Why take ESL at SMC?

Make the Right Decision for Your Future Take the ESL Placement Test & ESL Courses

SMC’s academic ESL courses will help you succeed in English 1 and other courses to insure your successful graduation from SMC or transfer to a university. SMC’s academic ESL courses will help you correct your language errors in order to write and speak more effective English. SMC’s ESL professors have special professional training in teaching students whose native language is not English. SMC’s academic ESL courses will enable you to study with other ESL students from around the world in a safe, challenging atmosphere. SMC’s academic ESL courses are similar to courses you would take at a university like UCLA; these courses are different from high school and adult school ESL classes.

A Few Strong Points of the SMC ESL Program Grammar: ESL 10, 11A, 11B, 21A, 21B, 25 Include a sequential review of grammar points commonly problematic for non-native speakers: Verb Tenses; Sequence of Tenses; Subject/Verb Agreement; Count-Non-Count Nouns; Article Use; Pronoun Agreement; Word Forms and Usage. Vocabulary/Reading: ESL writing classes include a reading and vocabulary component specially designed to help non-natives increase vocabulary and improve reading and study skills. Group work gives you necessary practice in speaking and listening, as well as reading and writing. Readings are selected to reflect cultural diversity and are aimed at presenting you with a wide variety of text types: *Academic, expository (essays, studies, textbook excerpts) *Journalistic (news & magazine articles, editorials) *Literary (short stories, novels)

Placement Test at the SMC Procedure for diagnostic testing of students in ESL classes – Students take the ESL placement test at the SMC Assessment Center in Liberal Arts 103, and they are placed according to a scoring guide. (See Admissions, Assessment). They then enroll in ESL 10, 11A, 21A or English 1. Dual enrollment in ESL 11A and ESL 11B is not allowed because ESL 11A is a prerequisite for ESL 11B. The same goes for ESL 21A and ESL 21B.

Ways to Improve Your English Outside the Classroom INPUT and INTERACTION are keys to learning a language. I.Find ways to interact with other English speakers A.Join a club B. Participate in sports C. Sit next to people who are not from your country D. Take advantage of your professors' office hours E. Prepare a question to ask in class F. Keep a journal in English to express your thoughts about your experiences G. Socialize with English speakers H. Form a study group II. Take advantage of media A. Learning Resource Center tapes/ listen and imitate B. Newspapers/ read and discuss with others C. Magazines/ read and discuss with others D. Karaoke/ sing English songs E. TV (selectively)/ listen and imitate speakers/ record

FULL TIME ESL INSTRUCTORS : Dayle Hartnett, Ph.D. ESL Department Chair Tracey Ellis, M.A. Janet G. Hoover, Ph.D. Sharon R. Jaffe, PH.D. Emily L. Lodmer, M.A. Judith Marasco, M.A. Melody D. Nightingale, M.A. Toni Randall, M.A. Kathryn Sucher, M.A.T.