Core Courses and Electives
Our program offers all levels of instruction from beginning through advanced. Class size is small so that participants get individualized attention. Classes meet 23 hours per week.
| Listening/Speaking | 9:00 - 10:15 a.m. |
| Grammar / Writing | 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. |
| Elective I | 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. |
| Elective II | 2:15 - 3:15 p.m. |
Core courses emphasize:
- Speaking
- Listening
- Grammar
- Writing
Participants also select elective classes such as American Short Stories, Business English, Presentation Skills, Pronunciation, TOEFL Preparation, and Vocabulary and Reading Improvement.
Electives
(1) American Culture and Conversation
The purpose of this course is for participants to learn about American culture and to share information about their own cultures. There will be a conversation activity in each class session, so there will be an opportunity to practice new vocabulary related to each class focus. In addition, participants will give two short presentations related to their culture and a cultural difference between the U.S. and their home countries.
(2) American English Pronunciation
participants will work on improving English sounds that are difficult for them and will receive an introduction to word stress, phrase stress, sentence rhythm, and intonation in English; and gain skills to improve pronunciation outside of class. participants will practice various pronunciation features with the instructor and then use them in dialogs, conversations and other activities.
(3) Presentation Skills
participants will learn essential skills relative to presentations in English. participants will be given daily practice and many "hands on" activities. By the end of the course, participants will have presented formally to their classmates at least twice and on video.
(4) Reading and Vocabulary Development
participants will focus on learning vocabulary from context and reading for improved comprehension. Topics covered will include identifying main ideas and supporting details, and applying reading strategies. participants will be working toward skillful, independent reading.
(5) TOEFL Preparation
This course is designed to prepare participants with the necessary skills to earn a good score on the paper and computer based TOEFL. The course will focus on listening and reading comprehension, grammar, speaking, writing, and test taking skills.