The Elder Literacy Initiative

ELL Programming
for Elder Refugees
Lisa Vogl
1247 St Anthony Ave
St Paul, MN 55104, USA

What is pre-literacy?
Pre-literate students are learners who are not
literate in their first language. This can be a
challenging level for both tutors and educators,
making quality training and curriculum key to
learners success in acquiring literacy in a
second language.
Meeting the Need

Intergenerational Service
7 bilingual teens were engaged as
volunteers and employees. Teens satisfying high
school requirements as well as those working with
teen employment programs made essential
contributions to outreach efforts and the overall
cultural competency of the initiative. An additional
40+ local high school students provided volunteer
service with the Elder Literacy Initiative.

Minnesota Literacy Council
By partnering with a local literacy
agency, curriculum and training were tailored to
meet the needs of low-literate elders working 1:1 with
volunteer tutors.
31 volunteers, residents, teens, and staff were trained
to use the literacy curriculum.

CommonBond Communities
By offering ELL programs in the building
where elder students live, we eliminate the barrier of
transportation, increase attendance and build
relationships with participants as they learn. By
engaging community members as volunteers to
implement the Skyline Tower Literacy Curriculum,
residents in CommonBond housing are matched with
a tutor to work on material at their level, as
determined by literacy assessments.
As of 2013, elders have access to over 26 hours/week
of ELL programming across 4 sites in St Paul, MN.
Elders as learners
CommonBond Literacy Curriculum
70% reported health
issues
70% reported trouble
in remembering the
program schedule

Strong sense
of competence
100% reported
having a
motivation to learn
English in spite of
its difficulty




80% reported
attending ELL
programs because
they hoped to
work.
Only 55% reported
attending ELL
programs to
read more for
fun.
High levels of
satisfaction in
lifelong learning.
ELL programs
enhance a strong
sense of
community.

Strong
Expressive
Motivations
Strong
Instrumental
Motivations
Needs Strengths
Effective outreach methods:
13-Unit
Curriculum
Guidelines
Massachusetts
ABE Basic
Literacy
Standards
Minnesota
Literacy Council
Low-Literate Adult
Tutor training
Phone calls
Routine flyer distribution
Face-to-face
Bilingual volunteers
Results
Volunteers working 1:1 with elders who are learning to read
follow a 13-unit curriculum centered around themes which
are authentic and relevant to the learners lives, goals, and
community.

Each unit is divided into three levels, determined by student
scores on the Bader Reading & Language Inventory and the
Sylvia Greene Informal Word Analysis Inventory.

Activities are designed to build vocabulary, comprehension,
and critical thinking in English, with the ultimate goal to
engage learners in effective literacy instruction with
measurable progress.
Personal Information / Mail
School / Classroom Activities
Food
Money / Shopping
Family
Days / Months
Weather
Our Community
Time / Daily Living
Health / Appointments
Signs / Safety
Apartment Living
Working in the US
42 elders (65+) and an additional 39 older adults
(55-65) participated in on-site ELL programming.

ELL Programs using the CommonBond Literacy
Curriculum have expanded to include 4 CommonBond
sites, with the potential to reach 7 by 2015.

82% of elders participating in on-site ELL programs
improved scores on literacy assessments from Fall 2012
to Fall 2013.
Somalia
42%
Burma
18%
Hmong / Laos
9%
Ethiopia
7%
Bhutan
3%
Iraq
3%
Other
18%
Primary Refugee Arrival to Minnesota 2005 2012
In the Twin Cities Metro Area, English as a Second
Language (ESL) students aged 60 + accounted for 3.9%
of the adult student body in the 2012-2013 academic year.
Serving a Diverse Community
2013 Survey results of 20 regularly attending elder ELL (English Language Learner) students:
Minnesota Department of Health The Refugee Health Program
Of these students, the largest percentage (22%) were
enrolled in ESL Beginning Literacy classes. Many of
these students are pre-literate.
Total: 22,489