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General Information

Course ID (CB01A and CB01B)
ESL D444.
Course Title (CB02)
Intermediate English as a Second Language
Course Credit Status
Non-Credit
Effective Term
Fall 2021
Course Description
This course focuses on the development of English speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills with an emphasis on explicit, direct grammar instruction. Emphasis will be placed on vocabulary-building and writing. Pronunciation practice and discussion of cross-cultural topics are also included.
Faculty Requirements
Course Family
Not Applicable

Course Justification

This is a noncredit, basic skills course that belongs on the English as a Second Language Intermediate Level Noncredit Certificate of Competency. It provides the required intermediate-level foundation skills in reading, writing, grammar, and listening and speaking to prepare students for the next ESL levels. It is a basic skills course.

Foothill Equivalency

Does the course have a Foothill equivalent?
No
Foothill Course ID

Course Philosophy

Formerly Statement

Formerly Statement
(Formerly ESL D344.)

Course Development Options

Basic Skill Status (CB08)
Course is a basic skills course.
Grade Options
  • Pass/No Pass
Repeat Limit
99

Transferability & Gen. Ed. Options

Transferability
Not transferable

Units and Hours

Summary

Minimum Credit Units
0.0
Maximum Credit Units
0.0

Weekly Student Hours

TypeIn ClassOut of Class
Lecture Hours10.020.0
Laboratory Hours0.00.0

Course Student Hours

Course Duration (Weeks)
12.0
Hours per unit divisor
36.0
Course In-Class (Contact) Hours
Lecture
120.0
Laboratory
0.0
Total
120.0
Course Out-of-Class Hours
Lecture
240.0
Laboratory
0.0
NA
0.0
Total
240.0

Prerequisite(s)

Qualifying score on the English as a Second Language Placement Test; or ESL D234. (or ESL D434.) with a grade of C or better

Corequisite(s)

Advisory(ies)

Limitation(s) on Enrollment

Entrance Skill(s)

(Restricted to students whose native language is not English.)

General Course Statement(s)

NONCREDIT: (This is a noncredit enhanced, basic skills course.)

Methods of Instruction

Lecture and visual aids

Discussion of assigned reading

Discussion and problem solving performed in class

In-class essays

In-class exploration of Internet sites

Quiz and examination review performed in class

Homework and extended projects

Guest speakers

Collaborative learning and small group exercises

Other: Instruction based on current second language acquisition research, theory, methodology, and techniques.

Assignments

  1. Write sentences and groups of topic-related sentences.
    1. Include a minimum of ten topic-related writing assignments. At least six of these writing assignments should be drafted pieces of writing which are 100-150 words in length. Instructors should read and give feedback on at least one draft of every drafted writing assignment before a final draft is graded. Final drafts should be grammatically accurate and should include correct usage of academic vocabulary.
    2. Write sentences which answer questions from reading and listening passages.
    3. Introduce summary writing by doing guided summary writing activities.
  2. Read intermediate level texts, articles, and excerpts.
    1. Include exercises to identify the main idea and important details of a reading.
    2. Include pronoun reference exercises.
    3. Include vocabulary exercises which teach students how to guess the meaning of new vocabulary words from context.
    4. Include vocabulary exercises which allow students to learn and build their academic vocabulary.
  3. Practice speaking appropriate American English.
    1. At least two oral classroom presentations on an assigned topic.
    2. Outside speaking assignments which may include but are not limited to surveys, interviews, Cross Cultural Partners, or Listening and Speaking Center workshops.
    3. In class speaking practice in pairs and small groups. This may include but is not limited to discussions, information gap activities, interviews, and sharing of personal and cultural information.
  4. Practice listening to intermediate level materials for the purpose of comprehension, understanding, building academic vocabulary, and building knowledge.
    1. Listen to ESL software, which may include but is not limited to English Interactive 3.
    2. Listen to authentic and modified dialogues, conversations, discussions, and speeches from a variety of sources including but not limited to movies, Youtube videos, television commercials, television shows, movie trailers, television news broadcasts, radio broadcasts, and songs.
  5. Grammar, editing, and writing technique exercises and activities.
    1. Including but not limited to verb tense,sentence boundaries, sentence combining, adverb clauses, and modals.
    2. Focus is on sentence-level grammar exercises that build toward writing a group of topic-related sentences.

Methods of Evaluation

  1. In-class and take-home writing assignments to evaluate students' ability, understanding, and usage of level-specific grammar and vocabulary.
  2. Quizzes, exercises, and writing assignments to evaluate comprehension of intermediate reading materials.
  3. Oral presentations, interviews, and discussions to evaluate ability and proficiency in using standard American English.
  4. Quizzes, exercises, and assignments to evaluate comprehension of intermediate level listening materials.
  5. Quizzes, exercises, and assignments to evaluate proficiency in using level specific grammar.
  6. At least one midterm and one final exam that test grammar, listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Both must include in-class writing of a group of topic-related sentences.

Essential Student Materials/Essential College Facilities

Essential Student Materials: 
  • None.
Essential College Facilities:
  • None.

Examples of Primary Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisherDate/EditionISBN
Elbaum. Grammar in Context 2 (6th ed.) National Geographic Learning, 2016.
Flores. What Every ESL Student Should Know. University of Michigan Press, 2008.
Fuchs et al. Focus on Grammar 3 (5th ed). Pearson, 2017.
Smith & Mare. Reading for Today: Issues (5th ed). National Geographic Learning, 2016.

Examples of Supporting Texts and References

AuthorTitlePublisher
Atkinson, Dwight. Alternative Approaches to Second Language Acquisition (11th ed.). Routledge, 2011.
Brown, H. Douglas. Principles of Language Learning and Teaching (6th ed). Pearson Education ESL, 2014
Celce-Murcia, Marianne. Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language (4th ed). Heinle & Heinle, 2013.
Folse, Keith. Vocabulary Myths: Applying Second Language Research to Classroom Teaching. University of Michigan Press, 2014.
Gass et al. Second Language Acquisition: An Introductory Course (4th edition). Routledge, 2013.
Jensen, Eric. Brain Based Learning (2nd ed.). Corwin Press, 2008.
Lemov. Teach Like a Champion. Jossey-Bass, 2010.
Nation. Learning Vocabulary in Another Language. Cambridge University Press, 2001.
Ortega, Lourdes. Understanding Second Language Acquisition. Routledge, 2013.
Sousa, David. How the Brain Learns (4th ed.). Corwin Press, 2011.

Learning Outcomes and Objectives

Course Objectives

  • Listen to, comprehend, and infer meaning from dialogues, conversations, discussions, and listening passages.
  • Speak appropriate American English in given situations.
  • Read, comprehend and analyze intermediate level reading passages.
  • Write a group of topic-related sentences using level-specific grammar and vocabulary.
  • Demonstrate level-appropriate sentence structure, grammar and vocabulary.
  • Expand vocabulary with emphasis on high-frequency words and words from the academic word list.
  • Discuss and analyze cross-cultural customs and attitudes, especially in contrast with the students' native customs and attitudes.

CSLOs

  • Comprehend, analyze and respond to reading and listening intermediate materials.

  • Write a group of topic-related sentences using level specific grammar and vocabulary.

  • Demonstrate understanding and usage of level-specific grammar and vocabulary in reading, writing, listening and speaking.

Outline

  1. Listen to, comprehend, and infer meaning from dialogues, conversations, discussions, and listening passages.
    1. Demonstrate understanding of the main idea of dialogues, conversations, discussions, and selected listening passages.
    2. Demonstrate understanding of the important details of dialogues, conversations, discussions, and selected listening passages.
    3. Predict meaning from dialogues, conversations, discussions, and selected listening passages.
    4. Infer meaning from dialogues, conversations, discussions, and listening passages.
    5. Recognize targeted vocabulary words in dialogues, conversations, discussions, and listening passages.
  2. Speak appropriate American English in given situations.
    1. Use correct and appropriate grammar in a variety of speaking situations.
      1. Describing objects, people, and events.
      2. Explaining personal information and opinions.
      3. Giving and asking for directions.
      4. Expressing and checking understanding.
      5. Expressing preferences.
      6. Expressing possibilities.
      7. Expressing necessity.
      8. Expressing prohibition.
      9. Expressing requests.
      10. Delivering oral presentations on assigned topics.
      11. Participating in informal conversations.
    2. Practice and use correct pronunciation at the word and sentence levels.
      1. Practice and use appropriate stress at the word and sentence level.
      2. Practice and use appropriate rhythm at the sentence level.
      3. Practice and use correct intonation at the sentence level, including correct intonation of yes/no and wh questions.
      4. Practice and use the correct pronunciation of vowel and consonant sounds, especially final /s/ and /d/ sounds and /th/ sounds.
  3. Read, comprehend and analyze intermediate-level reading passages.
    1. Practice and use pre-reading strategies.
      1. Predict reading content by reading the title and subtitles, looking at the pictures, and reading the first sentence of each paragraph.
      2. Explain and discuss topic-related knowledge and experience prior to reading.
    2. Read level-appropriate materials that include vocabulary from the academic word list and reflect a variety of cultural, societal, and personal perspectives.
    3. Identify and demonstrate understanding of the main idea, supporting details, and author's perspective.
    4. Demonstrate above comprehension by answering true/false questions, main idea questions, pronoun reference questions, and vocabulary-in-context questions.
    5. Demonstrate comprehension and analysis by engaging in such activities as a class and small group discussion, sharing related personal experiences and knowledge, presentations, and short writing assignments, including summaries.
  4. Write a group of topic-related sentences using level-specific grammar and vocabulary.
    1. Construct topic-related writing of 100-150 words in length. Writing assignments should relate to readings, listening assignments, and/or grammar instruction. Summary writing assignments should be included.
    2. Revise to improve content, structure, and mechanics by writing multiple drafts.
    3. Analyze peer writing in pairs and small groups for content, structure, mechanics, and vocabulary.
  5. Demonstrate level-appropriate sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary.
    1. Demonstrate proficiency using simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, and future.
    2. Demonstrate understanding of present perfect and present perfect progressive.
    3. Demonstrate proficiency using modals of advice, request, possibility/assumption, necessity, prohibition, and preferences.
    4. Demonstrate proficiency using adverb clauses (while, when, after, before, until, as soon as, although, even though, and because).
    5. Demonstrate proficiency in forming and using wh-questions.
    6. Construct sentences using FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) and semi-colon.
    7. Demonstrate proficiency using nouns, articles, and quantifiers.
    8. Demonstrate proficiency using adjectives,including participials, adverbs, and comparative and superlative adjectives and adverbs.
  6. Expand vocabulary with emphasis on high-frequency words and words from the academic word list.
    1. Practice guessing meaning from context.
    2. Practice dictionary skills.
      1. Use the dictionary to identify meaning, count and non-count nouns, transitive and intransitive verbs, pronunciation key, register, and parts of speech.
      2. Use the dictionary to choose the appropriate definition for the given context.
    3. Recognize targeted vocabulary words in reading and listening assignments.
    4. Analyze words by discussing parts of speech, definitions, prefixes, synonyms, antonyms, roots, suffixes, register, related words, connotations, and collocations.
    5. Demonstrate proficiency in pronunciation of targeted vocabulary words.
    6. Use targeted vocabulary words in writing and speaking assignments.
  7. Discuss and analyze cross-cultural customs and attitudes, especially in contrast with the students' native customs and attitudes.
    1. Read and listen to level-appropriate materials that address cultural issues which may include but are not limited to the topics of family, society, business, holidays, education, politics, and social norms.
    2. Demonstrate above comprehension by engaging in such activities as class and small group discussion, sharing related personal experiences and knowledge, writing assignments, and presentations.
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