ESL0B1 – Elementary English as a Second Language

Welcome to ESL001: Elementary English as a Second Language

Specific information about this course and its requirements can be found below. For more general information about taking Saylor Academy courses, including information about Community and Academic Codes of Conduct, please read the Student Handbook.

 

Course Description

Improve your English! Learn new words and how to use active reading, grammar, and writing strategies to read and write English better at the A2 level.

 

Course Introduction

In Unit 1, you will learn about the eight parts of speech and when each is used. You will learn how to recognize each part of speech and why using them correctly improves your communication skills. In Units 2 and 3, you will learn how to read actively by using context clues and other reading skills and see how reading more can help you expand your vocabulary. Unit 4 focuses on taking those reading skills and using them to help you write. By the end of ESL001, you’ll be able to write a few sentences about your daily routine using the lessons on parts of speech, reading actively, and vocabulary to help you communicate clearly. Successful completion of ESL001 will prepare you for ESL002, where you will continue to improve your English reading and writing skills at the A2 level.

 

This course includes the following units:

• How Good is Your English?
• Unit 1: Reading Skills
• Unit 2: Reading to Comprehend
• Unit 3: Reading to Improve
• Unit 4: Reading to Write

 

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• use the 8 parts of speech to create basic sentences that follow basic word order.
• apply basic comprehension strategies to non-fiction texts.
• select vocabulary development strategies to recognize and collect Standard American English terms commonly used in academic contexts; and
• generate short, cohesive, basic descriptions of routine job- or academic-related activities in correct sentence order.

Throughout this course, you will also see learning outcomes in each unit. You can use those learning outcomes to help organize your studies and gauge your progress.

 

Course Materials

The primary learning materials for this course are articles, lectures, and videos.

All course materials are free to access and can be found in each unit of the course. Pay close attention to the notes that accompany these course materials, as they will tell you what to focus on in each resource and will help you to understand how the learning materials fit into the course as a whole. You can also see a list of all the learning materials in this course by clicking on Resources in the navigation bar.

 

Evaluation and Minimum Passing Score

Only the final exam is considered when awarding you a grade for this course. In order to pass this course, you will need to earn a 70% or higher on the final exam. Your score on the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you may take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt. Once you have successfully passed the final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.

There are also end-of-unit practice activities in this course. These are designed to help you study and do not factor into your final course grade. You can take these as many times as you want until you understand the concepts and material covered.

 

Tips for Success

ESL001: Elementary English as a Second Language is a self-paced course, which means that you can decide when you will start and when you will complete the course. There is no instructor or an assigned schedule to follow. We estimate that the “average” student will take 18 hours to complete this course. We recommend that you work through the course at a pace that is comfortable for you and allows you to make regular progress. It’s a good idea to also schedule your study time in advance and try as best as you can to stick to that schedule.

Learning new material can be challenging, so we’ve compiled a few study strategies to help you succeed:

• Take notes on the various terms, practices, and theories that you come across. This can help you put each concept into context and will create a refresher that you can use as you study later on.
• As you work through the materials, take some time to test yourself on what you remember and how well you understand the concepts. Reflecting on what you’ve learned is important for your long-term memory and will make you more likely to retain information over time.

 

Technical Requirements

This course is delivered entirely online. You will be required to have access to a computer or web-capable mobile device and have consistent access to the internet to either view or download the necessary course resources and to attempt any auto-graded course assessments and the final exam.

• To access the full course, including assessments and the final exam, you will need to be logged into your Durra Institute account and enrolled in the course. If you do not already have an account, you may create one for free here. Although you can access some of the course without logging in to your account, you should log in to maximize your course experience. For example, you cannot take assessments or track your progress unless you are logged in.