[This article was originally written in 1999 for inclusion in the final report of the A.L.R.I.'s Homebuying Readiness Project, which can be found on the A.L.R.I.'s web site, under Special Projects. It provides a good example of how curriculum can be built around a particular content area or theme.]
This year, for the second year in a row, our program, Operation Bootstrap, received a Curriculum Frameworks grant from the Massachusetts Department of Education. For our first year's project, we had developed a center-wide teaching unit about the city of Lynn, where the agency is located and where many of the students and staff live. In using such a broad topic and employing as many teaching approaches as we could to teach the topic, we had been able to match each lesson's objectives to the various parts of the Curriculum Frameworks that the given lesson reflected. This process allowed us to become familiar with the whole of the Curriculum Frameworks and to learn how much of it could be applied to our teaching overall. Although we had enjoyed the collaboration with our fellow teachers and the increased interaction between students from various classes, we knew that for the second year our next step in applying the Curriculum Frameworks would be to actually implement an entire strand. As a program, we decided on the ESOL Navigating Systems strand as our focus. (For a complete description of the ESOL Curriculum Frameworks see the Massachusetts' Department of Education Adult and Community Learning Services Cluster's Web Site at <http://www.doe.mass.edu/acls/ESOLFrameworks1098.html>.)
Because some of our students had previously chosen homebuying as a topic that they wanted to study, we decided to participate in the A.L.R.I.'s 1999 Homebuying Readiness Curriculum Project, which made use of the FannieMae Foundation's workbook, How to Buy a Home in the United States. Our two classes, ESOL 2 and ESOL 3, started the project in late winter.
The ESOL 2 class studied the curriculum over a period of four months and covered the topics in the first three units of the curriculum: deciding to buy a home, finding one's dream house and getting a mortgage. The ESOL 3 class spent a shorter period of time with the curriculum but covered the same topics. Although we taught our classes separately, we shared ideas and materials and collaborated on several joint activities. Since our teaching goal was to help students learn to navigate a system or, in this case, a number of inter-dependent mini-systems, we tried to incorporate real life activities outside of the classroom and to use students as experts and guides. We hoped to help students learn new vocabulary, strengthen their understanding of homebuying concepts and the basic process of homebuying in America, and to become more familiar with the special programs that exist for first time homebuyers both in Lynn and in the surrounding towns. We also hoped that students would be able to transfer the skills they learned from studying the homebuying system to other systems that they would have to negotiate. In other words, as well as learning how to navigate the complex and multi-faceted process of homebuying in the U.S., we also wanted to provide an opportunity for our students to explore the coping methods they rely on when they are confronted with a new problem or situation, especially when they must do so in a new language.
The level 2 class was made up of students from the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, El Salvador, Brazil, Haiti, Vietnam, Russia, and Cambodia. Students ranged in age from 18 to 60. They had a broad range of literacy skills and a wide spectrum of experience in banking and in home ownership. For instance, one student had purchased a three-family house in Lynn a year ago. Several students had purchased and still own homes in their native countries. All but one student (a 60-year-old grandmother) hoped to one day buy a home in the United States. The following is a selection of some successful lessons on homebuying:
Home in my Own Country&emdash;Guided Imagery, Writing, and Discussion: In order to encourage students' English-based thought processes, we started the class with guided imagery. I lowered the lights while students put their heads down and closed their eyes in order to visualize their childhood homes. Following the guided imagery exercise, I conducted a guided writing activity. Then for the next class, students drew pictures or brought photographs of their houses in their own countries to share with other students in small groups. This activity was very successful and provided good practice in conversation.
Find Someone Who.... Survey: The purpose of this activity was to get a feel for the students' experiences and desires around homebuying and finance. It was very enjoyable and gave all of us an idea of who the classes' "experts" were on various topics. The format can be adapted to fit any topic. It also provides practice in asking yes-no questions.
Dramas, Dictations & Crossword Puzzles&emdash;Building Vocabulary and Spelling Skills: Since the terms "borrow" and "lend" were very difficult for students to comprehend, we developed guided classroom dramas to illustrate the different uses of the words. Also, each week I gave the students a list of ten new vocabulary words to study for a sentence dictation the following week. We often played warm-up word games to strengthen vocabulary retention. One such favorite was a game we called Guess The Category. To play, one student leaves the room while the teacher writes a category on the board. An example might be "Banking Terms." The student returns and sits with his/her back facing the board. The other students in the class shout out phrases like "checking account," "customer service representative," "canceled check," "teller" or "ATM machine." The student in the chair must come up with the category.
As we developed a larger homebuying vocabulary base to work with, I made crossword puzzles on the computer software crossword puzzle-maker, Wordcross. The use of crossword puzzles in the ESOL classroom is a very versatile and creative method of reinforcing vocabulary; students love it. And, as in many other instances, they worked together in pairs to complete it. (Wordcross: HI TECH, 202 Pelton Avenue, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 408-425-5654 $44.95)
Money & Banking: Independent of the homebuying project, a center-wide Student Health Action Health Team program on stress was being held at Operation Bootstrap. During the course of the health team's project, it became clear that many ESOL students experienced one of their highest levels of stress when having to negotiate banking situations. Since one of my own teaching goals was to help students navigate financial systems more easily, and because now it had been articulated as one of the most stressful experiences of ESOL students, I decided that for homework I would send everyone to a bank for practice. I also asked students to collect printed information about different checking and savings accounts at that bank. Those who were feeling really brave were encouraged to discuss accounts with the customer service representative. In preparation for the task, we had an in-class discussion about anxiety and how to cope with it. Students were encouraged to go in pairs to support one another, though surprisingly none did. In fact, the homework activity was not terribly successful, though it did lead to a wonderful discussion about why most people hadn't done the assignment and how the few that had successfully entered a bank had coped with the anxiety. One student got inside the bank and then left without getting anything. Another talked to the customer service representative and opened a checking account on the spot. We printed up information from one bank's brochure so that students could compare that bank's offerings with those of their own banks. Several students proved to be very savvy consumers. Some had even discovered the no-cost banking offered by a very reputable local credit union. This led to sophisticated discussion about the differences between credit unions and banks. Currently, several students are in the process of changing their accounts as a result of the discussion.
Our Dream Houses&emdash;Writing, Cutting, Pasting, and Guessing: Following the housing vocabulary activities, students wrote about their dream houses as a homework assignment. And for the following class, I brought in copies of a real estate magazine called Homes of New England that I had picked up at the local supermarket. Although the houses were located all over New England, only a few were affordable. However, the enticing color photos did provide a jumping off point for students to think about their dream houses. First we browsed through the magazines to find our individual dream houses. Students cut out their pictures and pasted them on lined paper for a homework project in which they were to describe the houses they had chosen and explain why they had chosen them. At the beginning of the next class I hung up the homework pictures and descriptions and asked students to try to match their classmates to their dream houses. For a final product, we used pictures from the magazine to make our own picture dictionaries of various house styles--Victorians, Colonials, Town Houses, etc.
Playing With the Real Estate Ads: During three lessons, we used a regular weekly real estate flyer. In the first lesson student teams were assigned a fictionalized individual or family with particular housing needs and charged with finding them a house that met their requirements and was in their price range. As a follow up, we translated real estate abbreviations and euphemisms, such as "needs a little TLC" and "handyman special." Students asked about the term "de-leaded," which led to a discussion about the hazards of lead paint. We discussed the reasons why one Lynn realtor lists his Lynn properties as being, "near Salem," "near Peabody," or "close to the water, near Swampscott" rather than in Lynn, bringing a critical awareness into the reading of housing advertisements.
Getting a Mortgage: Using the flyers one last time, I asked each student to choose a house for himself/herself that was not necessarily a dream house, but rather a realistic option for the first house he/she might buy. Students pasted the pictures and information about these houses on worksheets. We then used calculators to figure out the cost of 5% and 3% down payments. A few students said they couldn't afford a house now anyway, so they would go for a dream house. Others scaled down their choices after they calculated down payment costs.
Using LOTUS 1-2-3 To Figure Monthly Mortgage Payments : A staff member brought in her Lotus 1-2-3 program so that students could figure out monthly mortgage payments for the houses they had chosen. We used a fixed 30-year mortgage program at a 7 1/4% interest rate. Using the Lotus software, students were also able to determine the total cost of the house over the 30-year period. Those who had time figured payments and overall costs for a 20-year mortgage as well. Every student loved this activity. The computer program worked like magic. Using it gave students a real feeling of power. For all students this was an excellent opportunity to practice reading large numbers in English and to learn a new computer skill.
The Hard Reality of the "28% Rule" : We followed up the monthly mortgage payment calculation activity with a yet another financial literacy lesson. Using a local bank's suggestion that one should not spend more than 28% of gross monthly income on mortgage payments, students figured out what their gross monthly income would have to be in order for them to make the mortgage payments on the houses they had chosen. This was a potent reality check for students who held out the hope of buying single family houses in the near future.
As a starting point for our exploration, my classes used parts of the FannieMae Foundation's ESOL curriculum, How to Buy a Home in the United States. We started with a broad discussion about housing considerations, based loosely on Unit 2, Lesson 1, "Deciding What You Want." By the time we were ready to move on, the student workbooks had arrived and we were ready to work with all four lessons in Unit 1 and Unit 3, Lesson 1, "What You Should Know about Mortgage Loans." Though we were able to complete these lessons, we have not yet had a chance to finish the evaluative component of the curriculum. Before we finish the unit, I hope to conduct an in-class discussion and survey that assesses students' understanding of housing choices, banking and credit considerations, and the mortgage process.
As previously mentioned, the staff at Operation Bootstrap chose to implement the standards of the Navigating Systems strand, and the students voted to study the homebuying curriculum as a way to fulfill that strand of the ESOL curriculum frameworks. After a few classes with the project, Nancy and I realized with horror what an immense project we had agreed to tackle. As we considered how much time it would take for the students to meet their goal of learning enough about homebuying to be of more than passing interest, we each questioned the wisdom of dedicating so much class time to a topic that was, for at least some of the students, too dense, too intricate and, perhaps, too premature. My response to this dilemma was to weave other standards from the ESOL Frameworks into the homebuying curriculum unit. Parts of the two Language Strands of the Curriculum Frameworks, "Language Structure and Mechanics" and "Oral and Written Communications," were already touched on by activities that we used from the FannieMae curriculum, such as conversation with classmates, reading and writing activities, vocabulary building, and grammar review. I decided to incorporate several other areas of concentration as well: intercultural comparisons, technology, using others inside and outside of class as resources for learning, risk taking, and using authentic materials wherever possible. Below are some of the highlights of these crosscutting themes.
Culture: Before the class dived into the topic of homebuying, I decided that the students and I should discuss the general content and intention of the overall curriculum framework. I briefly outlined the five strands and then announced that the teachers had decided to teach a Navigating Systems unit. I drew a "mind map" with the words "Navigating Systems" in the center of the blackboard. We started with the word "navigating." Using its cognate, students examined the idea behind the word. Was it the same as driving? Could a passenger navigate? Did a vehicle have to be involved? In the end, we decided that the core idea behind the word "navigating" was the ability to give directions for how to get somewhere. Next, we moved on to the word "systems." We compared various systems that were different here in the United States from those in the students' countries of origin. The list was much broader than what I had imagined--everything from how to cope with snow, school closings, and winter clothing to the unfathomable ways of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. We decided that the homebuying curriculum touched on two of the systems: Housing Considerations and Finances in America. After the students identified these two important systems within the larger one of homebuying, we agreed that the financial system touched everyone and was, therefore, useful even to those who had no interest in homebuying.
More than half of the class had lived in either their parents' or their own homes before coming to the United States, and most hoped, someday, to own a home. But none had ever encountered a homebuying system like ours. To begin with, buying a home for cash was the only homebuying system that they were familiar with, and consequently, they were very eager to understand the American banking/credit/mortgage process. Learning about housing issues per se was less of a concern to the students. Later, when we were well into the money and financing part of the unit, the students responded to a reading/writing assignment about the myth that all Americans are wealthy. The excerpt reminds students that they learn about America through media images. The question asks students to reflect about whether or not this country is in fact as wealthy as it is portrayed and whether the student feels like he or she is "richer or poorer in the United States" than he/she was in his/her country. The assignment was taken from a textbook entitled Face to Face: Communication, Culture, and Collaboration by Virgina Vogel Sanger (Heinle & Heinle, 1993). Their writings contained insightful reflections on what they had come to realize about the value of money in both the United States and in their own countries. Their paragraphs also revealed so much about the role that money does, or doesn't play, in each of their personal value systems.
As a class, we also looked at images of housing and wealth in the United States. This activity was inspired by the viewing of the movie El Norte and it prompted reflection and discussion about how American culture and its economy was portrayed in the mass media.
Students cut out pictures of house interiors from magazines and answered the following question: What did you think houses in the United States were like before you actually came here? Students captioned the pictures with the generalizations that might be drawn from them. The following are examples of their summaries: "It looks like all the houses are beautiful and have a big garden." "It looks like all the kitchens are big and neat." "There are fresh breads and a big refrigerator."
Technology : Several of our activities were performed on computers. Although these activities represent exposure to a couple of computer applications rather than mastery of any one application, the activities were rewarding experiences for the students. To begin with, the students used a spreadsheet to make a chart of housing-related words. As headings, all of the students used categories that we brainstormed as a class, such as “neighborhood,” “rooms,” “outside,” “furniture,” “systems,” and “financial.” Then, working in pairs, the students entered words under each heading. Before closing their files, they wandered around the computer lab and looked at each others' work for more ideas. The students returned to their spreadsheets the next week during their computer time-slot to add to their lists before spell-checking and printing them out.
When this part of the activity was finished, the students used a word processor to write a letter to a credit bureau, requesting a copy of their credit history. They followed a format suggested by a local TV channel: Full Name, Date of Birth, Social Security Number, Spouse's Name, Spouse's Social Security Number, Five Years of Previous Addresses, Current Employer, Day Phone Number, and Evening Phone Number. They then used the cut-and-paste tool on the computer to revise their letters. Students who had a credit history made copies of a utility bill or driver's license to establish their identity and then mailed the letters, but even those who had no credit history chose to go through the entire process. They sent their requests for credit histories to the following companies: Eq