If you are interested in any of our volunteer opportunities or the Buddy
English Program, here are the resources you’ll need to get started.

Buddy English Program Resources

Assessment Tests

The assessment test was created to show a student’s growth based upon our new curriculum. Each tutor should administer the test within the first or second meeting. After one year passes, the student will take the exact same assessment. This will gauge the student’s progress and possible areas where the curriculum can be improved. The assessment is meant for tutors who are using “English Made Easy” books. Once the assessment has been completed please e-mail them to stefanie@cityofrefugecolumbia.org.

Assessment 1
Assessment 2

Citizenship Test Prep

Help your student prepare for the U.S. Citizenship Test! It is recommended that they start studying at least 6 months before the exam.

This covers commands that the applicant must understand and follow:

Watch Video

Good for the conversation part of the interview:

Watch Video

This has the interview questions from the application:

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This one is particularly good because it covers questions that trip people up and that are not necessarily part of the study material:

Watch Video

Watch Video

This one is good because sometimes the study material gives several answers that all mean the same thing and are all correct. This highlights one of the answers, so the student can understand where there is more than one answer if all are needed to answer correctly or just one of them.

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This one is good after the student has a good knowledge of all 100 question so the student gets used to answering the questions if they are not in the study material order:

Watch Video

Goes over the interview process and test. Very good to give a real idea of how it will be:

WATCH VIDEO

Goes over the interview process and test. Also very good to give a real idea of how it will be.

Watch Video

Covers some more difficult words that the student might hear during the interview:

Watch Video

Civic Questions
Writing Vocabulary
Reading Vocabulary
Government and You
Application for Citizenship

Driving Test Prep

If you are mentoring an individual who would like to learn how to drive, the resource below will help you teach them driving basics and the rules of the road.

Driving Vocabulary
Missouri DMV Cheat Sheet
Missouri DMV Basics
Missouri DMV Videos

Lesson Planning

Working on your lesson plans for your student? Here are some resources you can use.

Weekly Lesson Plan Worksheet
Listening and Reading Practice
Worksheets
Flashcards
Sample Lesson Plans

Native Language Guide

Interested in learning more about your student’s native language? Below, you will find resources on some of the most common languages we encounter at City of Refuge.

Tigrinya Language
Kinyarwanda and Kirundi Languages
Burmese Languages
Arabic Languages

Pronunciation Practice

“TH” Sound
“L” Sound
“F” and “V” Sounds
“R” Sound
Pronunciation Videos

Tutoring 101

If you’re new to tutoring, we can help you be a successful guide for your student. Learn more about the basics of tutoring.

Tutoring Basics
Tutoring Video Examples
Tutoring Articles
Join Columbia’s Literacy Action Corp

Thank you for your interest in becoming part of the City of Refuge family! If you have any questions, please contact Stefanie Nichols at stefanie@cityofrefugecolumbia.org.