Curriculum

During the academic year, ESL Classes meet daily, Monday through Friday, on the campus of the University of Kentucky. During the Summer, the same 20 hours a week of instruction are given Monday through Thursday, with longer weekends to enjoy excursions or Summer travel. All classes are highly interactive. Students are graded on such activities as homework, written reports, presentations, in-class participation, tests, and quizzes.

LEVEL ONE
Classes meet daily for one hour of listening/speaking, one hour of reading, one hour of writing, and one hour of grammar. Students become familiar with the interactive language classroom. They produce non-academic English on familiar topics and teachers give regular feedback and evaluation. Instructors and staff help students adjust to their new cultural setting and offer assistance in and out of class. Computer assisted instruction (CAI) is introduced.

LEVEL TWO
Classes meet daily for one hour of listening/speaking, one hour of reading, one hour of writing, and one hour of grammar. Students work toward gaining control of such basic patterns as understanding and responding to questions and statements; understanding the main idea of conversations; reading intermediate materials on cultural topics; writing narrative and descriptive paragraphs about familiar topics. Students use the prewriting, drafting, and editing stages of the writing process.

LEVEL THREE
Classes meet daily for one hour of listening/speaking and one hour of reading, one hour of writing, and one hour of grammar and TOEFL preparation. Level Three is the bridge between basic English instruction in Level One and Two and academic preparation in Levels Four and Five. It emphasizes production, fluency, and accuracy. Common activities are listening and reacting to authentic speech, working in groups on presentations and analysis of materials, reading newspapers and a collection of stories or a novel to gain cultural literacy.

LEVEL FOUR
Classes meet daily for one hour of listening/speaking, one hour of reading, one hour of writing, and one hour of grammar and TOEFL preparation. Level Four is the first of the two academic-preparation levels. Students read, summarize, analyze, debate, and synthesize interdisciplinary texts and lectures. They write major essays, using word processing equipment, on analysis, reaction, synthesis, and comparison; they ask questions about and take notes from lectures; and they learn to conduct formal presentations. Students learn how to document sources and learn the academic definition of plagiarism and cheating.

LEVEL FIVE
Classes meet daily for one hour of listening/speaking, one hour of reading, one hour of writing, and one hour of grammar and TOEFL preparation. Level Five is the second half of the Center for ESL's two academic-preparation levels. Language and culture appropriate to United States educational institutions are developed. Students continue to work in the computer lab, when appropriate with their writing instructor.

LEVEL SIX
Once a year, usually in the Spring II Session, a Level Six group is formed. This level differs from the other levels because of a greater emphasis on integrating all skills. Usually, there is no discrete grammar class, but rather grammar and writing are combined. In addition, there is usually a " Topics in American Cultural History" Class that deals extensively with U.S. History and major U.S. figure and movement. A rich array of excursions accompanies this level.