"International Café: A Café for Critical Reading," September 14 at Pitt.

The University of Pittsburgh's Writing Center will host "International Café: A Café for Critical Reading" as the first meeting of this series for international students.

Has your instructor ever said, “don’t summarize the reading; instead analyze it?” How does a person read analytically? And why do so? In fact, those questions—how and why—are two keys to reading analytically, critically, creatively, and actively.

This session will introduce crucial steps in reading for the purpose of writing about a text. You are invited to bring us a text (essay, poem, story, or some other) that your course requires you to write about, or one that you want to write about, and you’ll get the practice you need to read—analytically, creatively, critically, and actively.

This session is facilitated by Marylou Gramm.

The workshop runs from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in the Writing Center, located at 317B O'Hara Student Center (map). It is free and open to Pitt students.

International Café: "Proof Positive: Quick Proofreading and Editing Strategies" at Pitt, January 26.

The University of Pittsburgh's Writing Center will host its next International Cafe workshop, "Proof Positive: Quick Proofreading and Editing Strategies," on January 26.

How can you become a better editor of your own work while you’re writing? What strategies can you use to proofread your own writing once you’ve already produced a draft? At this International Café, we’ll learn and apply specific strategies for editing and proofreading, and learn the difference between the two. We’ll also address some of the most common language troubles International Students face in their writing.

You are encouraged to come with a paragraph of your own in-progress writing to work on your independent editing and proofreading skills.

The workshop runs from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in the Writing Center, located at 317B O'Hara Student Center (map). It is free and open to Pitt students.

English Learners' Book Club in Mt. Lebanon, Tuesdays from January 9.

The weekly English Learners' Book Club meeting will resume on Tuesdays from January 9 at the Mt.Lebanon Public Library.

The English Learners' Book Club will meet weekly. This group's leader is Kathy Connolly. The books and short stories will be available to participants through the library.

To participate, please register with Peggi Kelley at 412-531-3004 or pkelley@gplc.org. Presented in cooperation with the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council.

The meeting runs from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. The library is located at 16 Castle Shannon Blvd. (map).

Free ESL conversation group at Bellefield Church in Oakland, Monday evenings from January 8.

Pittsburgh Regional International Student Ministries (P.R.I.S.M.) offers free English conversation groups Monday evenings at Bellefield Church in Oakland, and will resume courses in 2018 on January 8.

Our English Conversation Group is a place to come practice your spoken English without the stress of grades! You will spend time talking about idioms, conversing one-on-one, sharing in a small group about a topic, and building friendships along the way. This will help you become more comfortable speaking on a large variety of topics concerning life, ideas, and culture. It is free of charge.

Monday nights: 7 - 8:30 pm in the downstairs Fellowship Hall of Bellefield Church (4001 5th Ave) in the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh.

Bellefield Presbyterian Church is located across the street from the University of Pittsburgh bookstore (map) and is accessible by many city buses, including: 28X, 54, 58, 61A, 61B, 61C, 61D, 67, 69, 71A, 71B, 71C, 71D, 75, 81, 83, 93, and P3.

International Café: “Write Up, Speak Up: Practicing Your Presentation Skills” at Pitt, December 1.

The University of Pittsburgh's Writing Center will hold its next International Cafe workshop, "International Café: “Write Up, Speak Up: Practicing Your Presentation Skills," on December 1. The workshop runs from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in the Writing Center, located at 317B O'Hara Student Center (map). It is free and open to Pitt students.

"Using Quotations to Generate Ideas" at University of Pittsburgh Writing Center's International Cafe, November 17.

The University of Pittsburgh's Writing Center will host its next International Cafe session on November 17, on the topic if "Using Quotations to Generate Ideas." International Cafe workshops are designed to "tackle some of the difficulties of writing and using English as a non-native speaker."

Supporting our ideas; providing evidence; stating an opponent's position---these are all some uses of quotations in our writing. But did you know that you can use quotations to generate new ideas for your essays? No matter what stage of the writing process you're in, come to this active workshop to learn and practice techniques for productively interacting with quotations. You're encouraged to bring a text you are currently writing about to use during the workshop.

The series runs from 3:30 to 4:30 pm in the Writing Center, located at 317B O'Hara Student Center (map). It is free and open to Pitt students.

"Let’s READ English: An ESL Book Discussion Group" at Carnegie Library in Oakland, November 10.

The next "Let's READ English" book discussion group takes place tomorrow, November 10, at the Carnegie Library main branch in Oakland.

If English is not your native language and you like to read, join us on the second Friday of every month at 2PM in the Graphic Novels Room. We will read one book each month and then meet to discuss the story, improve our vocabulary and practice our English reading and conversational skills. And have FUN!

November’s book selection is Listening is an Act of Love, a collection of conversations between friends and family members about life and relationships.

Please request the book in the Catalog or contact us to get the book from your Library.

The event starts at 2:00 in the Graphic Novels Room on the 1st floor. The library is located at 4400 Forbes Ave. in Oakland (map).

Free ESL Classes at Covenant Community Church in Wexford.

Covenant Community Church in Wexford, PA offers free ESL Classes. Classes are held each Sunday afternoon from 12:45 to 2:15 pm. Registration is required and can be completed online, or by emailing Alex Martinez at alex at covcommunity.org, or by calling the church office at 724-934-1234.

The church is located at 5157 Wexford Run Road (map).

Free English Language and Civics Classes at Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania.

Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania offers free English Language and Civics classes to internationals living in Pittsburgh.

What are EL Civics Classes?

Improve your English skills while learning about U.S. Civics.

Goodwill’s EL Civics program integrates civics education with English as a Second Language (ESL) instruction. Students acquire the skills and knowledge they need to become active and informed parents, workers, and community members.

How do the EL Civics Classes work?

Flexible class schedule

The classes will introduce you to civics-related content and provide you with opportunities to apply that knowledge in your daily life, while building your English language and literacy skills. Morning, afternoon, and evening classes are available in Lawrenceville or South Side.

Students set goals to do things such as:

Achieve U.S. citizenship skills

U.S. history and/or geography U.S. governmental structure and function Naturalization process Rights and responsibilities of citizenship U.S. workplace culture and basics of employment laws U.S. legal system
Register to vote or vote for the first time

Increase involvement in the community

Attend or organize neighborhood, community, or political meetings Volunteer to work for such organizations Contribute to the support of such organizations Volunteer to work on community improvement activities

Who is eligible for EL Civics Classes?

Students must need English language services (cannot be an English native speaker). Students must either be a U.S. citizen or be eligible for citizenship (i.e. have a green card/social security number). Students must complete an orientation prior to the start of class.

Who to contact:

Phone: 412-632-1820
Email: english@goodwillswpa.org

Please visit the Goodwill website for more information.

"Pronouncing English Clearly" at Carnegie Libraries in Oakland and Squirrel Hill, starting October 18.

"Pronouncing English Clearly" will be held at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh branches in Oakland and Squirrel Hill starting October 18.

Do you want to strengthen your English pronunciation and be a more confident speaker?
Speech coach Pam Volz provides techniques for speaking fluently through interactive practice and take-home materials.
You'll learn about pronouncing consonants and vowels, word stress, and American English melody.
This program is for advanced English speakers.

There are eight sessions scheduled: Wednesdays from October 18 through November 8 at the CLP-Main Branch in Oakland from 6:15 to 8:00 pm; and Saturdays in Squirrel Hill from November 11 through December 2. No registration is required.