Easy English NEWS Sells 4 Millionth Copy
More than a thousand adult ESL programs in the U. S. have been using Easy English News to help new adult and young adult immigrants learn English while they learn about life in their new environment. On June 15, 2010, the total number of copies sold reached four million.
Virginia Beach, VA (Vocus) June 23, 2010
For the past sixteen years, Elizabeth Claire, author of numerous textbooks for students learning English as a second language has been writing and publishing Easy English NEWS, a 12-page monthly newspaper for adult and high school ESL classes.
Easy English NEWS owes its success to Claire’s insights into the hearts and minds of immigrants. The daughter and granddaughter of immigrants had taught English as a second language for 25 years prior to starting the newspaper. With an intimate knowledge of immigrants’ needs and an ESL teacher’s challenges, Claire incorporates features to maximize student interest and to help teachers simplify their planning. Each month, in addition to 17 or more articles on a variety of topics written in simple English, she produces quizzes, questions for discussion and writing, and a complete monthly teacher’s guide. She boldfaces words that will be difficult for an English language learner at a low intermediate level and defines them in simple English. A big boost in sales came from the free 24-page guide showing teachers how to use Easy English NEWS with students at beginning, intermediate and advanced levels of English ability. The guide includes eight reproducible graphic organizers to help ESL students to reflect on what they have learned and how it applies to their lives.
While many teachers were at first interested in subscribing to Easy English News for its economical prices for multiple copies, they found it an indispensible tool because of the wide range of needs it meets and the enthusiastic response of students. With well-illustrated articles each month on current events, holidays, customs, survival tips, health, manners, grammar, idioms, U. S. history, and geography, there is something for everyone in Easy English NEWS. Readers can send in their own stories for This Is Your Page, and will be paid $15 if their story is chosen for publication. There is a crossword puzzle, idiom quiz, and a 170+ word glossary of useful new terms. A new feature starting in September will be additional quizzes for the newspaper articles available for free download from Claire’s website. Said one ESL fan: “I’ve used Easy English NEWS in my classrooms for the past three years. In addition to being a tool for reading and discussion, your newspaper helps me to fulfill my task of explaining US culture and customs. Although I don’t know you, I can tell that you share my passion for teaching English to immigrants. Torii Bottomley, Boston Adult Technical Academy”
Renewals by satisfied customers feed most of Claire’s business. A single copy is $3.80; 20 copies bring the price down to $1.35 per month, and 200 copies bring the cost down to $1.00 per copy. These are great bargains for school districts with large populations of English language learners such as New York City, which orders 6,000 a month for its adult education department. Subscriptions may start at any time, and be for any length of time. Easy English NEWS is not published in July or August.
Free samples, order forms and information about Ms. Claire’s other books are available at http://elizabethclaire. com
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