Intermediate

• ESL 032

  This is an intermediate course that includes:

  • Writing: Write complex sentences and academic paragraphs that include topic sentences, support, and conclusions.
  • Reading: Identify main ideas and details in low-intermediate readings. 
  • Grammar: Use low intermediate grammar and sentence structures in writing.
  • Vocabulary: Understand and use new vocabulary from readings and class discussions.

   

  LOOK AT THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLES. DO THEY MATCH YOUR LEVEL OF SKILL?

   

  Reading and Writing Examples

  Textbook

  Student Writing

  Taken from Challenges 3; University of Michigan Press It was a freezing cold winter day, and mountain climber Cory Richards was climbing down from Gasherbrun II, the 13-tallest mountain peak in the world, when his life changed in an instant. The mountain, which lies between Pakistan and China, is not an easy one to climb, and the cold that day was painful. As Richards and his team were climbing down, they heard a noise and looked up. They saw a wall of snow and ice coming toward them. They were all hit and thrown to the ground. Luckily, all of them lived to tell about it. After he saw that his partners were safe, Richards took photos of himself, which captured the terror he had just experienced.

  Question: Do you think eating beef in Argentina should continue? Who do you agree with more—the ranchers and beef groups or the animal rights activists? In my opinion, eating beef in Argentina should continue. Beef is loved and eaten by people all over the world. In addition, it also contributes to physical health because beef has a lot of protein and builds muscle. However, if we eat too much it is not good for our body, so we should eat it moderately. Therefore, I agree more with the ranchers and beef groups. In fact, I believe people will be happy if they continue the tradition of eating beef.

• ESL 034

  This is an intermediate course where students will:

  • Listening: Listen to videos of longer academic lectures to understand main ideas and details.
  • Note-taking: Take notes, understand, and discuss longer academic lectures. 
  • Speaking: Give individual and group presentations on academic topics using technology and research skills.  
  • Pronunciation: Continue using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) to improve pronunciation.

   

  LISTEN TO THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLE. DOES IT MATCH YOUR LEVEL OF SKILL?

  (Contemporary Topics 2; Pearson) [mp3]

  See Audio Transcript below if needed.  

• Audio Transcript

  Transcript:

  0:00
  Unit eight. Page 76. Watch the lecture. Part B
  0:07
  listen for main ideas. Okay. Today we're going to
  0:12
  talk about Frank Gehry, one of my favorite
  0:15
  architects. If you see in any of the buildings
  0:17
  he's designed, like the dancing House in Prague,
  0:21
  you'll know why. It's a wonderful, colorful
  0:25
  building near the river. Many tourists go to see
  0:28
  it. But today we'll consider Frank Gehry's work
  0:32
  not as tourists, but as architects. It's
  0:37
  understood that architecture is both the science
  0:41
  and the art of designing buildings. We use science
  0:45
  to make sure that the building is strong, and we
  0:48
  use art because we want the building to be
  0:50
  beautiful. In other words, we think about the
  0:54
  aesthetics or artistic value of the building. Now
  0:59
  here I want to mention Vitruvius, the Roman
  1:01
  architect who lived in the first century BCE. He
  1:06
  said that a building must have three fundamental
  1:08
  characteristics. One meet its intended use. To be
  1:15
  sound, which means strong and three beautiful.

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