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1. "Opening Day"

Drama: Victor Brashov's new restaurant is about to open, but still doesn't have a name or any employees. Word Play Segment: Giving and getting personal information. Culture Clip Segment: Finding and interviewing for a job. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

2. "Growing Pains"

Drama: Henry's plans to work at the café unravel; a demanding health and safety inspector visits the café. Word Play Segment: Making introductions. Culture Clip Segment: Immigrant families in a new culture. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

3. "Worlds Apart"

Drama: When her boyfriend arrives from Mexico, Rosa must make a difficult decision; Brashov grapples with insomnia. Word Play Segment: Talking about wants. Culture Clip Segment: The United States: land of immigrants. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

4. "Who's the Boss?"

Drama: Jamal, embarrassed by being a handyman, leads his friends to believe he is the boss of Crossroads Café. Word Play Segment: Making apologies. Culture Clips Segment: Career changes. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

5. "Lost and Found"

Drama: Jess's house is burglarized and Katherine's son, David, is having behavioral problems at school. Jess and David are both surprised and pleased when they find they can help each other understand and cope with their troubles. Word Play Segment: Telling someone to do something. Culture Clips Segment: Shows how neighbors can work together to prevent crime. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

6. "Time is Money"

7. "Fish Out of Water"

Brashov's brother arrives from Romania, only to find that life in the United States is not what he expected. Word Play Segment: Describing experiences. Culture Clip Segment: Adjusting to a new culture. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

8. "Family Matters"

Katherine takes a second job to make ends meet. Word Play Segment: Making offers. Culture Clip Segment: Single parenting. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

9. "Rush to Judgment"

Jamal is a suspect in a bank robbery; Henry's grandparents get lost in the city. Word Play Segment: Describing people. Culture Clip: The role of the police in the United States. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

10. "Let the Buyer Beware"

Brashov is attracted to a woman who promises to improve the café's business, not realizing that she is a con artist; Katherine reluctantly goes on a date. Word Play Segment: Giving compliments. Culture Clip Segment: Consumer scams. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

11. "No Vacancy"

Rosa becomes a victim of discrimination when she tries to rent an apartment; Henry tries his hand at journalism. Word Play Segment: Asking for clarification. Culture Clip Segment: Discrimination. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

12. "Turning Points"

The café is vandalized; Rosa learns to drive. Word Play Segment: Talking about possibilities. Culture Clip Segment: Gangs: problems and solutions. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

13. "Trading Places"

The café employees switch jobs for a day with mixed results; Jess and Carol try to deal with role reversal issues brought on by Jess's retirement. Word Play Segment: Talking about ability. Culture Clip Segment: Couples and the roles they choose. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

14. Life Goes On

With Brashov in the hospital recovering from a heart attack, the employees try to run the café. Word Play Segment: How to describe something. Culture Clip Segment: The hospital environment. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

15. Breaking Away

Henry and his Caucasian girlfriend are forced to deal with reactions from their parents; a laundromat opens next door to the café. Word Play Segment: Describing things. Culture Clip Segment: Intercultural relationships.

16. The Bottom Line

Brashov tries to attract more business so he can impress the bank and qualify for a loan. Word Play Segment: Reporting information. Culture Clip Segment: Aging in the United States.

17. United We Stand

When her apartment landlord refuses to make repairs, Rosa and the other tenants fight back; Henry makes a documentary for his journalism class. Word Play Segment: Making complaints. Culture Clip Segment: Tenant/Landlord rights and responsibilities.

18. Opportunity Knocks

Jamal is hired for an engineering job by a company that then asks him to approve a building he knows is unsafe; Brashov buys a jukebox for the café. Word Play Segment: Comparing things. Culture Clip Segment: Worker safety, protection, benefits and the law. ESL Levels: Beginning high-intermediate high.

19. The People's Choice

Brashov and Jess are so fed up with local government officials that Jess decides to run for city council; Jamal's cousin visits from Egypt and falls in love with Rosa. Word Play Segment: Making promises. Culture Clip Segment: Government and elections

20. Outside Looking In

Rosa wants to learn about art, music and food in order to enter "high society;" the café landlord's son disrupts work at the café. Word Play Segment: Giving advice. Culture Clip Segment: Raising children.

21. Walls and Bridges

Rosa comes to the aid of a student whose father wants her to quite school; Brashov struggles with his citizenship exam. Word Play Segment: Asking for and offering help. Culture Clip Segment: Getting help in becoming a citizen of the United States.

22. Helping Hands

The café employees help a homeless man get back on his feet by helping him find a job; Jamal and his family take a trip. Word Play Segment: Asking for and giving permission. Culture Clip Segment: Financial pressures.

23. The Gift

Brashov is convinced everyone has forgotten his birthday. Word Play Segment: Extending invitations. Culture Clip Segment: Taxes

24. All's Well that Ends Well

Katherine's wedding day is a near disaster; Henry is caught in a snowstorm. Word Play Segment: Talking about the future. Culture Clip Segment: Wedding customs.

25. Comings and Goings

Henry pursues his plans to become a rock star; Katherine's going-away party takes an unexpected turn. Word Play Segment: Talking about plans and possibilities. Culture Clip Segment: Returning to one's home culture.

26. Winds of Change

The café employees face difficult choices about their futures. Word Play Segment: Talking about necessity. Culture Clip Segment: Achieving goals.

INTELECOM. Crossroads Cafe Videos. Retrieved June 30, 2010, from http://www.intelecomonline.net

"Domino Effect"

Tony and Flor Rodriguez live in East Los Angeles with their five children ages 10 to 15 months. Tony was badly injured in an industrial accident a year ago. As a result of financial difficulties that developed, they lost the "dream home" they'd purchased in a suburb. Tony started a small store-front business and moved his family in with his godmother, all seven sharing a single bedroom. He thought his wife would be interested in the retail venture, but instead Flor returned to school, working part time at L.A. Unified's Eastside Learning Center and achieving success. There is visible tension in the home over money and the time Flor spends away from her children.

"Like Taking Candy from a Baby"

Drama: Law enforcement personnel and other city officials attempt to infiltrate a telemarketing boiler room scam that preys on elderly immigrants. Turning Points Segment: Development of the U.S. Constitution. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

• "For the Greater Good"

• "Between a Rock and a Hard Place"

Drama: When compliance with federal law concerning disabled persons threatens it with financial disaster, the city comes into direct conflict with the judicial branch of the federal government. Turning Points Segment: Focuses on federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances as safeguards against the abuse of power. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

• "Colision Course Part 1"
• "Collision Course Part 2"

Drama: When an avowed anti-immigrant extremist plans to speak at a rally, the city must grapple with some difficult freedom-of-speech issues. Turning Points Segment: Explores reasons for and patterns of immigration. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

• "A delicate balance"
  

Drama: A reporter has information that could send a rapist to prison, but only if the reporter is willing to reveal the source of her information. Turning Points Segment: Freedom of the press: its importance and its limitations. ESL Levels: Intermediate

• "Rules of the Game"

Drama: Following the drug-related death of a high school student, local law enforcement officials take questionable measures to bring those responsible to justice. Turning Points Segment: Focuses on individual rights guaranteed by the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

• "Sticks and Stones part 1"
• "Sticks and Stones part 2"

Drama: An immigrant businessman who has been physically assaulted by a young man from a rich and influential family seeks justice from the legal system. Turning Points Segment: Focuses on due process of law and protecting the rights of those who are suspected of, charged with, or convicted of a crime. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

• "A House Divided"

Drama: The race for a City Council seat causes deep divisions, especially among African-American residents of the district in question. Turning Points: Focuses on the expansion of voting rights. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

• "Fall from Grace part 1"
• "Fall from Grace part 2"

Drama: Flagrant abuses in an inner city housing complex lead to charges of corruption against a member of the City Council. Turning Points Segment: Highlights historical concepts that are the basis of the U.S. political system, including limited government and the consent of the governed. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

• "Skin Deep"

Drama: Community tensions run high when an immigrant's controversial small business ignites the anger of neighboring business owners. Turning Points Segment: Explores the reasons for immigration and the economic contributions of immigrants. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced

• "Hidden Agenda"

Drama: While the city is involved in a civil rights controversy involving unfair treatment of city hall maintenance workers, a TV news anchor fights a civil rights battle of her own. Turning Points Segment: Describes how civil rights struggles and labor unrest have helped to promote positive change in society. ESL Levels: Intermediate high-advanced.

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