Welcome to LAPC's Credit E.S.L. Program!

At this level, low-intermediate E.S.L. students:   

• Learn how to write paragraphs based on readings, class discussions, and familiar topics.  

• Study word order, sentence structure, parts of speech, and basic verb tenses to build a foundation in English grammar.   

• Read short texts to develop reading comprehension skills and learn new words.  

• Develop listening, speaking, and pronunciation skills to communicate effectively in school, work, and social settings.  

Note: E.S.L. 3A (Writing and Grammar) is for students who speak, read, and understand some English and now want to develop their writing skills.  

Reading Sample for E.S.L. 3A

"What happens in a single day on planet Earth? In 2010, a team led by film director Kevin Macdonald tried to find out. The team asked people around the world to film their life on a single day-July 24 —and to send in their videos. A As a result, people uploaded 80,000 videos to YouTube —a total of more than 4,500 hours. The videos were sent by people from 192 countries, from Australia to Zambia. Macdonald's team used the videos to produce a 90-minute movie called Life in a Day." (Pathways 1: Reading, Writing, Critical Thinking)  

At this level, intermediate E.S.L. students:  

• Compose, revise, and edit effective academic paragraphs and short essays.  

• Improve their ability to write well-formed sentences, use verb tenses accurately in context, and choose appropriate vocabulary to convey their ideas.   

• Read and respond to a variety of texts to improve their comprehension and expand their vocabulary.  

• Develop listening, speaking, and pronunciation skills to understand short lectures and participate in class discussions.  

Reading Sample for E.S.L. 4A

"When I was a young girl, I loved science fiction —like "Star Trek" and "Star Wars. ." When I grew up, I wanted to make science fiction movies. I went to college to study film. One day during my first year, I saw a job announcement that said: "Get paid to melt' rocks. No experience necessary." Interesting, right? got the job and started working with rocks. I soon realized I didn't want to make movies about science. Instead, I wanted to be a scientist. Six years later, I had a PhD and my dream job—I was a volcanologist. I study volcanoes for a living. I try to predict when the volcanoes will erupt. I think my work is important and exciting. One volcano I study is Mt. Erebus in Antarctica. I think it's one of the most beautiful, strange, and interesting places in the world." (North Star 3: Reading and Writing)

At this level, high-intermediate E.S.L. students:  

• Compose, revise, and edit academic essays with multiple paragraphs.  

• Utilize complex sentence structures, active and passive verb tenses, and paraphrasing techniques to effectively and confidently express themselves in writing.   

• Expand their vocabulary to successfully understand and respond to academic texts.  

• Develop listening, speaking, and intonation skills to understand academic lectures, participate in class discussions, and give presentations.  

Reading Sample for E.S.L. 5A

"He first impersonated an airline pilot by wearing a pilot's uniform. Then he created a phony airline ID. The result was very exciting to him. Abagnale never operated a plane, but he used his pilot uniform to fly for free and to date attractive young flight attendants. Then he discovered a luxury apartment communityl near Atlanta, Georgia. He paid cash for six months' rent in advance and wrote "medical doctor" on his apartment application. He soon became friends with a doctor in the apartment community. After convincing this man that he, too, was a medical doctor, he was offered a hospital job as a temporary supervisor. Abagnale performed this role by relying on nurses and medical students to do all the work while he simply pretended to be in charge." (North Star 3: Reading and Writing)

At this level, low-advanced E.S.L. students:  

• Compose, revise, and edit extended essays incorporating outside readings.  

• Practice paraphrasing, summarizing, and quoting sources with proper in-text citations.  

• Develop critical reading skills to prepare for college-level coursework in English and other academic subjects.  

• Refine listening, speaking, and intonation skills to analyze lectures, participate in academic discussions, and give extended presentations.  

Reading Sample for E.S.L. 6A

"On the first day of his first-ever teaching job, Frank McCourt went to his classroom early. Waiting for his students at the McKee Vocational and Technical High School in New York's Staten Island, he gazed at the rows of empty seats that lay before him and pondered' his role. The year was 1958, and McCourt had graduated from New York University not long before. He had earned a bachelor's degree in English, and now it was time to share his enthusiasm for the subject with bright young minds." (North Star 4: Reading and Writing)

 At this level, advanced E.S.L. students:  

• Compose, revise, and edit formal academic essays which summarize, analyze, and synthesize outside sources.  

• Conduct basic library research and use MLA citations.  

• Write essays based primarily on critical reading, interpretation, and analysis.  

Reading Sample from E.S.L. 8

"I tried my best to be a worthy representative of my homeland, but, like a Hollywood celebrity relentlessly pursued by paparazzi, I sometimes got tired of the questions. I, however, never punched anybody with my fists; I used words. One boy at school had a habit of asking me particularly stupid questions. One day he in­quired about camels, again. This time, perhaps foreshadowing a vocation in storytelling, I told him that, yes, we had camels, a one-hump and a two-hump. The one-hump belonged to my parents and the two-hump was our family station wagon. His eyes widened." (Funny in Farsi book excerpt)