A non-transferable developmental listening and speaking course for non-native English speakers. It is designed to improve the pronunciation and conversational skills of English Language Learners (ELL) who already have at least an intermediate-level knowledge of English grammar and usage.
Goals, Topics, and Objectives
- Aural comprehension of American English
- Oral fluency
- Vowels, consonants, blends, and word endings
- Spelling/pronunciation distinctions
- Intonation
- Question/answer patterns
- Distinctions between formal and informal diction
- Gestures, facial expressions, and body language
- American idioms, figures of speech, and slang
- American culture and regionalisms
- Speech, culture, and language differences*
Upon successful completion of this course, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate aural comprehension of American English
- Demonstrate oral fluency and self-monitoring of speech
- Demonstrate correct pronunciation of vowels, consonants, blends, and word endings
- Distinguish between and pronounce phonetically and non-phonetically spelled words
- Use appropriate situational intonation
- Interpret questions and answer accordingly
- Demonstrate knowledge of register: formal and informal language
- Interpret typical American gestures, facial expressions, and body language
- Interpret American idioms and figurative language
- Interpret American colloquialisms/regionalisms
- Analyze cultural differences as manifested through language differences*
Assessment and Requirements
The ELI fosters active learning. The ELL classroom is a student-centered classroom where instructors facilitate language learning in an interactive environment. Instructors provide students with as many opportunities as possible to use English; lectures are kept to a minimum. Activities may include (but are not limited to) cooperative learning, activity centers, interviews, role-plays, story-telling, debates, presentations, language games, and peer evaluations. Instructors employ technology to enhance and reinforce student learning.