For students who do not use English as their primary language, The Ross Christian STEM School offers English As A Second Language (we abbreviate this as ESL).  Our courses are ESL I, ESL II, and ESL III classes. The classes are designed to help students refine the English skills needed for everyday life.

• ESL I - The English as a Second Language I course at The Ross School is designed to allow students who are non-native speakers of English to develop skills in all aspects of the English language: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The objective is to improve English skills, preparing students to speak English in everyday life in the United States. The emphasis is on the spoken word and the structure of the language.

• ESL II - The English as a Second Language II course is designed to assist students who are non-native speakers of English to increase their skills in all aspects of the English language: speaking, reading, writing, and listening. The emphasis is on oral communication, grammar mechanics, reading, and writing skills. 

• ESL III - The English as a Second Language III course is used in conjunction with college preparatory English classes to support English Language Learners in traditional English courses. The English III course is designed to guide students who are non-native speakers of English to proficient use of the English language. The objective is to increase English skills and prepare students for the rigor of university classes. 

While writing is our dominate form of communication in the courses, the student will also focus on listening, speaking, and reading. Our school offers three levels - Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced. 

The primary textbook is called Grammar and Beyond.  However, the textbook is supplemented by videos and other materials from the Internet. Students are encouraged to bring homework and assignments from their other classes to the ESL classes for additional support. The ESL instructor will support the student in all of his/her classes by communicating with all teachers, however it is the student's responsibility to let the teacher know when they are having problems with communications by using programs like Google Translate. 

Here is a brief description of the approaches we use:

Listening: In addition to classroom conversations about the materials, videos from BBC World News are used to introduce the students to news coverage as well as to other accents in English. Later, headline news e.g. National Public Radio - that is, audio with no video - is used as a way to refine their listening skills. Some time is given to geography and events of the news reports. Some time is also given to lectures and how to take notes.

Speaking: In addition to the typical classroom conversation about the materials, students give retellings of the pieces they have read or watched. Each semester, they do some "public speaking" by giving a presentation on a topic.

Reading: Grammar and Beyond is designed to provide a wide range of themes and topics for each unit, thus students are automatically introduced to an ever-broadening vocabulary. Academic reading skills such as "understanding new vocabulary from context" are a fundamental part of the program.

Writing: the program follows a line of traditional academic essays, using each type to work on language skill areas. To wit,

• Autobiography - introduces students to Timeframes (past, present, future)

• Process - how something is made: steps in a process

• Descriptive - focuses on adjectives for people and places

• Narrative - the student tells a story, combining the approaces from Process and Descriptive essays

• Movie review -- combines skills from the previous essays plus reaction-opinion

• Argument - the students present an opinion supported by sources, plus learn how to handle a

• counter-argument

• Comparison/Contrast - students learn how to handle qualitative and quantitative aspects of phenomena

• Analysis and Synthesis - the first foray into analyzing and synthesizing research articles