英語選択授業

Each student is given a diagnostic test on the first day and staff-recommend appropriate PM Classes. Students usually take one remedial PM Class that focuses on a weak area and one enrichment PM Class which focuses on a strong area or the topic the student is most interested in.

Vocabulary to Grammar

Students at these levels focus on “survival English” and vocabulary building. Students take part in pair work, group work, and role playing exercises in order to use English in a more practical and confident way. There are usually two or three communication classes running at these levels so that students can be placed in classes with their learning styles in mind.

VOCABULARY TO GRAMMAR 1: This class is designed to help beginning to intermediate learners get a handle on the "skeleton" of the English language through knowledge of core English vocabulary and fundamental but difficult elements of English grammar. We focus on the five hundred most frequently used words in the English language and how to use them in context, expanding students' knowledge of the parts of the speech (especially those complicated prepositions), basic sentence patterns, and verb conjugation with an emphasis on commonly used irregular forms. Students are expected to demonstrate understanding of class materials and the ability to apply that understanding on weekly quizzes and a final group project.

VOCABULARY TO GRAMMAR 2: Students will learn vocabulary, grammar and spelling in this course. One day a week will be dedicated to new vocabulary. The second day of the week will be designated as a grammar day, in which students learn to use their new vocabulary words properly. Tests will be administered every other week, in which spelling will be a component.

Reading Comprehension

READING 1: Reading 1 uses available library resources to supply shared texts in class. The core texts consist of a number of books designed to engage the needs of learning readers. Students work on listening, speaking, and reading. In the listening component, the students listen to the text read out loud by the instructor as they read along silently. For speaking, the students read either sentences or paragraphs out loud (depending on current ability). The reading component is done silently, and each student looks up new vocabulary as they encounter them in the texts. The instructor works with students individually during the reading component. Finally, the class discusses the text and its possible meanings as determined from context.

READING 2: This course is designed to help students improve their reading skills. Students learn to decode a variety of texts and also learn reading strategies and how texts differ in design and function. Students have a long-term reading assignment (a full-length book) and shorter daily reading assignments in a variety of genres. Major projects include a presentation and a written summary of their long-term reading assignments.

Writing

WRITING 1: Students improve their writing by keeping dialogue journals, writing paragraphs about photos and learning new vocabulary. Students also practice peer-review to develop micro and macro –level editing abilities. There is also a large focus on pre-writing activities such as discussion and brain-storming.

WRITING 2: Students will learn the art of writing by composing four essays in this course. They will write on topics of their choosing within the four following structures: expository, analytical, argumentative and reflective. These essays are designed to hone students' writing skills, especially focusing on rhetoric, technique and style.

English Collocations

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS 1: This course uses PowerPoint Presentations to provide written and visual texts to explain common phrasal verbs (ex. break up, grow up, look up, break down, look down on, get down). Each phrasal verb is shown and discussed. Based on the picture(s) provided, the students guess how the phrasal verb is used. The students then attempt to verbally use the phrasal verb themselves. The students also attempt to use the phrasal verb in a written sentence. After students feel comfortable with the phrasal verb being discussed, another will be displayed. At the next session, students will be quizzed to check retention of the phrasal verbs given before. Students will also be encouraged to bring any phrasal verbs they have heard or read so that the class may discuss them.

ENGLISH COLLOCATIONS 2: This course is designed to teach more advanced English collocations, including slang and idioms. On the first day of the week, a situational topic will be introduced. An example topic is "At the airport". There will be a warm-up activity, and then key idiomatic vocabulary and expressions that are commonly used with the topic will be introduced. They will then be given a homework assignment. On the second day of the week, first the class will go over the homework they were given. Then the class will get more practice with the vocabulary and phases they have learned, mainly by using dialogues. Finally, at the end of class, they will be given a short quiz for which they will receive a grade.

Listening, Speaking, and Discussion

LISTENING, SPEAKING AND DISCUSSION 1: The ability to comprehend, relate and comment upon spoken information is an essential skill for ESL learners, especially in the age of 24/7 TV news networks, constant cell phone usage and video conferencing. For beginning to intermediate ESL learners, this class improves listening comprehension by developing students’ selective and extensive listening skills (listening for details and listening for “the gist”) and improves speaking fluency through interactive and extensive speaking exercises. Class topics and speaking skills focus are tailored by quarter based on student goals and interests, and may range from travel to science and from group discussion to phone or video conferencing. Students are expected to complete two projects during the quarter, including an oral presentation.

LISTENING, SPEAKING AND DISCUSSION 2: This course utilizes presentations, discussions, and dialogues to hone listening and speaking skills. Each week, students give presentations, including a pre-activity that gets the class prepared for their topic, and listening questions for the class to answer. There is discussion time after each presentation, during which the instructor will ask the presenter and the class further thinking questions, and the students can ask about any questions they may have missed. The class will hand in the presentation questions and will receive a grade based on how many they answered correctly. The presenter will also receive points based on how many students answered their questions correctly. In addition, there will be weekly themes for class discussion, where they learn key expressions and practice them. The students also use the key expressions to create dialogues, which they present to the class.

Pronunciation

PRONUNCIATION 1: This course is designed to help students improve their overall pronunciation skills. The class uses a variety of pronunciation activities including fill-in-the-blanks, songs, choral reading, dialogues, and tongues twisters to practice general pronunciation skills.

PRONUNCIATION 2: This course is designed to help students improve their pronunciation skills. Pronunciation is an essential aspect of effective communication. This class covers a variety of topics, including sound and spelling, transfer problems, blending and spacing, stress and intonation and listening. Major projects include teaching the class a pronunciation skill they are comfortable with and creating a presentation and activity for a pronunciation skill they feel is their weakest.

American and World Folklore

WORLD FOLKLORE LEVEL 1: In this course, students learn about folklore from America and around the world. Students read stories about the traditional beliefs and myths of cultures. Stories may be ancient or contemporary and span a variety of cultures. The course is organized around themes such as creation stories, heroes, mythical creatures, tricksters. Students explore the similarities and differences amongst cultures. While reading intensive, this class is interdisciplinary, as students develop vocabulary, practice listening and speaking, and develop research and writing skills.

WORLD FOLKLORE LEVEL 2: Welcome to the world of Folklore. Folklore is the traditional beliefs, myths, tales, and practices of a group of people. Though stories from around the world, students enrolled in this class will find cultural connections in folklore through the use of reading, listening, discussion and presentations. From urban myths about Facebook to epic tales of giants and dragons, we will discover how different yet how similar all of the different cultures really are.

Note: Not all PM Classes will be available during your studies.