student will have difficulty with the same sounds because those sounds just aren't used in their native language. This makes it rather difficult to learn how to pronounce words correctly.

The handouts below will help in identifying your student's phonetic problem areas.

Phonetics/articulation chart (PDF)
Pair-work exercise for TESOL Instructors (PDF)

Paired with Phonetics: The Sounds of American English, developed by the University of Iowa, you should have a better grasp of how certain sounds are produced. Each consonant and vowel has its own articulation animation, a step-by-step description, and video-audio of the sound spoken in context.

(Make sure you have Flash installed on your computer.)

Additional Resources:
Authentic American Pronunciation
Some Techniques for Teaching Pronunciation

Talk-a-Tivities

Talk-a-Tivities: Problem Solving and Puzzles for Pairs by Richard Yorkey

Talk-a-Tivities is a collection of activities that gets students to practice their communication and listening skills, sharpen their reasoning abilities, build their vocabularies, and deal with practical survival skills. Most of the activities in this workbook are designed for pairs of students, with some group activities included, also.

The puzzle and problem situations include strip stories, picture differences, cooperative crosswords, appointment book contexts, survival skill practice in supermarkets and libraries, and map activities. Emphasized vocabulary covers direction words, letter names, numbers, occupations, times and dates, clothing, foods, and household objects.

All activities develop listening and speaking skills through the transmission of information from person to person. Specific language functions include: asking for clarification, describing details and locations, discussing alternatives, giving directions, making appointments, interpreting diagrams, and understanding grids.