Antelope Valley College's

ESL (English as a Second Langauge) Program

Excel in English!

      English is one of the most important keys to success in the United States. We in AVC's ESL Department are here to help non-native speakers of English excel in English and succeed in their academic, vocational, and personal goals! Some of the most difficult English skills to learn are vocabulary & pronunciation (ESL 020, 030, 040, and 050X), grammar (ESL 023, 033, 043, 053), and reading & writing (ESL 018, 028, 038, 048, 058, 099, and ENGL 101SL), and so we offer courses specifically in these skill areas. We also offer ESL 019, with is an introductory integrated skills courses, which cover all of the above major language skill areas within high-interest themes. In addition, our grammar and reading & writing courses have online/hybrid sections for greater convenience and emphasis on the visual skills (e.g., reading, writing: spelling, punctuation, capitalization). Come and join us. YOU can excel in English!

ESL Courses

* ENGL 101SL and ESL 099 are scheduled to begin in Spring 2015.

** ESL 050 and ESL 053 are scheduled to begin in Fall 2015.

Course Descriptions

ESL 018 - ESL Reading and Writing 1   (3 units) - This introductory level reading and writing course is designed for students whose first language is not English. Emphasis is on the development of literal reading skills. Focus is also on building students' written vocabulary and grammar. Students are expected to be literate and have proficiency in simple everyday English skills and vocabulary before entering this course. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R1)

ESL 019 - ESL Skills Building 1 (5 units) - This is an introductory level integrated skills course for non-native speakers of English. Concentration is on both oral and written abilities as students develop and improve their reading, writing, listening, speaking, vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation skills in the English language. This class provides students with an opportunity to learn, practice, and improve their English language skills through drills, communicative group, and pair work, practice activities, theme-based learning, lecture, and project work. Students are expected to be literate and have proficiency in simple everyday English skills and vocabulary before entering this course. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R1)

ESL 020 - ESLVocabulary and Pronunciation 2 (4 units) - This basic pronunciation and vocabulary course is designed to help the non-native speaker of English recognize and produce the unique segmental (consonant and vowel) and suprasegmental (stress, linking, reductions, and intonation) features of American-English and build basic vocabulary skills. Strategies for self-monitoring pronunciation and becoming self-sufficient in acquiring high-frequency vocabulary items are also taught. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R2)

ESL 023 - ESL Grammar 2 (3 units) - This is a basic grammar skills course designed for non-native speakers of English. Students are introduced to and practice basic verb tenses and aspects, as well as other basic level grammatical structures (e.g., question forms, count/non-count nouns, prepositions, adjectives, adverbs, imperatives, modals). This class concentrates on teaching basic grammar through lecture, drills, communicative activities, and practice exercises. Students apply the new structures in oral and written expression through oral drills and a series of guided writing and editing activities. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R3)

ESL 028 - ESL Reading and Writing 2 (3 units) - This basic level reading and writing course is designed for students whose first language is not English. Emphasis is on the development of literal and inferential reading skills. Focus is also on building students' writing including extensive practice at the sentence level and up to the paragraph level with attention given to simple, compound, and complex sentences in the past, present, and future tenses. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R1)

ESL 030 - ESLVocabulary and Pronunciation 3 (4 units) - This low-intermediate pronunciation and vocabulary course is designed to help the non-native speaker of English recognize and produce the unique segmental (consonant and vowel) and suprasegmental (stress, linking, reductions, and intonation) features of American-English and build basic vocabulary skills. Strategies for self-monitoring pronunciation and becoming self-sufficient in acquiring high-frequency vocabulary items are also taught. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R1)

ESL 033 - ESL Grammar 3 (3 units) - This is a low-intermediate grammar skills course designed for non-native speakers of English. Students learn low-intermediate grammar (e.g., verb tense & aspect, pronouns, modals, adjectives & adverbs, gerunds & infinitives, articles) through lecture, drills, communicative activities, and practice exercises. Students apply the new structures in oral and written expression through oral drills and a series of guided writing and editing activities. Students entering this course should have already mastered the basic verb tense and aspect forms. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R1)

ESL 038 - ESL Reading and Writing 3   (3 units) - This low-intermediate reading and writing course is designed for students whose first language is not English. Emphasis is on the development of inferential reading skills and identifying the writer's point of view and style or writing. Focus is also on building students' writing including extensive practice at the paragraph level and up to the essay level with attention given to writing in a variety of styles. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R1)

ESL 040 - ESLVocabulary and Pronunciation 4 (4 units)   - This high-intermediate pronunciation and vocabulary course is designed to help the non-native speaker of English to better recognize and produce segmentals (consonants and vowels) with special attention given to the suprasegmental features (stress, linking, reductions, and intonation) of American-English. Focus is also on academic and idiomatic vocabulary building skills. Strategies for self-monitoring pronunciation and becoming self-sufficient in acquiring high-frequency vocabulary items are also taught. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.) (R1)

ESL 043 - ESL Grammar 4 (3 units) - This is a high-intermediate grammar skills course designed for non-native speakers of English. Students review and practice structures learned in intermediate level grammar and are introduced to more complex structures (e.g., Verb Tense & Aspect, Negative & Tag Questions, Phrasal Verbs, Adjective Clauses, Past Modals, the Passive Voice, Conditionals, Indirect Speech, & Embedded Questions). This class concentrates on teaching students a higher level of grammar through lecture, drills, communicative activities, and practice exercises. Students apply the new structures in oral and written expression through oral drills and a series of guided writing and editing activities. Students entering this course should have already mastered most of the verb tense and aspect forms. This course prepares students for advanced level ESL composition. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.)

ESL 048 - ESL Reading and Writing 4 (3 units) - This high-intermediate reading and writing course is designed for students whose first language is not English. Emphasis is on the development of reading skills for improving reading rate and comprehension in academic texts of varying styles. Focus is also on building students' writing including extensive practice at the paragraph level and up to the essay level with attention given to the structure, vocabulary, and sentence grammar in essays. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.)

ESL 050X - ESLVocabulary and Pronunciation 5 (4 units) - This advanced pronunciation and vocabulary course is designed to help the non-native speaker of English review and address individual areas of weaknesses in the recognition and production of segmentals (consonants and vowels), including suprasegmental features (stress, linking, reductions, and intonation) in American-English. Focus is also on college academic and contemporary idiomatic vocabulary building skills. Strategies for self-monitoring pronunciation with the goal of individualized accent reduction, as well as becoming self-sufficient in acquiring high-frequency college-level vocabulary items are also included. Skills for meaningful engagement in critical thinking within academic conversations and the effective creation and delivery of academic speeches are also highlighted in this course. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.)

ESL 053 - ESL Grammar 5 (3 units) - This is an advanced grammar skills course designed for non-native speakers of English. Students review and practice structures learned in high-intermediate level grammar and are introduced to more advanced structures (e.g., Verb Tense, Aspect, and Voice; Modals of Necessity and Certainty; Count and Non-Count Nouns; Articles; Noun Clause; Adjective Clauses; and Passive Voice). This class concentrates on teaching students an advanced level of grammar through lecture, drills, communicative activities, and practice exercises. Students apply the new structures in oral and written expression through oral drills and a series of guided writing and editing activities. Students entering this course should have already mastered most of the verb tense, aspect, and voice forms, as well as most phrase and clause structures. This course prepares students for academic composition. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.)

ESL 058 - ESL Reading and Writing 5 (3 units) - This advanced reading and writing course is designed for students whose first language is not English. Emphasis is on the development of reading skills of fluency, analytical comprehension, and synthesis of ideas in both academic and literary texts. Focus is on building students' writing including extensive practice at the essay level with attention given to the structure, styles, sentence grammar, and mechanics of essays. (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.)

ESL 099 Advanced Composition - (4 units) - This Level 6 ESL writing course prepares students for ESL 101 (Academic Composition) by focusing on techniques for producing clear and developed persuasive writing that demonstrates a critical awareness of audience. Emphasis is placed on the writing and revision process, thesis construction, paragraph organization and development, sentence variety, and grammatical control. Included is an introduction to MLA format and documentation and a limited introduction to academic research. NOTE: No letter grade will be given for this course; students will receive "pass" or "no pass". (This credit course is not applicable to the associate degree and certificate programs.)

ENGL 101SL Academic Composition (3 units) - This course is designed to promote standard college-level writing as measured by audience awareness, thesis, essay development, structure, organization, word choice, grammatical control, and rigorous attention to academic formats, conventions, and expectations. Readings and assignments encourage and facilitate the use of critical thinking skills, textual analysis, rhetorical strategies, and research methodologies, and prepare students for academic coursework across the disciplines and in transfer institutions. NOTE: This course is designed for ESL students. (CSU, AVC)

Other ESL Opportunities

      The ESL Success Center (located in the AVC Learning Center in LC-104) is designed to help AVC ESL students with their English language learning needs. Assistance in the following skill areas is available: U.S. Culture, vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, reading, writing, listening, and speaking.

      There are a variety of resources and technologies available including computers with ESL software, Internet access, and word processing; audio and video equipment; and a growing library of ESL texts.

      ESL students can come to the ESL Study Center to discuss class work (homework or recently graded assignments and tests), or they can just come to practice a specific skill area. There are both individual and group tutoring opportunities.

     Students must be enrolled as AVC students in order to use the ESL Study Center.

      The AVC Library has the Quest Collection (upstairs and on the west wall), which has many easy-to-read books for ESL students.