What are English At Large Conversation Groups?
Our conversation groups are groups of 8-12 learners who meet weekly to practice their English speaking skills. Our groups provide an opportunity for learners to improve their speaking confidence and meet other adults who are learning English.
- All groups are free! There is no cost to attend our conversation groups.
- All adults who want to practice their English speaking skills are welcome at our groups.
- We recommend that you have an at least an intermediate English speaking level. If you can speak on the telephone without too much difficulty, your English speaking ability is likely at an intermediate level.
- Conversation groups are not English classes. Our trained volunteers focus mainly on listening and speaking, and less on reading and writing.
Topics usually covered in conversation groups include American culture and holidays, idioms, casual spoken English, and daily life situations (the bank, the post office, speaking with neighbors, etc.).
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can participate?
English At Large Conversation Groups are open to all adults who want to practice their English speaking skills.
What level of English do I need to attend?
To participate fully in a group, we recommend that you have an at least an intermediate English speaking level. If you can speak on the telephone without too much difficulty, your English speaking ability is likely at an intermediate level.
Each Conversation Group facilitator determines which learners can join their group and may determine that some learner’s English speaking ability is too low to join their conversation group.
How much do these groups cost?
All of our programs are free.
Can I attend more than one Conversation Group at the same time?
You can only register for one group at the start of the semester. When registration closes, you can sign up for the waitlist of a second group. If there is space in that group, you will be able to attend a second group.
I’ve participated in a Conversation Group in the past. Do I need to register again?
Yes. All learners who would like to take part in our current session of conversation groups must fill out the registration form.
What happens after I register?
English At Large and your group facilitator will call or email you before the group begins. Please confirm that you are in a group before attending. Please note that our conversation groups are very popular and that you might be placed on a waiting list.
Registration for Summer 2021 Conversation Groups
Is Now OPEN
Summer Conversation Groups begin the week of June 7, 2021 and run through August.
During COVID-19, all groups are meeting online using Zoom meeting platform.
Summer 2021 Conversation Groups Currently Enrolling:
GROUP 1: Mondays, 10:00 – 11:30 am with Cathy (June 7 – August 9)
GROUP 2: Tuesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am with Ed & Denis (June 8 – August 10)
GROUP 3: Tuesdays, 1:00 – 2:30 pm with Sherry & Cam (June 8 – August 10)
GROUP 4: Wednesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am with Eileen & Jean (June 9 – August 11)
GROUP 6: Thursdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am with Rebecca & Leah (June 17 – August 19)
GROUP 7: Thursdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am with Abby & Ariana (June 17 – August 19)
Please note:
Due to limits on class sizes, learners who live in our service area will be enrolled first.
Those who live outside our service area will be placed on a waitlist.
Please only register for one group.
English At Large
800 West Cummings Park, Suite 5550
Woburn, MA 01801
tel : 781.395.2374
email : info@englishatlarge.org
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English Movie Lesson with A New View of the Moon - Visual English School - Learn English with Short Films
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Did you know that English At Large volunteers donate more than 5,000 hours each year as tutors, teachers and small group facilitators. Thank you for making a difference for more than 400 local English language learners in our communities! #nationalvolunteerweek #NVW
English At Large learners! In honor of Volunteer Appreciation Week, we found this podcast in slow, spoken English from Culips on the history of volunteering in the United States, and the different ways that volunteers make a difference!
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Please read this important announcement from an EAL Partner and join us in saying Congratulations and thank you to Eva A. Millona for your tireless efforts and leadership on behalf of local immigrants! Our communities are stronger and safer because of what MIRA: Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition has accomplished and inspired during your tenure. We wish you great success in her new role!MIRA is announcing today that our President and Chief Executive Officer Eva A.Millona will be stepping down to assume a senior leadership position with the Biden/Harris Administration. Millona has led MIRA, the largest organization representing the foreign-born community in New England, for more than 12 years. Effective May 25, she will assume the position of Assistant Secretary for Partnership and Engagement at the Department of Homeland Security.
“It has been the greatest honor and privilege of my life to serve MIRA, and I am looking forward to working with the Biden/Harris administration to advance shared values and strengthen the fabric of our nation,” said Millona. “I am proud of the incredible accomplishments MIRA has achieved during my time here – growing the power of the coalition, securing major policy wins at the local, state, and national levels, and advancing an inclusion agenda that was then adopted as a national model. With MIRA’s remarkable record of success and an amazing board, staff, members, and programs, I know they are well-positioned for this transition.”
“While the MIRA community will miss Eva’s talented, charismatic leadership, we are deeply proud of what she has accomplished for the organization over the years. Eva catapulted MIRA into one of the most high-profile players on the local, state and national levels, while also growing and diversifying the organization’s membership and staff,” said John Willshire-Carrera, Chair of the MIRA Coalition’s Board of Directors. “Of course, Eva’s work on behalf of immigrant and refugee communities is not complete and we look forward to all that she will accomplish alongside President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. We are deeply grateful for Eva’s years of service and her invaluable contributions to the MIRA Coalition and to immigrant and refugee communities across Massachusetts. Thanks to her leadership, MIRA’s future is very bright.”
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English Movie Lesson with A New View of the Moon. Learn English with the poetic short film by Wylie Overstreet and Alex Gorosh. It will change your perspective on many things here on Earth.
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Applications are now being accepted for the 2021-2022 NAIP AmeriCorps program! This is an opportunity to serve at a local nonprofit and support local immigrants! The EAL AmeriCorps member is the Program Coordinator for CAL, the Career Access Lab.
Apply TODAY: AmeriCorps New American Integration Program
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Do you want to gain experience in a nonprofit setting while also helping to promote the power and potential of immigrants and refugees? The AmeriCorps New American Integration Program is an opportunity to:English learners! What does it mean to throw cold water on something? Find out with this short video from VOA's English in a Minute! ow.ly/ACqJ50EITqY
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English learners! Listening to everyday English conversations is a useful way to learn speaking skills. This YouTube channel features everyday conversations with subtitles, in a variety of English accents. ow.ly/Sfbc50EEiZ7
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English learners! What is the difference between Say, Tell, Speak and Talk? Find out in this short video: ow.ly/CElg50EEi5B
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English learners! This conversation lesson from mmmenglish will help you make requests, offer suggestions, and say “no” politely in English. ow.ly/E4nq50ExRgV
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Volunteer Drive up Appreciation happening now! Stop by and see us behind the Woburn Public Library until 12 noon! #VolunteerAppreciationWeek #weloveourvolunteers
Our third and final round of winners in our Volunteer Appreciation Raffle each receive a $10 Panera Gift Certificate. Congratulations to Shannon Ahern, Paul Broder and Myrna Kesselman and thank you for your volunteer service! #volunteerappreciationweek2021 #nationalvolunteerweek #weloveourvolunteers
English Learners! What does it mean for something to be an “emotional roller coaster?” See how the idiom is used in the new musical film The Heights.
learningenglish.voanews.com/a/5312116.html
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VOA Learning English presents news, features, audio, video and multimedia about the U.S. and the world in American English. Stories are written at the intermediate and upper-beginner level. Words are spoken one-third slower for ESL learners.
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ow.ly/K4vb50EtCxq
We are braving the wind and cold for a chance to see our volunteers at our Lexington Appreciation Drive up, happening now! #nationalvolunteerweek #weloveourvolunteers
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