The backbone of our literacy program is the Laubach Way to Reading, a phonics-based reading series that guides learners through the sounds of the letters and blends to learn to read, write and speak English. We have always offered computer programs as a way to enhance the lessons and teach basic computer skills, but these past 18 months have prompted us to find more ways to connect learners with language to make up for closures and absences. Thanks to a grant, we were able to purchase subscriptions for many of our learners to Yabla.com. The site offers beginning through advanced video lessons on grammar, conversations, entertainment, literature, etc. All videos include captions in English as well as in native languages (which is very helpful for the beginner) to correspond with the video. Many of the videos are done at a careful, slow pace to allow those new to the language the opportunity to process the text. Additionally, Yabla offers several games to reinforce the vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension of the video lessons.
What is different about Yabla than many of our other programs is that learners can use it on their own devices outside of class time. Yabla can be accessed on home computers, tablets, and smartphones like any other website. One of our learners said the benefit he sees with Yabla is learning the fluency of language, which has already helped him in communicating with coworkers.