ESOL Courses

ESOL courses may be taken for credit in English. No repeats for subject credit are allowed.

ESOL Level 1 A & B

This course is designed to teach beginning-level American English skills --reading, writing, listening, and speaking. These four skills are integrated into thematic units which emphasize school life, community life, and planning for the future. A general introduction to American culture is provided. Emphasis is placed on the development of vocabulary and language and grammatical structures needed for meaningful communication that facilitate academic success.

ESOL Level 2 A & B

Students at this level of proficiency understand basic vocabulary dealing with every day life of school and home. They continue to incorporate that vocabulary into more complex structures, both in oral and written language, that focus on functional and academic skills. Emphasis is placed on the use of verb tenses. Other important structures such as comparison of adjectives and adverbs and the use of modals are presented. Students are required to make oral presentations, do research using technology, and read short novels. New vocabulary and ideas are presented through textbooks, structured readers, and authentic materials in written and visual/aural forms.

ESOL Lab A & B

This basic course is recommended for ESOL levels 1 and 2 students to further develop the language skills taught in ESOL 1 and 2. Students focus in all four language skills, with a particular emphasis on speaking and listening , communicate in oral and written formats, vocabulary development and grammatical structures. Students are able to pace themselves in the development of their skills and knowledge.

ESOL Level 3 A & B

Students review structures learned, continue to expand vocabulary, improve their pronunciation and acquire greater precision in their use of grammatical forms. More complex grammatical structures, such as clauses, modals, reported speech, past perfect, gerunds, and infinitives are introduced and expanded on. Students engage in reflective writing and critical analysis and are required to read and analyze a novel.

ESOL Level 4 A & B

Students continue to increase their proficiency in the four language skills and expand their ability to communicate in oral and written form. They continue to practice grammar structures taught in previous courses and expand vocabulary both orally and in written form and demonstrate an awareness and appreciation of the American culture. Elements of literature such as tone and style are taught. Students expand their reading of novels and drama and continue to develop critical analysis of literary genres. They write multi-paragraph essays and practice interviewing skills.

ESOL Level 5 A & B

Students continue to work at an advanced level of language development and cultural knowledge. They continue to expand their vocabulary through reading authentic material and are able to make predictions, express ideas, justify opinions and comprehend and exchange detailed information. Writing skills continue to be refined through extended essays and grammar instruction in advanced structures. Students critique literature and learn to infer a native speaker's/writer's intended message. They use the four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing to summarize material, compare and evaluate different points of view, debate, analyze, and draw conclusions. They explore at greater depth the genres of literature, and their use of language, both orally and in written form, will reflect an appropriate command of English structure.

Developmental Reading

Students reading on or below grade level who wish to increase their reading efficiency will find this course helpful. Students learn to recognize and evaluate the unique features of a variety of reading materials to increase their comprehension and reading efficiency. Students acquire strategies for expanding their vocabulary and have opportunities to read for personal and academic enrichment. This course may be repeated once.

Basic reading

Students who are more than two years behind in reading, according to state standards, may take this course upon recommendation of the principal or designee. The course may be taken more than once for credit. Students receive instruction in reading strategies and study techniques necessary for master of basic literacy skills and for use in their content classes. Various reading materials are used to help students become more effective readers and acquire the functional reading skills necessary to meet MSDE functional reading requirements.

ESOL United States History A & B

This course is designed to give the ESOL student an overview of the history of the United States. In the first unit, students are exposed to the introductory background necessary to understand the subsequent units. The introductory unit covers the first Americans, exploration, colonization, the American Revolution, and the causes of the Civil War. Units two, three, and four survey U. S. history from the Civil War and Reconstruction through the 1930s. Unit Five examines the causes, the course, and the consequences of World War II. Unit Six helps students understand the struggle for racial and gender equality and the extension of civil liberties from 1945 to 1970. Unit Seven examines how the cold war and related conflicts influenced foreign policy from 1945 to the present. The final unit, Unit Eight, analyzes political, social, and cultural developments in contemporary America.

ESOL Government-National, State, and Local A & B

In this course, ESOL students will learn the basic purposes of government: the structure, function, and workings of government, the rights and responsibilities of citizens, and the change processes that keep American governments workable. Emphasis is placed on the similarities and differences of the structure of American government and that of other nations. ESOL students will then apply the principles of government to three units of study: economics, foreign policy, and public policy.

ESOL Modern World History A & B

In this course, the ESOL student will survey modern world history from the 15th century to 1850. The introductory unit identifies and compares characteristics of various ancient empires. Unit Two highlights the Renaissance, the Protestant Reformation, and European exploration and colonization. Unit Three describes the evolution of the Industrial Revolution and consequences on world economic patterns. In Units IV and V, students will study the forces of nationalism and imperialism, World War I, the rise of totalitarian governments, worldwide depression, and World War II. Unit VI will help the students analyze the Cold War, ethnic and religious nationalism, and the development of a world economy.

ESOL Mathematical Approach to Problem Solving A & B

This is a general course designed for ESOL students needing additional help with pre-Algebra skills and the Maryland Functional Mathematics Test domains. Calculators and computers are used in problem-solving situations and in the development of concepts and skills from arithmetic, Algebra, Geometry, and Probability and Statistics.

ESOL Matter and Energy and ESOL Biology A and B

These two science classes taught in alternate years by a teacher from the science department.

Matter and Energy classes are designed to help the ESOL student develop observation, experimentation, and analytical skills needed to succeed in subsequent laboratory science courses.

Biology classes emphasize the study of living things through laboratory experiences and investigative processes. Ecology, cytology, reproduction, genetics, scientific evolution, and taxonomy are among the topics covered.