Language Café
English Language by and for Latin American Women in London
This course has been designed to support the Language Café’s free conversation classes for Latin American women. It is divided into six units with basic and vital information about everyday life in the UK. It includes interactive activities and examples to help you communicate more effectively in your everyday life in London. The course has been created to develop and improve your essential speaking, listening, reading and writing skills for work, study and everyday life. You will develop knowledge and skills for taking part confidently in a day-to-day basis, from going to the shops, registering with a GP or attending a parents’ meeting at school. You will learn key aspects of life in the UK, from British history, culture and education to social services, civic participation, migrant and women’s rights and so on. The course offers a clear structure for the volunteer tutors to follow and should serve as a guide for all the participants involved. Complementary materials can be added to the course, and the course can be adapted to the needs and interests of the students and volunteers.
What you’ll learn
After studying this course, students should be able to:
- Listen, understand and make relevant contributions to discussions with others in a range of everyday life contexts in London.
- Learn about British culture, politics, education, civic life, and community participation.
- Understand how to make a range of relevant and extended contributions to formal and informal discussions in the target language.
- Utilise information contained in various texts and identify suitable responses.
- Construct a range of texts to communicate information, ideas, and opinions.
- Utilise accurate spelling, punctuation, and grammar to communicate clearly in writing.
Course structure
The course is divided into 6 units and includes 12 lessons: 2 hours per week > 24 hours in total (beginners + exercises for intermediate)
Most exercises are suited for beginners, but we also include exercises for intermedia and more advanced students, as well as complimentary lessons and resources.
Your tutor will guide you every week throughout the course. You do not need to print out the materials, you can download the material and save it on your device, or you can simply write your answers on a piece of paper.
6
units
12
lessons
2
hours a week
24
hours in total
Content
Unit 1
All About Me
In this unit you will learn to recognise and use language to express personal information, introducing adjectives to talk about daily situations, such as feelings.
Unit 2
Everyday Life in London
In this unit, you will learn about the geography of the United Kingdom and its regional diversity and political contexts.
Unit 3
Civic Life
What’s the role of the Monarchy? Does the UK have a Constitution? Can migrants vote? Am I entitled to benefits? In this lesson, you will learn more about British politics, as well as social policies and the welfare state.
Unit 4
Education System
This lesson looks at various aspects of the educational system in the UK, from the different stages and exams to the application process.
Unit 5
Health and Wellbeing
In this lesson you will learn about how to identify vocabulary related to registering with a doctor’s surgery, describe your symptoms, respond to questions when registering at a doctor’s surgery, and when making a doctor’s appointment. We will also discuss how to maintain a healthy life as a migrant woman in London.
Unit 6
British History and Culture
This lesson looks at British history, food, music, geography and tourism. You will learn about the suffragettes and the struggle for equal’s rights, great places to visit, and find out that "British" food might be more than fish and chips, baked beans on toast and tea.
About the Language Café
In 2017 The Latin American Women’s Rights Service (LAWRS) created a Spanish and English language exchange ‘Café’ with Paxton Green Time Bank (PGTB) to support language learning in the community. The Language Café was supported by the Feminist Review Trust and led by women from LAWRS andPGTB who shared language skills and social opportunities, in an exchange called time banking. In its current structure, the Language Café offers Latin American women the opportunity to learn English in an informal, safe, and community-based learning environment. This course uses a feminist and intersectional approach to language teaching and learning and has been designed to support the Language Café’s weekly English conversation sessions. The project was funded by the Open World Research Initiative (OWRI) and the Institute of Modern Languages Research (IMLR) in collaboration with Carolina Gaspari (UX/UI designer), Claudia López-Prieto (EAL teacher, Saint Gabriel’s College), Noel Genne (LAWRS – Outreach & Development Coordinator), Sin Fronteras Youth Group (LAWRS), and María Soledad Montañez (Researcher, OWRI/IMLR, University of London).
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the Language Café students and tutors for their valuable contribution to the development of this course, Catherine Davies and Elizabeth Dearnly from the Institute of Modern Languages Research and Dolores Modern from LAWRS for their support.
¡Muchas gracias a todxs!
