Syllabus
First Steps in English
A Foundational ESL Course for Adult ESL Students
ADULT ESL | COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS | CENTRAL PIEDMONT COMMUNITY COLLEGE
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Class Dates and Times: [INSERT]
Class Location: [INSERT]
Instructor: [INSERT]
Instructor Email: [INSERT]
Instructor Phone: [INSERT]
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Class Description
This ESL Beginning Literacy (NRS 1) course is designed for true and false beginners with little to no formal
education background. It integrates linguistic skills with content knowledge about institutions and resources
within the learners’ immediate area, empowering students with the linguistic and paralinguistic skills necessary
to begin engaging with the surrounding community, meet immediate needs, and begin to form a foundation for
lifelong learning.
Expected Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will be able to…
Functions
 Give and receive simple greetings and leave-takings
 Ask for and give personal information including first/last name, country, address, city, state, and zip
code
 Utilize ID and other documents to provide personal information on request
 Understand and respond to common classroom directions (e.g. write, circle, read, stand up, etc.)
 Identify various classroom objects
 Identify existing objects and request missing objects (e.g. I have a pencil. I need an eraser.)
 Identify family member relationships
 Ask for and give family member names and gender
 Identify common home activities
 Identify common home fixtures
 Report something as “broken”
Civic Skills
 Ask for and give country of origin
 Recognize and interpret bathroom signs
 Identify months of the year
 Identify the importance of birthdays in American culture
 Recognize American money (bills)
Literacy Skills
 Correctly hold a pencil for legible handwriting
 Demonstrate top/down book orientation awareness
 Demonstrate left/right page orientation awareness
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Syllabus
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Recognize and write capital and lowercase letters
Recognize and write numbers 1-100
Recognize and write own first and last names
Demonstrate basic sound/letter association awareness
Demonstrate emerging independent writing skills by answering questions with short, memorized
answers
 Demonstrate basic punctuation awareness (period, question mark)
Study Skills
 Use notebook paper “in order”
 Take class notes
 Label notes with the date
 Copy short pieces of information from the board
 Work in pairs and small groups
 Creating picture flashcards
 Match like-items by filling in a bubble
 Match like-items with lines
 Circle answers
 Underline answers
 Fill-in-the-blank (missing letters)
 Organize new vocabulary into groups
Course Text
Ingrassia, A. and Sanczyk, A. (2013). First Steps in English. Coursepack. Charlotte, NC: Central
Piedmont Community College.
Attendance
Students should attend each class session, but must attend at least 80% of the instructional hours to successfully
complete the course. The instructor should be informed of any absences.
Cell Phones
You must turn the volume off on your cell phone when you come to class. You are not allowed to talk on the
phone in class. You are not allowed to send text messages in class.
Inclement Weather
The classes might be affected by inclement weather. All classes are cancelled with CPCC is closed due to
weather changes, such as severe thunderstorms, tornados, hurricanes, flooding, or snowstorms. Please check the
CPCC website at CPCC.edu or the local news station during inclement weather for class cancelations.
Academic Integrity
Students are bound by the policies stated in the Central Piedmont Community College Handbook. A student
violating these policies may be subject to academic discipline.
Students with Disabilities
CPCC is committed to making reasonable accommodations to assist individuals with disabilities in reaching
their academic potential. If you have a disability with may impact your performance, attendance, or grades in
this course and require accommodations, you must first register with Disabilities Counseling Services
(cpcc.edu/disabilities). Disability Counseling Services is responsible for coordinating classroom
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Syllabus
accommodations and other services for students with disabilities. Please note that classroom accommodations
cannot be provided prior to your instructor’s receipt of an Accommodations Form, signed by you and your
Disability Counselor.
Class Schedule
These two-week thematic units were designed with the students’ expressed needs and goals in mind.
In light of this, the instructor reserves the right to alter this schedule at any time to more effectively address
student needs and goals as they are further defined.
Module 1: Introductions – INSERT DATES
*Registration and an introduction to the class
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Give and receive simple greetings and leave-takings
Ask for and give personal information
Understand and respond to basic classroom commands
Module 2: School – INSERT DATES
 Classroom objects vocabulary
 Talking about things I have and things I need
 Months of the year
Module 3: Family – INSERT DATES
 Family relationship vocabulary
 Talking about my family
 Birthdays
Module 4: Home – INSERT DATES
 Home objects vocabulary
 Asking the landlord to fix a problem
 Talking about what people do every day
 Money (bills)
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