LIFE SKILLS CURRICULUM

African woman in orange dress and head wrap holds a certificate. She is linking arms and smiling with two other women
پښتو (Pashto)
دری (Dari)

Despite having a wealth of skills and experience from their own countries, refugees and immigrants to the U.S. often come with limited knowledge about U.S. culture and may lack certain skills pertaining to life in the U.S.

The Life Skills Curriculum was developed with the goal of teaching students with low English proficiency the skills they need to adapt, function and thrive in the U.S. This curriculum serves as a tool for teachers to enable English language learners to transform their individual challenges into meaningful growth.

Using the Curriculum
This curriculum comprises nine modules, each containing three to five lessons focused on topics most relevant to adult learners’ lives. Because newcomers arrive in the U.S. at various times, the modules and lessons can be taught in any order, with students joining at any point. The lessons were designed to be taught in a classroom setting, with large or small groups, or through 1:1 instruction.

The curriculum is available as a PDF to preserve formatting for easy printing. If you would like a version that can be edited to meet the needs of your specific learning community, please contact ReWA at 206-957-2029. Currently the curriculum is presented in English, but we hope to offer it in more languages in the future.

Download PDFs using the links below.

Introduction

Outline

COMMUNICATION IN U.S. CULTURE (Beginner  Low Intermediate)

• Verbal Communication
• Non-verbal Communication
• Personal Information
• True vs False Information

DIGITAL LITERACY (Beginner  Low Intermediate)

• Internet Search
• Email
• Smartphones
• Internet Safety

EDUCATION (Beginner  Low Intermediate)

• U.S. Education System
• School Navigation
• Communication with School
• Higher Education

FINANCIAL LITERACY  (Beginner   Low Intermediate)

• Basic Banking
• Payment Methods
• Banking Securely
• Budget Basics

FOOD AND NUTRITION (Beginner  Low Intermediate)

• Food and Shopping
• Specialty Food and Diets
• Nutrition
• Food and Healthy Living

HEALTH (Beginner  Low Intermediate)

• Making Appointments / Health Insurance
• Medical History
• Medicine
• Healthy Lifestyle

HOUSING  (Beginner Low Intermediate)

• Looking for a Home
• Rental Agreement
• House Problems
• Home Safety

TRANSPORTATION  (Beginner  Low Intermediate)

• Transit in the U.S.
• Navigating Transit
• Driving

WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION (Beginner  Low Intermediate)

• Workplace Expectations
• Phone Communication
• Email Communication
• Communication with Coworkers
• Worker’s Rights