Dorri Partain
Managing Editor

Beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 13, the North-East branch of the Kansas City Public Library will offer a variety of classes for English learners, from basic vocabulary and pronunciation to preparing for the American Citizenship test. Classes are offered on weekdays, evenings and Saturdays through the library’s Refugee & Immigrant Services & Empowerment (RISE) office.

English Basics 1 has two sessions a week, with either a morning or evening class time. At this time, English Basics 2 is only offered as a morning class but a new class that offers grammar instruction will be offered once a week on Tuesday afternoons.

Classes for more advanced English learners or to teach specific terms for testing include Missouri Driver’s License Test Instruction and Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) Instruction. These classes will meet once a week for eight weeks. The Driver’s License Test class is open to anyone 15 and older but only covers the written portion of the test.

English for Citizenship is offered twice a week, with a lunchtime  session and a Saturday session. This 12 week class will prepare advanced English learners for the 128 possible questions to pass the 2025 Naturalization Civics Test.

For those who would like to practice conversation skills without attending class sessions, RISE offers two levels of their Conversation Club, beginners and advanced. According to Ruth Boettner, English Language Learning Project Specialist, the beginners’ club will focus on discussing a simple subject, such as pets or favorite animals, to work on vocabulary and correct pronunciation. The advanced club sessions might cover topics such as a movie or television program and focus on correcting sentence structure and verb tense.

A weekly session of the Conversation Club is also offered in a virtual format for those not able to visit the library. Boettner stated that anyone interested in the virtual club should email in advance to rise@kclibrary.org so that they can be sent the Zoom link.

For a complete list of class offerings and times, visit kclibrary.org or call the RISE office at 816-701-3766.

The North-East Branch Library is located at 6000 Wilson Avenue.