The course includes a variety of interesting and innovative topics that encourage students to express their feelings, ideas, and opinions. In this course, students discuss a variety of topics such as cross-cultural communication, mysteries, famous people, technology, fitness, and current events.



At the end of ESL Intermediate 1, students will have learned how:

• to follow and maintain simple conversations by recognizing voice and speech patterns, familiar phrases and vocabulary
• to participate in groups by understanding main topics in a conversation and nonverbal behaviors
• to express personal skills and interests, report incidents, make excuses, and describe people, places and events
• to respond to spoken instructions, warnings, and requests for further clarification and information.
• to read maps, schedules, signs, abbreviations and US measurement vocabulary
• to recognize important information on information forms
• to use reading strategies to understand new words

Students will demonstrate the following competencies in the contexts of work, family and citizenship:

• Understand spoken sentences and routine phrases containing familiar vocabulary
• Initiate and maintain simple conversations using appropriate forms of address
• Recognize basic formal & informal speech patterns
• Use stress patterns and common nonverbal behaviors appropriately
• Identify the main topic in a conversation
• Report an absence, injury, accident, or incident
• State personal skills and interests
• Describe a person, place or event
• Respond to rules, warnings and two or three-step directions given orally
• Respond to follow-up and clarifying questions
• Make excuses or requests for leave
• Recognize most standard words on information forms
• Read maps, schedules, signs, warning labels, and common abbreviations.
• Read and recognize US measurement vocabulary
• Use basic spelling rules
• Write and revise statements and questions
• Write 4 - 6 sentences on a related topic

• Competency Checklists
• Instructor-made assessments
• Writing Rubrics
• Portfolio
• Learning Style Indicator

Students will advance to the next level of ESL Intermediate 2 upon successful demonstration of competence in 75% of the performance outcomes with 80% mastery as documented on their competency checklists. Most students require up to three times to complete this level.

Next Level: Intermediate 2