Resources for Trades ESL class

 

Although we did not have a textbook for the class, each student did receive several handouts, including:

 

Apprenticeship Opportunities Affiliated with Renton Technical College.

This handbook provides a good introduction and contact information for each of the various apprenticeships. (However, Level 2 ESL students need considerable assistance in reading it.)  It is available from the Department of Trade & Industry and Apprenticeships at RTC (425-235-2352 x 5751). 

 

Construction and Building Technology Careers

This brochure is published by RTC.  It includes a brief description and contact information for each program.(Note: This information is also available on the RTC website.)

 

Manufacturing and Product Service Careers

            As above, also published by RTC.

 

In addition, we used a variety of books, videos and web sites to explore various aspects of the trades.  I’ve briefly described most of them below.  The resources marked with an asterisk were used during the pilot project of the ESL for the Trades class (summer 2006), but I’ve included others that I found while developing this course—in case they may be useful for similar courses.

 

 

 

Books

 

Books available though King County Library System:  These are examples of the types of children’s literature available through the public libraries.  I chose these in particular for this Trades ESL class because they are related to construction trades.  But I generally select a wide variety of topics for the classroom collection for the free reading component of the class.

 

*Highway Builders (by Georgie Adams & Peter Gregory)

KCLS (Fairwood):  E629.225 ADA

            ISBN1-55037-467-2 (bound) / 1-55037-466-4 (paperback)

This is an excellent book that describes heavy machinery, from bulldozers and dump trucks to mobile cranes, scrapers, graders and pavers. (It was written with assistance of the Ministry of Transportation, Ontario.)

 

*Bulldozers (by Linda D. Williams)                

KCLS (Fairwood)                    E629.225  WIL

            ISBN 0-7368-2593-2 (hardcover)

            Good pictures and text.  Level 1-2+ ESL

 

*Backhoes (by Linda D. Williams)                  

KCLS (Fairwood)                    E629.225 WIL

            ISBN:  0-7368-2592-4 (hardcover)

Good pictures and text.  Level 1-2+ ESL 

 

*If I were a Construction Worker                

KCLS (Fairwood)        E624 SCH

            ISBN 0-7614-0617-4

            Good pictures and text.  Level 3+ ESL  (Pictures good for lower levels too)

 

Books at RTC Library

 

Apply Yourself: English for Job Search Success (by Lisa Johnson, et. al.)

CJ     650.14 Johnson 1996

This book and the accompanying audiocassette are excellent resources for helping ESL students understand and practice the language skills they need to find a job. 

 

*Carpentry  (by Leonard Koel)

            694  Koel-Le 1997

This is an excellent resource on carpentry plus many other construction terms, techniques and procedures.  It also includes (in Unit Two) a very helpful overview of the construction trades. The Carpenter’s Apprenticeship program uses this book.

 

Careers in Focus: Construction

            C/J 624.023 Careers 1999 (Reference)

This is a good reference for the instructor.  The reading level is too difficult for Level 2 ESL, but the information can be simplified.  Each trade section includes a profile of some trades people and a question and answer section with those trades people. (This question and answer section might be good for a level 3 or 4 class.)

 

Careers without College:  Building

            C/J 690.02373  Stodda 1994

This is a good reference for the instructor, but it’s too difficult for Level 2.  It includes good example scenarios / problems encountered in each trade.

 

Occupational Outlook Handbook (US Dept. of Labor)

This is a printed version of what’s available online at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm

 

The Firefly Visual Dictionary

            Reference: 423.1 Corbeil 2002

This is an excellent resource for ESL students.  It includes a wide range of topics, but students in Trades ESL class may be particularly interested in sections on the structure of a house, heavy machinery, and tools.

Media:  Videos, DVDs, etc.

 

*That’s How We Build A House

This program is available on VHS and DVD.  It’s a very good resource for explaining and showing the construction process, as well as some of the trades, tools and equipment involved. During the pilot course, we used this DVD to introduce and discuss the construction process.  I also developed a cloze exercise to accompany it.

Available from KCLS:  DVD 690.8  THA

Available for purchase from www.spotsvideo.com

 

*Basic Milling Machine Operation

 by Steven Chellis and Robert Bailey

This program shows tools and the milling machine.  It demonstrates the milling machine in action so students can see the process. We used this to introduce the Machine Tech program.  (We just watched a small part of the video to get some ideas about milling machines.)

Available from KCLS:   VT 621.91 BAS

 

*Heavy Metal: Hot Careers in Welding

This is the best of the 3 videos I’ve seen from the AWS.  It includes more video clips of various types of welding and welders in action.  

American Welding Society 550 NW LeJeune Road, Miami, FL 33126

            (800) 443-9353 x 293

            www.aws.org

 

Welding; So Hot It’s Cool

This video was also produced by the American Welding Society, but this one has too many talking heads.  It has very limited footage of actual welding.  It is not useful for ESL students.

 

*Drywall Hanging and Taping

with Myron R. Ferguson

This is a very good explanation of the complete process – starting with driving up to job site, inspecting the house, marking stud locations etc. We watched and discussed it during the pilot class. Note: I should make a listening/ watching/ discussion exercise to go with  this tape.)

Available at KCLS (MV):  VT 690.12 DRY

 

*Tour of the Trades

This video is ok, but we used it as a review rather than as an introduction.  It includes  modern music and a  super model narrator, and it seems to be geared to high school students.  But there are some good  video clips of the trades.    It worked better as a review since the students already knew a lot of the trades’ names that were mentioned in the video. 

This is the introduction to the series, so we should review the other titles in the series. (Does RTC have them?)  The producer also has a website: www.madewiththetrades.com  Web site has video clips – and good links to info such as construction dictionaries.

“Tour of the Trades” is available at RTC:  331.762 TOUR 2003

 

*Building Trades Print Reading – part 1: Plans

The packet includes 7 sheets (double sided) of blueprints for 2 houses.  Good as intro to blueprint reading.  (Used in summer 2006 class.)

Available at RTC in the media section: 692.1 Proctor 1998 v.1 Plans

 

The Proper Construction and Inspection of Ceiling Joists and Rafters

DVD and Workbook

King County Library

DVD 694.2 FRA

bar code # 99600504

Technical references.  Talking heads, but also includes video footage. This could be used to talk about “codes” – i.e. in general.  But this one goes into detail about particular codes.  The workbook is almost entirely text; it does not have diagrams that would be useful for ESL students.

Summer 2006 – did not use this DVD or workbook

 

 

Web Sites

Here is a collection of some web sites that I compiled while developing the course.  Of course, web sites change, and only the owners of the web sites are responsible for their content.  I referred to several of these sites for information, but I’ve put an asterisk in front of the sites that I found most useful or which we actually used in activities in the class.

 

Photographs and Video Clips: construction, procedures, safety

 

*Construction photos

www.constructionphotographs.com

This is a very good selection of construction photos.  They are free to download & they’re royalty free.  But be sure to follow the web site instructions regarding acknowledgement of the source. 

 

Construction photos

http://myconstructionphotos.smugmug.com/

This is a good collection of construction photos with captions.  According to the web site:  “These photos are meant to be freely printed and used by anyone for educational and recreational purposes or for "light" commercial use, without removing my signature.  None of the people photographed has signed a model release. . . .All materials, including figures and text, are copyrighted by Robert I. Carr”

 

 

HGTVpro.com

http://www.hgtvpro.com/hpro/pac_ctnt_ihdr/text/0,,HPRO_20976_28891,00.html?sicontent=0&sicreative=371169794&sitrackingid=1428493&cat=0&affiliate=blocker&omnisource=G+building+a+house

Includes videos of wide variety of construction procedures.  Unfortunately, the video is preceded by advertisements, so that would interfere with the lesson.  (Not used in summer 2006 class.)

 

*Portland Cement Association

www.cement.org

Includes an animated virtual tour / explanation of the cement manufacturing process: http://www.cement.org/basics/images/flashtour.html  We looked at this website in the summer of 2006 to find the answer to a student’s question about how cement is made.  It was a good example of using the Internet to find specific information.

 

Safety photos

http://siri.uvm.edu

Includes tools, safety and other construction related images; need to investigate further; web site says that everything on the site is in the public domain. (http://siri.uvm.edu/safetywelcome.html)

 

 

Career Exploration / Trades

 

Apprenticeship Programs in Washington State

www.LNI.wa.gov/TradesLicensing/Apprenticeship/

For a complete list of apprenticeships in Washington State, see the Washington State Registered Apprenticeship Programs Catalog.  A printed copy is available from the Department of Labor and Industries.  The information is also available on this web site.

 

*Carpenters Union

            United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners in America

http://www.carpenters.org/        --

            Renton Carpenters, Local 1797   --- with apprenticeship program at RTC

http://home.att.net/~carpenters1/

These websites can be used as an example when talking about unions, and they can be used to demonstrate links on the Internet. Start at the carpenters.org and explore the site to find links to “Local Contacts”; Renton Local #1797; and the information about the apprenticeship program at Renton Technical College.  (A great way for the students to make this connection, since they visited the carpenters apprenticeship program on the RTC campus.)

 

 

 

 

 

Alberta (Canada) Construction Industry

http://www.careersconstruction.com/splash.htm

This is a very good web site with QuickTime video clips of various trades.  You need to be online during the class to show the videos – or get Quick Time Pro and download the video clips for use offline.

 

America’s Career Info Net

http://www.acinet.org/

Includes various industries – with video clips:

http://www.acinet.org/acinet/videos.asp?id=27,1,&nodeid=27

 

Building and Construction Trades, AFL-CIO

http://www.buildingtrades.org/SchoolToWork/overview.html

“The Construction World” and “Prepare for a Career”; descriptions of various trades (text, not pictures)

 

*Machine Technology Links at RTC Library http://www.rtc.edu/library/ProMachineTech.htm

The class used this site as practice for following links on the Internet and for finding information about the Machine Technology program at RTC.  We then practiced printing that informational page, and we read it together prior to visiting the program. 

 

National Center for Construction Education and Research

http://careers.nccer.org/buildFuture.htm

This site includes mpeg video about careers in the construction trades: mostly “talking heads” so not so useful for ESL, but some good video clips.

 

WOIS

http://www.rtc.edu/library

This is an excellent database of occupations – specifically for Washington State for general and specific career information.  It can be accessed via the RTC library website. We did not use it in the pilot course because we didn’t have enough time.  But I’ve used it with other classes, and the students think it’s very interesting, especially when they discover how to find out how much money people in various careers earn.