Courses:

ESL 1, Introductory ESL is for students with little or no English proficiency. Students learn to comprehend simple questions and statements on familiar topics when spoken very slowly and distinctly and to ask and answer questions on daily personal needs and familiar topics with very limited vocabulary. Students learn to read and understand beginners’ lesson materials and simple narrative and descriptive texts and to write simple statements and questions using vocabulary taught.

ESL 2, Beginning ESL is for students with elementary English proficiency. Here students learn to comprehend most questions, statements, and conversation on familiar topics spoken distinctly and at normal speed and to converse intelligible though imperfectly in most social situations. Students learn to read and understand elementary lesson materials, narrative texts, and simple expository writing, and to write statements and questions on familiar topics with fair control of basic patterns.

ESL 3, Low Intermediate ESL is for students who test between 37 and 53 on the Michigan English Placement Test or by teacher recommendation. At this level students improve their aural comprehension and learn to participate effectively orally in social and academic situations. Students learn to read and understand most expository materials but at a labored speed and to gain fair control of most sentence structure in the writing context.

ESL 4, Intermediate ESL is designed for students who score between 54 and 69 on the Michigan English Placement Test or between 375 and 449 on the TOEFL or because they have been recommended by their teachers. Here students learn to comprehend most conversations and most lectures on familiar subjects at normal speed. Students learn to participate effectively in social and academic situations. Students learn to read and understand general expository material in their academic area and to write with some ease but with occasional errors and misuse of idioms.

ESL 5, High Intermediate ESL is designed for students who score between 70 and 85 on the MEPT or at or above 450 on the TOEFL or have been recommended by their teachers for it.  In this course students learn to understand academic and colloquial conversation and most lectures, to speak fluently with only occasional idiomatic imprecision, to read and understand general academic material at somewhat below native speed, and to write at somewhat below native speed but demonstrating good understanding and control of the organization of expository and argumentative essays.

ESL 6, Advanced ESL is to provide continued language instruction designed to refine students’ ability to function in an academic environment. The focus of the course is on reading and writing academic English, including recognition and production of various types of academic discourse, and on the development of research skills. Grammar and vocabulary are studied in the context of these activities. Listening instruction focuses on improving lecture comprehension and note-taking skills. The speaking component consists of oral presentations by the students on topics relating to the readings. Students are admitted to the course by reason of their having scored between 86 and 100 on the MEPT or above 450 on the TOEFL or because their teachers recommended them.

ESL 7, Beginning Conversation is designed for students who may have attained a command of English grammar at an elementary level, but cannot comprehend or produce spoken English. They acquire an enlarged vocabulary, learn useful phrases, and practice correct pronunciation in this course.  At the same time, they are given many listening assignments of various sorts.  The dictionary program was chosen because it is designed for low-beginning level students and covers vocabulary most essential for their everyday language and survival needs.

ESL 8, Intermediate Conversation is for students who test between 37 and 69 on the Michigan English Placement Test or below 450 on the TOEFL or who have been recommended by their teachers. It is a complete vocabulary development program that is meaningful and motivating, presenting them with more than 3,000 words organized into 100 thematic units in a careful sequence of lessons that begins with the immediate world of the student and progresses to the world at large.  It repeats in an abbreviated form what was presented in ESL 7 and carries the student toward to fluency at an intermediate level.

ESL 9, Advanced Conversation is for students who test at or above 70 on the Michigan English Placement Test or above 450 on the TOEFL or who have been    recommended by their teachers for it.  The course is designed to develop the oral communication skills students need in academic and professional settings.  Assignments are task-based listening activities, conversations, small group discussions, and individual presentations which are anchored in real-life situations and controversial issues.

TOEFL Test Practice is to teach important language skills and test-taking strategies to promote student success on the TOEFL. Students who achieve a score above 54 on the Michigan English Placement Test or whose current score on the TOEFL is above 450 may take this course, but students who develop their language skills in well-rounded ESL courses and postpone this course until after they have advanced through level 6 will benefit from it more and have a far better chance of success in college. Listening comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, and reading and writing skills are developed through basic practice material; test questions are analyzed; and students become familiar with the test format. In sum, students gain the knowledge, experience, and confidence necessary for success on the TOEFL.  To learn about the next generation TOEFL Test, please visit http://www.ets.org/toefl/.