Citizenship Preparation Class

Orientation: Monday, October 5 6–7:30 p.m. / Zoom

Interested in becoming a United States citizen? Register for this orientation session and 10-week Citizenship Preparation Class, all held on Zoom, and taught by HIAS Immigration and Citizenship staff.

Textbook and materials will be provided and can be picked up at Arlington Heights Memorial Library from 6-7 p.m. on October 1, or during business hours at the Reserve Holds pickup shelf inside the library October 2–19. Participants will need a tablet or computer, internet access, and a free Zoom account.

Priority registration is now open for Arlington Heights residents. There is a limit of 15 people. If space allows, residents outside Arlington Heights may register at 9 a.m. on October 1.

By signing up for this orientation, you will automatically be registered for the classes that are on Mondays, 6-7:30 p.m., starting October 12 and ending December 14.

If you have questions, contact Elana Boiskin: 847-745-5405 or elanaboiskin@jcfs.org.

Arlington Heights cardholders only.

Meet the Instructor

“It’s gratifying to see the students grow and watch their progress.” -Steve Krasner, HIAS

When the library’s first virtual offering of the US Citizen Preparation Class begins in October, facilitating and guiding the program will be Steve Krasner, a dedicated volunteer and experienced instructor with HIAS Immigration and Citizenship, a Chicago-based organization that assists people through the immigration and citizenship process. Through an ongoing partnership with the Arlington Heights Memorial Library, HIAS Immigration and Citizenship began offering citizenship education at the library in 2019 with sessions taking place in-person.

Now, in the wake of COVID-19, the US Citizenship Preparation Class has moved online with an updated curriculum and resources tailored to its new virtual format. Similar to the in-person program, the class size is limited to 15 participants and the goal remains the same—to help students best prepare for the US citizenship test and interview. Instructor Krasner is ready and enthused to get started.

“My goal is to try and make the virtual class as much as I can like the actual classroom,” said Krasner, “and by that I mean, the personal interchange. Building a rapport with the students is so important to understand who they are, where they are from and what they hope to achieve.”

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Practice and learn.

National HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

Hispanic Heritage Month Trivia (Bilingual English & Spanish) Monday, October 12, 6–7 p.m. / Zoom ¿Qué tanto sabemos de nuestra cultura Hispana?

Let’s learn, have fun and test our knowledge about Hispanic heritage and some of most influential Hispanic artists, activists and leaders.

Northwest Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Meet Up Tuesday, October 13, 10-11:15 a.m. / Zoom See page 21 kanopy collection at welcome.

Word Work: Word Stress Wednesday, October 14, 11 a.m.–noon Zoom

Did you know that, in spoken English, the way you stress a word depends on what type of word it is?

Join us to explore this idea further and to learn some tips and tricks that can help make your speech more clear.

Tea & Talk Wednesday, October 14, 2–3 p.m. / Zoom

Improve your conversation skills at this monthly social conversation group. For ESL Good Will Hunting Good Will Hunting. You can find the movie

adults; children welcome.

ESL Book Discussion: Wishtree Tuesday, October 20, 1-2 p.m. / Zoom

Join other ESL students to discuss Wishtree. discussion questions, and register online to attend.

Bilingual Movie Discussion: Tortilla Soup Thursday, October 15, 6–7 p.m. / Zoom

Let’s say ¡Adios! to Hispanic Heritage Month with this American comedy-drama about a Mexican family and traditions. Improve and learn Spanish conversational skills and interact with native Spanish speakers.

Borrow Tortilla Soup from the library’s ahml.kanopy.com/product/tortilla-soup. English and Spanish speaking adults

ESL Movie Discussion: Tuesday, October 27, 4-5 p.m. / Zoom

Enjoy watching films and talking about them in English? This month, we’re watching Visit the Info Desk to pick up your book and

on hoopla at hoopladigital.com.

Discussion questions will be emailed out the week before the discussion. This discussion is geared toward adult English language learners.

GENEALOGY Discover your roots.

Thursday, October 1, 7–8 p.m. / Zoom Once we’ve understood that identities can be tricky to reconstruct, how do we piece together the tidbits of information that we find into an actual ancestor? How do we avoid putting together a great-great frankenfather from the spare parts we find in the documents we dig up? Do we trust what seems to be true, or do we look long and hard into the “source’s mouth.” Online program presented by Dan Hubbard. Genealogy Discussion

Beginning Genealogy Tuesday, October 6, 2–3 p.m. / Zoom

Discover the basics of researching your family history. We’ll discuss techniques for finding your ancestors and essential genealogy databases. Newspaper Research for Genealogists

Swedish Genealogy Research Help Wednesday, October 14, 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Zoom

Virtual appointments through Zoom are available with genealogist Kathy Meade. Kathy can help you discover your Swedish ancestors as you navigate through ArkivDigital and explore additional Swedish research resources. Half-hour appointments will take place at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Fill out an appointment request at Thursday, October 15, 2–3 p.m. / Zoom

Attend this online monthly meeting to discuss genealogy projects, family history research and to share resources.

ahml.info/virtualhelp. Tuesday, October 20, 7–8 p.m. / Zoom

From birth announcements to obituaries, gossip columns and photos, newspapers can tell us so much about our ancestors’ lives. Discover the value of newspaper research, strategies for successful searching, and top resources to find the newspapers you need.

ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE Practice and learn.

TECH CLASSES CLASSES Build skills from basics to beyond.

Registration is required for all classes. Arlington Heights cardholders only.

Streaming with Twitch Wednesday, October 7, 6–7:30 p.m. / Zoom

Learn the basics of streaming. This class will cover what equipment you will need, how to use Open Broadcaster Software (OBS) and how to set up a Twitch channel. Halloween Stop Motion Animation Tuesday, October 20, 6–7:30 p.m. / Zoom

Learn the tools and techniques needed to create spooky stop motion videos on your mobile device with the free Stop Motion Studio app. Family and Friends Online Tuesday, October 27, 6–7:30 p.m. / Zoom Voice to keep in touch and talk with your friends and family online using your phone, tablet or computer. This class will provide an overview and comparison of these apps and

Spooky Photoshop

Ps

Thursday, October 15, 6–7:30 p.m. / Zoom

Learn how to give your family photos a spooky, frightening, and memorable makeover. See how Photoshop can make ordinary people into zombies, monsters, and more!

Staying Connected with

Discover how you can use free apps like Zoom, WhatsApp, Skype, Viber and Google Basic photo editing experience encouraged.

will not be a step-by-step guide.