University of Southern Maine

* Reading, Writing, and Vocabulary (6 hours per week) This course focuses on helping students produce grammatically accurate, well-constructed, coherent English in the written form and in response to authentic reading. Emphasis is placed on vocabulary extension, idiom, and reading skills. * Reading and Speaking Fluency (6 hours per week) This course focuses on helping students improve their speed and comfort in both speaking and reading. Students learn techniques for reading faster and understanding more of what they read. Diverse and authentic materials are used in this class. Students also learn interview and presentation skills; all students carry out interviews with local citizens. * Grammar (4 hours per week) This course focuses on building a strong grammatical foundation in the English language with an additional emphasis on using these skills to produce short pieces of writing and oral presentation. * Listening and Speaking (4 hours per week) This course focuses on helping students speak and understand the English language better. Emphasis is placed on oral production through mini-talks, drama, interviews, and videotaped presentations. Extensive listening is done either in class or in the Language Lab, primarily using the internet and other available resources. * TOEFL Preparation (2 hours per week) This course focuses on preparing students to take the Computer Based TOEFL examination which is offered at the nearby Sylvan Learning Center. Emphasis is placed on learning strategies for taking the test, timing, types of questions, grammatical content, writing samples, and speed reading. A practice test is given towards the end of the course. Levels of Proficiency The following three levels of English are offered at the Intensive English Language Program: 1. Higher Elementary/Lower Intermediate: TOEFL 97 CBT/32 iBT to 123 CBT/42 iBT 2. Intermediate: TOEFL 123 CBT/42 iBT to 157 CBT/55 iBT 3. Higher Intermediate/Advanced: TOEFL 157 CBT/55 iBT to 213 CBT/80 iBT