ENGLISH
AS A SECOND LANGUAGE (ESL)
College
of Liberal Studies
Program
Director: Michelle R. Tyvoll
349A
Graff Main Hall, 608-785-8315
e-mail:
tyvoll.mich@uwlax.edu
Lecturers:
Brunk,
Case, Denlinger, Tyvoll; Senior Lecturer: Hanson.
The
English as a Second Language Institute offers a flexible program for non-native
speakers of English. Classes are designed primarily for international and
southeast Asian students who need to improve or strengthen their English for
studying at the university. The classes are also appropriate for persons who
have a serious interest in studying English as a Second Language for personal
or business reasons.
Classes
are offered at five levels of English proficiency: beginner/high beginner,
lower intermediate, upper intermediate, and advanced. A student’s level is
determined by a proficiency test (the La Crosse Battery) which is given before
classes begin.
All
international students who have official TOEFL scores of 549 or below (212 or
below on the computer TOEFL exam) and all international students who have not
taken the official TOEFL exam will be tested by the ESL Institute via the La
Crosse Battery of Exams during registration week prior to formal registration
in classes. Students who submit TOEFL scores of 550 or above (213 on the
computer TOEFL exam) will not be tested by the ESL Institute, will be exempt
from ESL classes and will be granted full admission status. (However, Graduate
Program Directors may require graduate students with 550 or above to take the
Placement Exam.)
Students
who receive a score of 80 or above on the La Crosse Battery will be granted
exemption from ESL classes and will receive full admission status. Students who
receive a score of 79 or below on the La Crosse Battery will be given limited
university status and will be placed in the appropriate ESL class-levels.
Note: After a student has taken the La Crosse
Battery, submission of a TOEFL score will
not replace the requirement of 80 on the La Crosse Battery for full university admission.
The
La Crosse Battery consists of three tests: Test of Aural Comprehension,
Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency (grammar, vocabulary, reading
comprehension), and the La Crosse Composition Test. The La Crosse Battery takes
approximately three hours to complete. These tests, which demonstrate a
student’s proficiency in each language skill, will determine the placement
level per skill.
La
Crosse Battery ESL
Levels
62
or below —
20
hr./wk.
Limited
university 4
ESL courses
admission (Full-time
ESL)
63-68
—
15
hr./wk.
Limited
university 3
ESL courses
admission +
1 univ. course
69-73
—
10
hr./wk.
Limited
university 2
ESL courses
admission +
2-3 univ. courses
74-79
—
5
hr./wk.
Limited
university 1
ESL course
admission +
3-4 univ. courses
80
or above — Full-time
Full
university univ.
courses
admission (ESL
courses optional)
ESL 100
Cr. 4 Transcript*
ESL
Speaking
This
course provides opportunities for students to practice speaking English in
structured and semistructured situations. Special attention is given to a
limited set of functions (such as requesting, apologizing and complaining).
Pronunciation work focuses on basic regularities of English pronunciation.
Prerequisite: non-native speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL
placement test. (Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL
Reading
Focus
is on comprehension of reading passages with time limits and with understanding
of main and supporting ideas. Students increase their
passive
vocabularies through the study of word formation and by learning to use an
English-English dictionary. Reading skills such as skimming, scanning,
prediction, use of context clues and recognizing thought groups are also stressed.
Prerequisite: non-native speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL
placement test. (Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
Focus is on the basics of writing: spelling,
punctuation, paragraphing and simple organizational patterns. Writing includes
controlled exercises and some free writing. Prerequisites: non-native speakers
of English and appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript credit
only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 103 Cr. 4 Transcript*
ESL Listening
This course gives students practice in
under-standing samples of spoken English of limited length and complexity and
prepares students to understand segments of natural conversation on a variety
of topics. Special attention is given to the various phonetic shapes that words
can have. Prerequisites: non-native speakers of English and appropriate score
on ESL placement test. (Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 110 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Speaking
This course provides opportunities for students to
prepare and give speeches/oral presentations. Students also gain a greater
ability to use informal, conversational English. Special attention is given to
language function, pronunciation, and intonation. Prerequisites: non-native
speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript
credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 111 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Reading
This course provides opportunities for students to
develop their reading skills in meaningful ways, enabling them to use academic
texts outside of class successfully. Focus will be on reading skills such as
summarizing, paraphrasing, skimming, scanning, making inferences, and
distinguishing between different purposes for reading. Prerequisites:
non-native speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL placement test.
(Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 112 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Writing/Grammar
Focus is on improving students’ ability to write
convincing English paragraphs and essays with greater fluency. The basics of
writing are reviewed. Prerequisites: non-native speakers of English and
appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail
grading.
ESL 113 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Listening
This course introduces students to English used in
an educational context. Emphasis is on notetaking by listening to short
lectures. Conversational English listening skills are also studied including
topics such as guessing meaning from context, stressed words, and understanding
fast English. Prerequisites: non-native speakers of English and appropriate
score on ESL placement test. (Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 150 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Speaking/Listening
Special attention is given to communication
strategies — developing ways to communicate when pronunciation or vocabulary
limitations make communication difficult. Prepares students for academic
lectures by introducing standard forms of organization and common transition
signals used in American Pronunciation work emphasizes stress and intonation
and problems of individual students. Prerequisites: non-native speakers of English
and appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript credit only.)
Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 151 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Reading
Focus is on drawing inferences from a reading,
recognizing paraphrase, identifying the author’s point of view, and using knowledge
of the structure of readings to aid comprehension. Prerequisites: non-native
speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript
credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 152 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Writing/Grammar
Focus is on a variety of organizational patterns,
with review of the basics of writing. Students are introduced to elements of
the writing process, including prewriting, revision and editing. Reviews and
adds to students’ skills of basic structures, emphasizing increasingly complex
structures, with attention to form, meaning and use. Prerequisites: non-native
speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript
credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 153 Cr.
4 Transcript*
U.S. Culture Today
This course gives students an understanding of the
United States from practical and sociological perspectives. Reading, writing,
listening, and speaking activities focus on information about daily life,
values, beliefs, and social problems. Prerequisites: Non-native speakers of
English and/or appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript credit
only.) Pass/Fail grading. Offered Sem. I.
Special Topics in ESL
These courses are designed for special or contract
groups in need of intensive English for non-academic purposes. Listening,
reading, speaking, writing and cultural activities will be stressed, according
to group needs. Each program-design could be for 1-16 institute credits —
according to contractual agreements and amount of intensive English required.
Prerequisite: non-native speakers of English and/or appropriate score on ESL
placement test. (Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 200 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Speaking/Listening
Emphasis is on the use of English in academic
settings as well as in conversation. Course concentrates on lecture
comprehension, with special attention to note-taking, recognizing main ideas
and support and determining the attitude of the speaker toward the subject.
Students also work on comprehension of complex information presented in
non-lecture format, as in the dynamics of small-group
discussion. Pronunciation focuses on individual needs of students.
Prerequisites: non-native speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL
placement test. (Transcript credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 201 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Reading
Emphasis is on reading for academic purposes.
Students work on comprehension of academic reading selections, as well as
challenging non-academic material. Students work on tone and
distinguishing fact from opinion. Prerequisites: non-native speakers of English
and appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript credit only.)
Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 202 Cr.
4 Transcript*
ESL Writing/Grammar
Emphasis is on writing as a process of thinking,
planning, writing and rewriting. Increased emphasis is placed on writing for
academic purposes. Reviews and adds to students’ repertoire of structures with
increased emphasis on the verb phrase and on control of grammar in
writing. Prerequisites: non-native
speakers of English and appropriate score on ESL placement test. (Transcript
credit only.) Pass/Fail grading.
ESL 250
Cr.
4
ESL
Speaking
Focus
is on strategies and techniques for success in academic classes, including
formal and informal oral discourse patterns needed for American classes.
Prerequisite: non-native speakers of English and/or appropriate score
on ESL placement test.
ESL 251
Cr.
4
U.S.
Culture and Film
Focus
is on development of listening, speaking, reading and cultural understanding
through the medium of American movies, television and related articles.
Prerequisite: non-native speakers of English and/or appropriate score on ESL
placement test.
ESL 252
Cr.
4
ESL
Writing/Grammar
Focus
is on skills needed at every stage of the writing process: finding a topic,
determining an approach to the topic, assessing the audience, planning and
drafting a coherent composition, revising and editing. Students learn to adapt
their writing to the American audience and topic and to look at their own
writing critically. Prerequisite: non-native speakers of English and/or
appropriate score on ESL placement test.
ESL 255
Cr.
4-16
Special
Topics in ESL
Focus
for these content-based courses in ESL is on strategies and techniques for
success in academic classes, including vocabulary development, lecture
comprehension, textbook reading, note and test-taking. Topics may vary by
semester and may be offered as adjunct courses to those in the regular
university curriculum. Repeatable for credit — maximum 16. Prerequisite:
non-native speakers of English and/or appropriate score on ESL placement test.