Here’s a nice video of the Literacy Review Celebration this spring at NYU. The Literacy Review is a collection of the best writing from adult education programs throughout New York City. Look for the University Settlement Adult Literacy Program’s own Jesus Gomez at the 39 second mark!
Tag: student writing
A Subway Story
Our Adult Literacy Program Class 1B students recently wrote about experiences they had on NYC public transportation. Here’s one below, and take the quiz afterwards to test your comprehension:
On the Subway
Esther Li
I go to University Settlement to study English. One day after class, I went to the Grand Street station with my classmate. We stood on the platform and waited for the D train. We talked about something. We saw one train coming from far away, and we thought the train was the D train. We got on the train and sat down and continued to talk.
When the train passed the Atlantic stop and continued on, we discovered we were on the B train. We needed to take the D train to Brooklyn-8th Avenue. But the letters were small in the subway map and the train was rocking left and right. We weren’t patient enough to look at the map, so we went back to sit down.
Suddenly a strange man walked over to us and said, “Where do you want to go?” We needed to go to 8th Avenue. He said he could help show us how to transfer to the right train. When the train got to 7th Avenue, I saw the station had the Q train and I knew the Q train’s last stop is in Coney Island. It is the same as the N train’s last stop. When we got off the train, the strange man prevented us from getting off and he said, “This stop doesn’t go to Brooklyn-8th Avenue.” The train doors closed and the train continued to go on.
The train came to Church Avenue. He prevented us from getting off again, and my brain told me he was a bad person. I prepared myself to get off at the next stop. The train got to Kings Highway, and I rushed to get off, but he still followed us when we got off. Then we saw the Q train was coming. So we rushed to get in a car that had more people so he wouldn’t follow us to get in the same train car.
This experience was a lesson. I downloaded the subway map on my phone and I don’t believe all strangers. But it didn’t make me gloomy. The world is wonderful. I love all, but I trust a few.
More Summer Travel Ideas
Here’s another travel story from Class 3C. When you’re finished reading the story below, remember to take the quiz to test your comprehension.
Visiting Hong Kong
Wo Qu Hu
Hong Kong used to be an English colony. The people on the Chinese mainland felt that Hong Kong was a very mysterious island. China got it back from England in 1997. Ever since 1997, I had a dream to visit Hong Kong. In 2004, one day I got the news that regular people could apply to visit Hong Kong. I was very happy and did it immediately.
In the summer of 2004, my girlfriend and I started our trip to Hong Kong. That was a beautiful day. When I first stepped into Hong Kong, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to feel the difference. We visited the Top of the Mountain, Ocean Park, Hong Kong Bay, Hong Kang, Jiulong and some of my relatives.
The most unforgettable thing was visiting Hong Kong Ocean Park. It was the biggest ocean park in Asia. That morning, we prepared a lot of food, snacks and water. Even though it was a little heavy, it was covered by happiness. When we stepped into the park, to the right were some sculptures of big sea animals. They looked like they were swimming in the ocean and spraying water. We took out the map and decided to take the sightseeing cable car to the top, because there are a lot of amusement rides on the top. So we went to the back of the line.
The line was so long. We waited for almost one hour. It was our turn. When I got in the gondola I was very excited. But when the sightseeing cable car was moving, I was a little nervous. Because when I looked out of our car I saw we were in the sky. We were at least 60 meters up in the air. But it was a very good spot to see the sights of Hong Kong. When we arrived the top, there was an announcement that said, “The dolphin show will start in fifteen minutes.” Even though my eyes were attracted to the amusement rides, my body was pulled to the dolphin show by my girlfriend. Even though I watched the show passively, it was a very good show.
After the show, we watched polar bears, penguins, sharks, pandas and other animals. We also rode on some amusement rides too. Even though I didn’t want to leave there, it was almost 5:30 and we really felt tired and we needed to ride the bus for more than one hour back to the hotel. So we left Hong Kong Ocean Park and left Hong Kong the next morning.
Because of its mystery, because of the beautiful scenery, because of her, Hong Kong left a deep impression on me.
To read more, click here.
A Night with the Moth
Last week some of our Adult Literacy Program students went to the Housing Works Cafe and Bookstore to share their stories as part of a live event put on by the arts & literarure journal The Moth.
From their teacher, Amy Pechukas:
All students prepared stories for the event in the weeks previous. These stories were relevant to the theme of “fathers” in some way and needed to be five minutes long. One student crafted a story about growing up poor in Ukraine and hankering after ski equipment that all her friends could afford and how her father bought her the ski equipment for her birthday as a surprise. Another student talked about how traditional Chinese fathers are not demonstrative with their wives or children and the only time he touched his father was when he would hold his hand to take him to the doctor.
All the stories were memorable and striking. At the event, only the students who wanted to submitted their names for a random calling to tell their story. Hilda (Ximena), Felix, and Larysa all submitted their names and Hilda (Ximena) was called to speak. She hesitated but went up and told her story. She spoke about how her father was a good dad and very supportive and how he had supported her in coming to the US as they could not afford for her to attend university in Ecuador. However, sadly, now that she has come here she feels she has lost her relationship with him in a way due to the distance between them. She got a great round of applause and taught the whole class and audience an important lesson in courage. Her English was not perfect but her poise and confidence were outstanding and her story was memorable!
Summer Travel Ideas
Class 3C here at the University Settlement Adult Literacy Program recently wrote about some memorable trips they took. Read one below or click here to read more. Maybe you can get some good tips for traveling this summer. When you’re finished reading the story below, remember to take the quiz to test your comprehension.
Moonshine
Natalia Briceno
We were bored of the heat and tranquility of my city, so some of my friends and I decided go to go camping.
We all agreed to go somewhere near where we lived. We were under the floodgates of the dam “La Paloma,” a green place with many trees and a small river running down from the high Andes Mountain leading to the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Due to the droughts of those years, the river had lost its strength and beauty.
So everyone prepared their camping supplies, food and water. My neighbor, one of my best friends from my childhood, prepared some sandwiches and bought fruit and water to carry. My cousin and her boyfriend also got everything for that Saturday afternoon. We were all to meet there, so we slowly began to gather our friends.
The men began to set up the tents; the women prepared the fire and meat to roast and at night perked up with a small battery-powered radio.
Illuminated by our campfire, sitting on the ground or on some old tree trunks, we realized that we were more people than we thought. Some sent word to their friends and these others. In the end we were more than fifteen people, from a group that started with seven.
The sky was spectacular! You could heard the run of the river and the night birds who wandered in the vegetation that night. And the smell of nature is always a pleasure to my senses. UUHHMM!
My grandfather Gabriel, a countryman all his life and passionate about mining, I remember him grinding stones to extract the gold. And also he had a plot where he cultivated grapes, avocados, peaches, figs, nuts, apples and others. It was beautiful especially because we were just steps from the river of Tulahen that for those years flowed generously.
Most of the time my cousins, my brothers and I went there every summer. I remember my grandfather secretly prepared his famous concoctions of grapes, and as a little girl at that time I was prohibited to drink. “It’s only for the biggest who can taste these delicacies!” he said.
We all laughed together that night with my friends. Some of them danced, others joked. And I remember some of them swimming in the river that night.
My cousin started to call everyone and yelling “Make a row, make a row!” He was carrying in his hand a special bottle of the concoction which only my grandfather knew how to prepare. Proud of him, I told everyone it had been prepared by my dear Grandfather Gabriel a long time ago; may he rest in peace! Everyone raised their glasses and we made a toast on his behalf and we drank his famous concoction.
What else? Don’t ask me, because I don’t remember.
To read more, click here.
My Hometown Revisited
Here’s another sample of our Computer Class students’ writing about their hometowns. When you’re finished, take the quiz to test your comprehension!
My Hometown
Fen Fen Liang
I’m from a small town called Tai Shan, China. Tai Shan is a small town but it has a lot of delicious foods. Tai Shan is a sea town, it has a lot of beaches and it teems with sea food, especially oysters. Tai Shan has a lot of rice paddies. Tai Shan has hot springs. It is not a bustling city. It is good for vacation.
In Tai Shan the summer is too hot but the winter isn’t cold, it is cool. Spring is Tai Shan’s rainy season. Winter is wonderful, because it is sunny and cool.
Tai Shan has many traditional festivals. The important traditional festivals of Tai Shan are Chinese New Year, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival. Tai Shan’s people usually make different foods to celebrate different festivals. I love delicious food and I love my hometown.
To read more, click here.
My Hometown
Our Computer Class students recently wrote about their hometowns. Read one example below, and take the quiz afterwards to test yourself!
My Hometown
Limei Chen
I am from Guangzhou, Guangdong (Canton), China. Canton is a province in the south of China. Guangzhou is the capital of Canton and it is near Hong Kong and Macau, but it has no coast or beach. Guangzhou is the third largest city in China. There are about 14 million people and the number is increasing every day. People in Guangzhou speak Cantonese and Mandarin.
Guangzhou is a very beautiful city. The Five Goats Statue is the symbol of Guangzhou. There are only a few hills in the city and most of the area is fields. Guangzhou has a big river that we call Pearl River, which gives us the drinking water we need. Guangzhou has never had an earthquake or hurricane. It is a very safe city. Guangzhou has four distinct seasons. Summer is longer than winter, and it’s very hot. It doesn’t snow in the winter.
Guangzhou has three big shopping areas: Beijing Road, ShangXiaJiu Road and East Tianhe business zone. Lots of tourists like to visit these shopping places.
The most famous thing in Guangzhou is the cooking culture. Guangzhou has a lot of restaurants with different kinds of food and they are open from 7 am to 12 am every day. Some of them stay open all night because many people like to have a midnight snack. Most of the Guangzhou citizens like Cantonese cuisine because it is very delicious and easy to make. Cantonese people usually have tea and refreshments (we call that Dianxing) in the morning at a restaurant. Every time you go to a restaurant for breakfast, you will see it is full and you need to wait for a seat.
