Classes for the Stoughton Adult Basic Education Program began on September 20 for FY01. As I sat and chatted with my colleagues before class on the 20th, the inevitable question came up among the instructors: should we, or how should we deal with the September 11 tragedy in our classrooms? One of the veteran teachers quickly spoke up. "I need to open the class with a discussion of the topic, somehow prompting students to acknowledge and share their feelings. She explained that before the class could begin its study of English, it needed to "debrief" about the tragedy. This discussion prompted those present into brainstorming about strategies for integrating the tragedy into the lessons that would take place in the days and weeks to come.

I followed up with the instructor to find out how her lesson went. She chose to conduct the debriefing part of her lesson in a purely oral format, prompting students to relate as best they could how they felt or had been affected by the images and news accounts of the events of September 11. It was a positive yet challenging lesson since many of the beginner level students in the program struggled to relate in English. "They knew how they felt in their own languages, but had to be prodded to give the English equivalent." The one doubt this instructor had about bringing the topic into the classroom was a comparison a Russian student made of the tragedy to the Chernobyl disaster. "This was very powerful and brought the student to tears; it was difficult knowing how to respond to the student and how to move away from the topic."

Following are some ways that some ESOL instructors have brought the topic into their classrooms:

1. Having the class do an Internet search. The search could include topics like: USA/Middle Eastern policy; the Islamic faith; fund-raising and others ways of helping the victims of September 11; stories of survival. Students can practice a variety of literacy skills while researching and reporting their findings to the class. While this exercise is clearly suited to a more advanced population, many students could benefit from getting the news in this interactive mode. The bostonchannel.com is one of the many sites that could be used with this exercise.

2. Using picture dictionaries. Especially for beginner English language learners experiencing intense feelings, picture dictionaries are a great resource to help students identify relevant vocabulary. Most of the picture dictionaries have a whole section on "feelings" and "life events" which can be used to stimulate the beginnings of a conversation or basic sentence. In my level 1b ESOL class, I had my students reference the picture dictionaries to tell the class about the many feelings people affected by the tragedy were having. Students were able to generate quite a lengthy list of both psychological feelings like shocked and worried, and physical feelings including nervous, tired and thirsty. "Conversations" included comparing how children felt to how adults felt and whether or not students felt homesick in the wake of the attack.

3. Studying discrimination and racism in the United States. News for You, a New Readers Press publication used in many ABE classrooms, presented an article in late September entitled "American Arabs and Muslims Face Backlash" This article can be used as a reading activity used to stimulate discussion about discrimination and racism in our country. The October 3 episode of The West Wing, a series on commercial television, presented the issue of discrimination against Arab Americans in the wake of the tragedy. A guided viewing of this segment is another possible way to engage students in this difficult topic.

4. Using news photos. There has not been a day yet that the media has not presented us with images that depict some aspect of the conflict and the tragedy itself. Many instructors, particularly those teaching ESOL., have chosen pictures from newspapers and magazines to stimulate conversations and writings in the classroom. Teachers can also bring in media literacy with students by examining which images are presented to us and why. For help with this, see: www.mediachannel.org/atissue/conflict

5. Examining patriotism. A discussion about the resurgence of American patriotism since September 11 can be generated in a variety of ways. Using lyrics from American patriotic songs can be used to understand the patriotic feelings that Americans have during wartime periods or to identify American icons. Students can compare examples of patriotism in America to patriotic actions in their homelands. Teachers may also want to discuss whether all Americans view the flag the same way, why, and why not?

While we all hate to admit it, there is a real reason to believe that we may have to revisit the terrorism topic, or ones like it, with our students again. While the depth to which this topic is explored is a decision each teacher or program must make on its own, ignoring its existence is not an option. Needless to say, I've found ABE practitioners to be absolute masters of integrating survival/real life needs into their instruction. If nothing else, this is an opportunity, however grim, to share effective strategies for teaching a very sensitive subject.

If you would like to share a lesson or strategy used in your class about the September 11 tragedy, or if you would like to recount an experience you have had in the classroom around this topic, please contact Lenore Balliro, editor, at: lballiro2000@yahoo.com

Nancy Sheridan is the project coordinator of the Stoughton Adult Basic Education Program. She can be reached by e-mail at: sheridan@gis.net