Tidewater Community College

English as a Second Language Course Descriptions ESL 2 English as a Second Language II 12 credits Provides intensive instruction and practice at the low intermediate level. Provides an introduction to the sound system, stress, intonational and rhythmic patterns of English through listening and speaking exercises. Includes individualized instruction to improve basic reading comprehension. Requires practice in writing with emphasis on building basic sentence structures, grammar and sentence- level writing. Lecture 12 hours per week. ESL 5 English as a Second Language: Reading I 4 credits Helps students to acquire and improve English reading and vocabulary skills. Includes practice in these skill areas: vocabulary building, prefixes and suffixes, predicting, reading by phrases, using context clues, skimming, scanning, reading maps. Also includes library orientation, reading literature, reading the newspaper. Prerequisite: ESL 2 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week. ESL 6 English as a Second Language: Reading II 4 credits Helps students improve their reading processes for academic and business reading by building skills such as finding and remembering facts, making inferences, drawing conclusions, getting meaning from context, increasing vocabulary, increasing reading speed; also includes library work, reading novels, and newspaper reading. Prerequisite: ESL 5 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week. ESL 7 English as a Second Language: Oral Communications I 4 credits Provides opportunities for students to acquire or improve fluency in speaking English. Includes assessment of students’ oral skills, provides exercises and practice in pronunciation, rhythm, stress, intonation, linking, pausing, and reductions. Prerequisite: ESL 2 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week. ESL 8 English as a Second Language: Oral Communications II 4 credits Helps students develop or improve speaking and listening skills for academic, business, and social settings. Includes review of pronunciations, rhythm, and intonation. Emphasizes clear communication in large or small groups through formal and informal presentations. Prerequisite: ESL 8 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week. ESL 11 English as a Second Language: Composition I 4 credits Provides instruction and practice in the writing process, emphasizing development of fluency in sentence level and paragraph writing and competence in structural and grammatical patterns of written English. Prerequisite: ESL 2 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week. ESL 12 English as a Second Language: Composition II 4 credits Provides further instruction and practice in the writing process, emphasizing short and longer paragraphs and introducing advanced language patterns. Includes word processing orientation, writing business letters, and extensive practice in developing and improving writing strategies. Prerequisite: ESL 11 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week. ESL 13 English as a Second Language: Composition III 4 credits Prepares for college-level writing by practice in the writing process, emphasizing development of thought in essays of greater length and complexity, and use of appropriate syntax and diction. Prerequisite: ESL 12 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week. ESL 17 English as a Second Language: Reading III 4 credits Helps students improve their reading comprehension and vocabulary development. Improves students’ reading proficiency to a level which would allow students to succeed in certificate and degree programs. Emphasizes applying and synthesizing ideas. Includes ways to detect organization, summarize, make inferences, draw conclusions, evaluate generalizations, and recognize differences between facts and opinions, and other advanced comprehension strategies. May also include comprehensive library skills. Prerequisite: ESL 6 or ESL Placement Test. ESL students must enroll at the International Student Services Office. Lecture 4 hours per week.