Refugee and Immigrant Services (English Language Learning)
- English Reading Hour
- English Listening Hour
- English Conversation Hour
- Job Literacy for Refugees and Immigrants
- ESL/ELL Tutoring for Kids and Teens
- Northstar Digital Literacy
- Voces de la Frontera Citizenship Classes
- Additional English Language Learning Resources
- Testimonials
- Recorded Programs
- ESL/ELL Booklists
English Reading Hour
Practice reading and speaking English with fellow English Language Learners. The only cost is an hour of your time (it’s free to participate)! Every monthly session we read comic strips, prose and poems, and we read lyrics and then listen to songs. We answer any pronunciation, spelling, or grammar questions that appear and we discuss possible meanings behind the readings and how they make us feel. There’s learning and discussion and friends to be made in a friendly and nurturing setting. If English is your Second Language, then come read and learn with us!
Second Monday of the Month from 4-5 PM CST
2023
June 12, July 10, August 14, September 11
Please register for the program here.
[English Reading/Conversation Hour pdf]
English Listening Hour
Does your English practice sometimes feel like a broken record? Tired of the same old song and dance? Join other English language learners for a music listening hour and fine tune your English skills! Together we will read lyrics, listen to popular songs, and discuss questions about content and vocabulary. Sign up if this sounds like music to your ears -- all are welcome to attend and practice in this relaxed, supportive, fun environment.
June 15, July 20, August 17, September 21
Please register for the program here.
A free weekly conversation session for adult English language learners. Strategies for "small talk" and getting-to-know-you activities, as well as games and structured practice to activate vocabulary and language skills, are offered in a relaxed and supportive environment. Everyone is welcome!
Tuesdays from 4-5 PM CST
2023
March 7, 14, 21, 28
April 4, 11, 18, 25; May 2, 9, 16, 23, 30; June 6, 13, 20, 27
Please register for the program here.
ESL/ELL Tutoring for Kids and Teens
Sit down with an experienced tutor for help with English. Work on reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. These sessions are for children and teens only.
Saturdays, 12:30-2:30 p.m.
Central Library Children's Room, 814 W. Wisconsin Ave.
2023
April 8, 15, May 13, 20, June 3, 10, 17, 24
Job Literacy for Refugees and Immigrants
This class helps beginning-level ESL/ELL job seekers gain the language skills and cultural understandings needed to function successfully in today’s workplace. The class covers job vocabulary, workplace culture and job seeking.
Mondays, 5-6 PM
2023
Feb. 20, Mar. 20
Please Register for this class here
Northstar Digital Literacy
Northstar Digital Literacy is an online tool that provides assessments, instructor-led curricula and self-directed online learning for basic digital literacy skills with a focus on ABE and ELL students. Organizations can use Northstar resources to determine needs, provide relevant instruction, and track results. NorthStar Digital Literacy is provided with support from Wisconsin Literacy. Please email LibraryRefugeeCommittee@milwaukee.gov for more information or to get started!
Voces de la Frontera Citizenship Classes
In partnership with MPL, Voces de la Frontera is offering Beginner Citizenship Classes for the English Exam. All students should register before attending the classes with Jeanette Arellano 414-236-0415 or Paola Barragan 262-346-4027. Walk-ins welcome if space allows. All students must have at least 5 years residency or 3 years as a permanent resident who is married to a U.S. citizen. Class is presented in English and Spanish.
Wednesdays, 4:30 PM to 5:45 PM
Mitchell Street Branch
Additional English Language Learning Resources
MPL offers additional resources for English as a Second Language (ESL) and English Language Learners (ELL). Central’s Adult Study Center has various materials to improve one’s English. This material is available for specific ESL/ELL languages as well as general ESL/ELL. Many of the branch libraries in the MPL system also offer ESL/ELL materials.
MPL subscribes to Mango Languages, Pronunciator, and Transparent Languages electronic resources. These subscription sites offer language-specific ESL modules in many different languages. In addition Learning Express offers practice tests for ESL tests, and the Gale Courses database has a number of ESL courses.
English Language (ESL/ELL) Tutoring
Need help learning English? Have questions about English conversation or grammar? Want to practice English listening skills? Email us at LibraryRefugeeCommittee@milwaukee.gov to set up a day and time to work virtually or in person with a trained ESL person.
ESL/ELL Pen Pal
Want to practice writing English with a native speaker? Try our ESL/ELL Pen Pal program! An MPL librarian will correspond with you through email to practice writing and reading comprehension. For more information or to get started email us at LibraryRefugeeCommittee@milwaukee.gov.
For more information on the services we provide including partnerships please contact the Refugee and Immigrant Services Committee:
LibraryRefugeeCommittee@milwaukee.gov
(414) 286-0816 - Phone number for Refugee and Immigrant Services Chair Eric Johnson
Testimonials
"Participating in English Reading Hour and in English Conversation Hour at the Milwaukee Public Library from the Dominican Republic has been a great thing for me. It helped me finish my English program successfully and I had a lot of fun in every meeting. Take advantage of this great opportunity!" - Nelida
"I love English Conversation Hour. The librarians are super enthusiastic and cheerful. They teach us a lot of vocabulary and answer questions. I feel more confident when talking to people. It has helped me a lot. I am able to speak better, understand better and I can share my stories with everyone. The program is also very relaxed and fun. Thank you very much!" - Van Trang
"Attending English Conversation Hour makes me happy. I learn new words and improve my pronunciation. The librarians that teach us are very friendly and patient! We meet people from all over the world!" - Polina
"One of the good things from 2020 was the time I spent practicing English with some other English Language Learners. The virtual meeting was like a refuge for me. In this class I practice my English and I have been noticing improvements in my knowledge of the language. We talk about our weekend recaps, food, festivities, and then have open discussion which opens up more learning. The classes are all very nice. There is no way to forget the English expressions and phrasal verbs presented to us in the English Conversation Hour. I feel really thankful because of the job the librarians have done for us." - Lidia
Recorded Programs
Explore Our Suggestions:
Recently Added
by Madeleine L’Engle
Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.
by Rudolfo A. Anaya
Ultima, one who cures with magic, comes to Antonio’s New Mexico family when he is six years old; she helps him discover himself in the magic of the pagan past.
by Agatha Christie
Ten strangers, each with a secret, are gathered on an island by a mysterious host. One by one, they die, and before the weekend is out, there will be none.
by Emily X.R. Pan
After her mother's suicide, grief-stricken Leigh Sanders travels to Taiwan to stay with grandparents she never met, determined to find her mother who she believes turned into a bird.
by E B White
When he discovers that he is destined to be someone's dinner, Wilbur the pig is desolate until his spider friend Charlotte decides to help him.
by F Scott Fitzgerald
Gatsby---young, handsome, and rich---always seems alone in the crowd, watching and waiting. An obsession that can never be fulfilled soon will force his world to unravel.
by Anjali Sachdeva
A haunting, diverse debut story collection that explores the isolation we experience in the face of the mysterious, often dangerous forces that shape our lives.
View on CountyCatby L M Montgomery
Anne, eleven-year-old orphan, is sent by mistake to live with a middle-aged brother and sister on a Prince Edward Island farm and proceeds to make an impression on everyone.
by Jhumpa Lahiri
In nine stories imbued with the sensual details of Indian culture, Lahiri charts the emotional journeys of characters seeking love beyond the barriers of nations and generations.
by Lemony Snicket
After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other; their distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to get their fortune.