SSL - Shepherd School of Language in Las Vegas - Class Descriptions
       
SSL - Shepherd School of Language in Las Vegas
       

 

  

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

Listening and Speaking 100-400
This class provides students and opportunity to put their knowledge of English to use in a dynamic and active format. A variety of listening and speaking activities such as dictation, dialogues, presentations, and problem-solving tasks are used to strengthen students' ability to successfully communicate in English.

  • The student should be able to
  • Listen for gist.
  • Pick out specific information.
  • Listen to understand inference
  • Converse at a basic level of fluency.

    Reading and Vocabulary 100-400
    This class helps students improve their reading comprehension skills, develop vocabulary, and increase reading speed. A variety of classroom activities will not only build reading strategies, but also reinforce other language abilities such as grammar, listening, and discussion.

  • The student should be able to
  • Locate information in a passage and answer literal comprehension question.
  • Find main ideas.
  • Use contextual clues to arrive at the meanings of unknown words.
  • Read and understand simple passages at a fourth grade reading level.

    Writing and Grammar 100- 400
    This class focuses on the student's ability to clearly and creatively communicate in written form. Each level contains the appropriate balance of writing and grammar instruction. Students will learn to organize and develop their ideas on a wide range of topics using a variety of writing styles.

  • The student should be able to
  • Write grammatically correct simple, compound, adverb and adjective clause sentences.
  • Identify major sentence structure and grammatical problems for editing their own sentences.
  • Write simple paragraphs
  • Produce new structures in a variety of contexts.
  • Use grammatical structures accurately, meaningfully, and appropriately.
  • Apply learned grammatical structures in the TOEFL test.
  • Apply critical test taking techniques.
  • Bridge the gap between knowing grammatical structures and using them.

    Academic Listening & Speaking 500
    Provides to students guidance in understanding spoken English in a variety of situations, including lectures, radio and TV programs, and tours. Students will also improve their note-taking skills.

  • The student should be able to
  • Discuss inferences, ideas, and questions that oral information raises.
  • Listen critically.
  • Support his/her opinion.
  • Express emotions in a culturally acceptable way.

    Academic Listening & Speaking 600
    This class sharpens students' listening and speaking skills by using authentic materials covering a variety of universal topics. In addition, students gain strategies for oral and written summaries, discussion, and note-taking. Daily activities may include listening to lectures and guest speakers, discussing short readings and giving presentations.

  • The student should be able to
  • Listen to advanced-level conversations and answer questions about the content and implied meanings in the conversations.
  • Follow advanced-level oral instructions in order to complete daily life tasks.
  • Express personal opinions and abstract ideas with English ability at an advanced level.

    Academic Reading, Writing and Grammar 500-600
    This class focuses on reading critically, summarizing, outlining, and responding to essays. Students discuss cultural topics, do vocabulary-building exercises, and learn how to analyze and make effective arguments. Students write various types of short essays, which require use of the library and computers, and take essay exams.

  • The students should be able to
  • Read and demonstrate comprehension of assigned texts and research material.
  • Demonstrate knowledge of new vocabulary.
  • Evaluate information from texts.
  • Demonstrate the ability to read longer texts with greater speed.
  • Prepare outlines in correct forms
  • Write thesis statements and develop them in the writing.
  • Produce writing that is clearly written and properly developed.
  • Quote, summarize, and paraphrase without plagiarizing.

    Pronunciation Clinic 500
    This class helps students improve their clarity of speech and listening comprehension. Students will learn about basic sounds, as well as stress, rhythm and intonation at both the word and sentence level.

  • The student should be able to
  • Use correct American English pronunciation at levels near that of native English speakers.
  • Identify and correct all major and most minor pronunciation difficulties.
  • Engage in daily conversations at an advanced level.
  • Compare natural American speech of characters to standard English
  • Appreciate American culture in different periods of history.
  • Recognize and use new vocabulary

    Slang, Listening and everyday English 500
    This class enables students to better understand American conversation and the media with an emphasis on informal language. From tapes and videos, students learn several aspects of casual speech including grammar, idioms, and slang.

  • The student should be able to
  • Listen to high advanced level conversations and answer questions about the content and implied ideas of conversations.
  • Follow high advanced level oral instructions in order to complete daily life tasks.
  • Express personal opinions and abstract ideas at a high advanced level of English.

    Professional Speaking Skills 600
    This class provides instruction and practice in how to speak in professional and business contexts such as meetings and conferences. Students learn to prepare, give and evaluate informational, impromptu, and persuasive speeches and to participate in discussion, refute others' opinions, express a point of view and ask questions. Also, this class introduces students to key business concepts and vocabulary by reading about and discussing real companies and world economies. Students may also do short presentations, projects, or visit area businesses. Topics include finance, international trade, marketing, management, hotel & casino and ethics.

  • The student should be able to
  • Apply learned skills and strategies in authentic speaking situations.
  • Identify and focus on main ideas in oral information.
  • Support his/her opinion.

    Communication / Culture 600
    This class uses the theme of culture as the topic for listening and speaking activities. The goal of the class is to help students improve their communication skills and learn about some aspects of American culture and the cultures of the students in the class. Activities include class discussions, presentations, and surveys. Compare and explain the differences between traditional American cultural values and his/her own.

    Reading for Pleasure 500
    This class is a non-academic alternative for students wanting to improve their English proficiency through extensive reading. Extensive reading of articles, short stories, and novels promotes greater comprehension and increases active and passive vocabulary. Reading material teaches students about American culture and helps them make connections between the topics and their own lives.

  • The student should be able to
  • Skim and scan a passage in search of specific details.
  • Preview and predict topic relationships.
  • Use contest clues to ascertain word meanings.
  • Read at rate of 250 words per minute/7-7.5 grade level.

    Modern Literature 600
    This class provides extensive reading and discussion practice. By reading a complete, unedited novel by a late 20th century writer, students can improve their reading speed, increase their vocabulary and learn about contemporary American culture.

    TOEFL Preparation A
    This class assists students in maximizing their TOEFL score through practice tests, strategies for the new integrated iBT test, and practice using the computer.

  • The student should be able to
  • Develop the skills and reading and listening strategies for taking the TOEFL.
  • Strengthen abilities in the TOEFL areas. Measure improvement through practice TOEFL exams and quizzes.
  • Achieve satisfactory TOEFL results (160-180 CBT range, 56-64 iBT range)

    TOEFL Preparation B
    This class helps students maximize their score on the Test of English for International Communication. The class covers strategies for both the listening and reading parts of the test.

  • The student should be able to
  • Enrich reading and listening strategies for taking the TOEFL.
  • Further strengthen abilities in the TOEFL areas and measure improvement through practice TOEFL exams and quizzes.
  • Achieve satisfactory TOEFL results (170-200 CBT range, 60-73 iBT range)

    Tutor Program
    We proudly introduce our One-on-One instruction system. This lesson is designed to provide each student with customized individual tutoring as well as with more opportunities to express his or her ideas freely with a conversation practice partner. This individual lesson is one and a half hour each week.

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