English as a Second Language (ESL)

NNLC offers two levels of ESL Instruction – Introduction to English and Life Skill Competencies.  All new ESL students begin their journey at NNLC in the Introduction to English class and then advance to the Life Skill Competencies class.  When students achieve the required assessment score in the Life Skills Competencies class, they can choose to enter NNLC’s multi-cultural academic classes, which include four levels of math, writing, reading and communications/critical thinking.

ESL classes include:

• Listening – understanding what people say to you
• Speaking – saying words and numbers clearly so other people can understand you
• Writing – being able to put down what you are thinking on paper or being able to fill out forms
• Reading – being able to read and understand an article, a book, or information on a form
• Computation – being able to understand how to compute numbers to solve problems

Learning English takes PRACTICE.  As a new ESL student, you need to practice your English every chance you get – during class, at home, and at work.  The more you practice, the more fluent you will become!

Introduction to English class:

In this class, students learn to properly hear and correctly speak the sounds of the Roman alphabet as they are used in American English.  Students will develop an English vocabulary of over 500 words, use those words in writing simple sentences, comprehend those words when reading simple stories, and use those words to carry on simple conversations with fellow classmates, family members, co-workers and friends.  All ESL students must complete this class with less than three absences to be eligible to advance to the Life Skill Competencies class.

Life Skill Competencies class:

In this class, students master everyday life and work skills In English and can increase their English vocabulary to over 1,000 words.  They will learn simple parts of speech and how to use them in sentences, increase their ability to read a higher level of materials, develop a better understanding of how numbers and computation are a part of everyday life, and participate in conversations with classmates.