Elective ESL Courses

(For students at Level 4 or above)

ESAL 082: Intermediate Listening
This course provides students with opportunities to practice listening skills in the performance of a variety of increasingly challenging tasks. Students will acquire strategies which will improve their abilities to comprehend the varieties of English which they encounter in both social and academic environment.

ESAL 084: Success in Canadian Academic Culture
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of North American college/university settings. Students will become knowledgeable about resources to access and will develop the strategies and skills they need to succeed in their studies.

ESAL 088: Intermediate Pronunciation
For intermediate learners of English, ESAL 088 is designed to improve their ability to comprehend spoken English and their intelligibility when speaking English. It will help students develop auditory sensitivity and improve accuracy, fluency, and confidence in their oral production of English. Phonological features will be examined in isolation and in the context of meaningful passages.

ESAL 092: Advanced Listening Skills
This course builds on the listening skills previously learned. ESAL 092 focuses on the listening skills required to process an academic lecture. Students will identify the ideas and organization of lecture material, discussions and debate, using specific listening skills. They will use the information they hear for note taking and other related activities.

ESAL 094: Preparation for the TOEFL
Designed for high-intermediate to advanced students, ESAL 094 will assist students to prepare for the TOEFL exam specifically, and test-taking in general. In this course, students will study the TOEFL format and develop strategies for answering commonly asked questions. Students will also be encouraged to draw upon the skills they are learning in other CESL courses.

ESAL 096: Vocabulary for Academic English
An elective designed for advanced ESL students, the course would be useful for any student for whom the vocabulary of academic English presents a challenge. ESAL 096 will introduce and reinforce strategies for becoming independent learners of vocabulary, and will also teach specific words useful in academic study. Vocabulary will be linked with general knowledge to provide context as well as to add interest. While passive vocabulary (word recognition) will be emphasized, the course will also facilitate active use of new vocabulary.

ESAL 098: Advanced Pronunciation
For high-intermediate to advanced learners of English, ESAL 098 is designed to improve their ability to comprehend spoken English and their intelligibility when speaking English. It will help students develop skills which will assist them in predicting, producing, and perceiving the pronunciation of words and phrases. Students at the University level whose goals demand above-average oral skills and a wide range of active vocabulary will find this course particularly relevant and valuable.

ESAL 099: Language through Active Participation in the Community
This course will focus on the language education through the ESL students' community involvement. In this course students' participation in the community will be actively supported and fostered by the instructor. The course will link academic study with community involvement through assignments that require the students engagement in a variety of activities.