Levels of English
IEP students are placed in one of five main ability levels at the beginning of each quarter.
- Level 3: Beginning and Upper Beginning
- Level 4: Intermediate
- Level 5: Upper Intermediate
- Level 6: Advanced
- Level 7: Upper Advanced
We understand how important accurate placement is to each student, and we want you to be in the best learning environment. Each new student goes through three placement assessments:
- 1. Michigan English Placement Test
- 2. Writing evaluation
- 3. Oral interview
After these assessments, students are assigned to their levels. Your instructors will observe you in class and evaluate you through diagnostic testing to make very certain you are in the correct language level.
Core Classes
The four core classes are Oral Communications, Reading, Writing, and Grammar. The core classes are offered at all five language levels of the program. These courses help students improve their spoken and written English through classroom work and interactions with Americans on campus and in the community.
ORAL COMMUNICATIONS
The purpose of the Oral Communications courses is to develop your listening and oral production skills by focusing on pronunciation, stress and intonation. In addition, Oral Communications courses involve the practice of conversational functions and appropriate speech for a variety of everyday situations. In these courses you will also participate in small group discussion, debate, and public speaking.
READING
The reading courses will help you develop reading comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills, as well as learn more about American culture and contemporary world issues. You will also learn specific reading skills including previewing, skimming, vocabulary building, and analyzing organizational structure.
WRITING
Writing courses develop your ability to write grammatically correct sentences, clearly focused paragraphs, and well organized and developed essays. Some lower-level courses require you to keep journals in order to enhance your critical thinking and free writing skills. Upper level classes focus on academic essay writing, including research writing according to APA style guidelines.
GRAMMAR
Grammar courses develop your ability to understand and use English grammar. These courses focus on key grammatical structures as they help you to develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.
Sample schedule of core classes
|
Time |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
9:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
10:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
11:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
12:00 |
Academic Communications |
Academic Communication |
|
Academic Communication |
Academic Communication |
|
1:00 |
Reading |
Reading |
|
Reading |
Reading |
|
2:00 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
3:00
|
Writing |
Writing |
|
Writing |
Writing |
|
4:00 |
Grammar |
Grammar |
|
Grammar |
Grammar |
Elective Classes
The IEP also offers a variety of elective classes every quarter. You can choose one or more elective classes to add to your core classes. These classes will help you design your studies to fit your personal goals.
Fill out a form and be matched to a partner who is a regular student at WWU for the quarter. Meet your partner outside of the classroom at your convenience at least one hour each week.
Connect with English
This class will help you learn English through the video story, Connect with English. Will Rebecca move to San Francisco? Will Alberto fall in love with her? In class, we will focus on discussion of the video stories, vocabulary and pronunciation. We will learn new slang and idioms as we discuss Rebecca’s adventures in America.
Conversation Lab
This is a fun class where you will have the opportunity to speak and interact with fluent English speakers who are learning to become English teachers at Western.
Phrasal Fun
This class will focus on using phrasal verbs in context. Follow the romantic drama of John, Maria and their friends as we explore and become proficient at using phrasal verbs. TESOL students, who are studying to be future English teachers, are “paired up” with IEP students to “zero in on” the language of the day.
Tutor Lab
Need help with homework? Have questions about English? Want to work on speaking accuracy? In this class, you will work one-on-one with a Western student who is in the TESOL program and training to be an English teacher.
Pronunciation
Come to class and improve your pronunciation of American English! The purpose of this class is to practice the sounds (vowels and consonants), stress, rhythm, and intonation of American English. You will learn place of articulation and manner of production, which will better help you with your pronunciation. There will be an added focus on learning how to transcribe sounds and words using the International Phonetic Alphabet (the IPA): a standardized representation of the sounds of spoken language. Transcribing is not the same as spelling; it is the recording of actual sounds you hear using the IPA. (Many dictionaries now use the IPA to represent the pronunciation of words.) You will become familiar with the IPA and then practice transcribing the sounds that you hear. Transcription work is a lot of fun, and it will not only help you with your pronunciation but with your listening skills, as well.
Recreation
Recreation Class is designed to help you improve your English listening and speaking skills while participating in recreation and physical outdoor activities. Through this class, you will practice English, work on group- and team-building skills, get in shape, and learn about Bellingham and the WWU campus and why so many people love to live or visit here. Activities may include scavenger hunt, capture the flag, volleyball, basketball, kayaking, canoeing, swimming, baseball, Frisbee, soccer, rock climbing, and basketball.
Academic Preparation
In Academic Preparation, a group of IEP students and an IEP instructor join a “regular” WWU class and then meet outside class twice a week to discuss the lectures. Students practice study skills: listening, note-taking, reading, writing, and exam taking. They will do readings from the textbooks assigned for the class and do the assignments and papers the professor gives the students. They also take all of the same examinations as all of the other students in the class. Excellent attendance and a serious commitment are very important.
TOEFL Preparation
This TOEFL course will help prepare students for the Internet–Based TOEFL (iBT). Practice is provided for the reading, listening, writing, and speaking sections of the iBT. Students will learn helpful strategies and tips and how to quickly take accurate notes. Students are required to complete speaking assignments out of class.
Sample schedule of Elective Classes
|
Time |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
|
9:00 |
|
|
|
|
TOEFL (9–10:50 a.m.)
(2 hr class) |
|
10:00 |
Ac. Prep Lecture
Psych 101
10–11:20 a.m.
Intro to Psychology
|
TOEFL
(10–10:50)
|
Ac. Prep lecture
Psych 101
10–11:20 a.m.
Intro to Psychology
Pronunciation
(10 – 11:50)
2 hr. class
|
TOEFL
(10–10:50)
|
TOEFL (9-10:50)
Ac. Prep lecture
Psych 101
10–11:20 a.m.
Intro to Psychology
|
|
11:00 |
|
Academic Prep Discussion
Connect w/English |
|
Academic Prep Discussion
Connect w/English
|
|
|
1:00 |
|
|
Phrasal Fun
(2 hr. class, 1–2:50 p.m.) |
|
|
|
3:00 |
|
|
Conversation Lab
|
|
|
|
4:00 |
|
|
Tutor Lab |
|
|
