Maria Arriaga

Professor Kathleen Molloy

English 110

12 April 2002

I am a student who just came to America five years ago. My native language is Spanish plus I am deaf. I met my husband Marcos in Aguascalientes, Mexico. After five years of dating, we got married. Marcos brought me to the beautiful city of Santa Barbara where he was born. Now I am living in the United States, the place of opportunities. My plan is to use many methods and services to learn the English language, so that I can achieve my academic career and personal goals in life.

Grammar is an important tool for learning the English language. Grammar is the study of the structure and characteristics of a language. Without the study of English grammar, it is not possible to learn the language because grammar is an essential instrument. This is the main method that I am going to use to study and learn the English language. A good idea could be taking classes at Santa Barbara City College. There are several classes that I can take. For example, English 105 is a class where I can learn how to improve my spelling ability. I can learn phonic and spelling patterns in English 106, and in this class I can also learn how to develop vocabulary comprehension, by studying Greek and Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes. In English 107 I could learn to improve my grammar skills, for example, sentence structure, punctuation, and the parts of speech. English 108 will help me improve my reading comprehension skills. Taking these English classes will help me to accomplish my goal in life.

Another way is reading books. Reading books in the English language will enrich my vocabulary. Books are the fountain of knowledge. It is necessary to read books to gain knowledge of the English language. When I read books in the English language I always circle the words that I do not know. This technique I learned from an English teacher. In this way I learn new words that help me to comprehend what I am reading. For example, in the book, Rereading America by Gary Colombo, Robert Cullen, and Bonnie Lisle, I am learning new vocabulary about the culture of the United States and famous people. I am almost finished reading this book. This will help me to learn and understand more English. Thanks to the books in the English language, I will learn more and it will enrich my vocabulary.

Not only reading, but also watching educational programs is helpful to me. Media has different ways that will expand my knowledge of the English language. Everyday we use the media in diverse ways. A good way is the newspaper where I can learn the speaking style of the people. Reading the magazines is also a good technique too because I can learn the English language from my favorite subject. For example, I like to read the health section where I learn important things about my health. When there are words that I do not understand, I immediately look for a dictionary and seek the meaning. In this manner, I want to read more and learn more. Also on television there are good programs that help me to learn the English language; if the television has captions it is better because I am deaf and to understand well I need to read. A good program is Sesame Street; although this program is for children I like it because they have clear examples of the English language. So thanks to the media, I can learn more and more of the English language.

The Disabled Student Programs and Services (DSPS) is a great utility that will help me to better understand the English language. This program is very good for people who have a disability; the DSPS provide all the necessities that disabled students require. For example, I am a deaf person and the program provides me a note taker who helps me in every class. The note

taker takes notes of the most important information that the teacher is explaining. One of the classes that the program offers is the DSPS 77 Writing and Reading Strategies. I am taking this class to help in my goal of learning the English language. This class is very good because they are teaching me useful strategies in writing and reading. For example, as a way to learn to paraphrase, the teacher taught me the acronym RAP that means: Read a paragraph, Ask yourself the main idea and two details, and Put the main idea and details in my own words. That strategy will help me to master English skills. I will continue to use the services that they offer me to improve the most I can.

Practice with people face to face is another way to learn the English Language. There is a saying that states, "Practice makes perfect." Joining with people who only speak the English language is a good idea because I can learn how to speak and read lips. I can read lips of Spanish speakers, but now I am trying to learn the English language. This is a good ability that I have developed since I was a child. If I speak with people who speak the Spanish language, which is my first tongue, I will not learn English. So, a good idea would be to look for a job where there are people who only speak the English language. If there are Hispanic people, a good idea is to practice my English skills with them too. So, I will try to practice more with people in school, work, and home or anywhere I am to develop my skills.

The different strategies that I will follow to learn the English language are a useful way to achieve my goals in my life. The methods of learning grammar and reading books to enrich my vocabulary will help me with writing, and the media and the practice face to face will facilitate my learning of the English language. Finally, with the help that I will receive from DSPS and by my motivation, I will achieve my goal to learn the English language. As a deaf person, I have had difficulties in learning the language, but I do not let my problem overcome me. I do all I can do, and I know that this will be difficult, but not impossible.