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Within Cornerstone’s Graduated ESL Program, students are given two streams to choose from: General ESL (20 hours/week) and Intensive ESL (28 hours / week). Those who register for the Intensive ESL stream qualify for afternoon classes from 1:30PM to 3:40PM.
Depending on level, these afternoon elective classes are mandatory or optional. Lower level students are required to take reading, writing and discussion (Talk, Read & Write A/B) afternoon class to create a solid base for all skills, while intermediate to higher level students have a choice between specifically designed elective classes, suited to needs and interests of those at those levels. As demand increases, new elective classes are added.
LOWER LEVELS
- Talk, Read & Write A
Graduated ESL Levels: Level 1 (mandatory) & Level 2 (optional)
Frequency: Monthly (according to student enrolment)
Students in this class learn basic reading skills like alphabetical order and paragraph comprehension as well as necessary visual skills like reading a menu, map, transit schedule, traffic signs, medical directions and other labels. Writing skills involve capitalization, punctuation, filling out forms, writing sentences, beginning paragraphs and understanding addresses.
- Talk, Read & Write B
Graduated ESL Levels: Level 2 (optional) & Level 3 (mandatory)
Frequency: Monthly (according to student enrolment)
Students in the class become familiar with useful parts of English dictionaries, graphs and charts, newspaper sections, word families and gain an increasing understanding of stories and articles. Writing skills include taking messages, writing personal letters and emails, leaving instructions and describing situations.
Frequency: Monthly (according to student enrolment)
Students in the class become familiar with useful parts of English dictionaries, graphs and charts, newspaper sections, word families and gain an increasing understanding of stories and articles. Writing skills include taking messages, writing personal letters and emails, leaving instructions and describing situations.
INTERMEDIATE LEVELS
Graduated ESL Levels: Optional for Levels 4 and 5
Frequency: Rotating
Frequency: Rotating
- Talk, Read & Write C
Students in this class are encouraged to read more challenging articles and stories in order to comprehend meaning, extend vocabulary and recognize tonality. Building upon topics from the previous two levels, students are also taught how to organize information in paragraphs and essays, as well as take notes from a lecture and increase variety in their sentence structure.
- Pronunciation C
Students go over the basics of native-speaker pronunciation including how to use the phonetic alphabet of dictionaries (particularly Cornerstone’s IPACAC, which is based largely on the Oxford ESL Dictionary), basic vowel sounds, consonant and consonant combination sounds, contractions and natural stress in sentences.
- Speech Communications
This is a public speaking class. One purpose of the course is to help students develop confidence when speaking before a group—something that can be very difficult even when speaking in one’s native language. Another is to master the basics of informative and persuasive speaking. Topics covered include speech preparation, eye contact, gestures and voice projection. Additionally, students learn to present in a coherent and organized fashion, to listen critically and to lead group discussions.
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Grammar
This is an Intermediate to Upper-Intermediate course designed to enhance and enrich students’ understanding of English grammar in a dynamic and communicative manner.Each lesson focuses on a different grammar point, combining theory, practice and communication.
- Everyday Situations
Communicating comfortably outside the classroom is the goal of most ESL students and one of the most challenging and enriching goals to attain. Every person who has lived abroad and studied a second language has experienced trouble communicating in common everyday situations, whether it be talking to a sales clerk in a shop, meeting a friend of a friend, chatting with a home-stay family member or negotiating with one’s landlord. This class teaches students the language and attitudes necessary to successfully negotiate the many practical situations encountered during their time in Canada.
- Idioms & Expressions C
This intermediate level course is designed to increase students’ familiarity with basic colloquial English expressions so common in everyday life. Usage and meaning of idioms and slang drawn from a variety of sources—newspapers, movies, readings and textbooks—are studied and practiced in communicative activities. Students teach each other and vocabulary is reviewed continuously. Students gain a greater understanding of the scope of idiomatic expressions and feel more comfortable about the when, where and how of using them.
HIGHER LEVELS
Graduated ESL Levels: Optional for Levels 6, 7 and 8
Frequency: Rotating
Frequency: Rotating
- Talk, Read & Write D
Students in this class move onto reading skills that are typically challenging to grasp without explicit instruction such as figures of speech, poetry, magazine articles, tonality, sentiment, humour and inferences. From a written point-of-view, students are challenged to understand the differences between incoherence and cohesion, ambiguity and clarity, hooks and loose ends, implying and inference as well as academic essays and editorial articles.
- Pronunciation D
Students review topics from the lower level class as well as practice complex vowel and consonant combinations, how stress influences letter sounds, common reductions in natural speech, forced stress in sentences and intonation depending on meaning.
- News, Issues & Debates
Everyone loves a good argument, so this is the course to prove and exercise the ability to give, support and persuade others of opinions. Current topics taken from daily news, magazines and television are discussed with an emphasis on vocabulary to increase student’s abilities to discuss social topics. Students are also given choices as to topics to be discussed, creating a high-interest atmosphere for conversation and learning.
- English from Entertainment
Students are surrounded by infinite channels in which to learn English, but do they take advantage of them? Do they know how to utilize these channels? This course offers students an insight into how to learn autonomously through media like television programs, movies, magazines, newspapers and even advertisements. Teachers introduce how to make the most of the opportunity students have of living in an English-speaking environment through fun and interesting lessons all taken from real material found all around the city.
- Idioms & Expressions D
This higher level course is designed to increase students’ familiarity with more advanced colloquial English expressions so common in everyday life. Usage and meaning of idioms and slang drawn from a variety of sources—newspapers, movies, readings and textbooks—are studied and practiced in communicative activities. Students teach each other and vocabulary is reviewed continuously. Students gain a greater understanding of the scope of idiomatic expressions and feel more comfortable about the when, where and how of using them.
- The Job Interview
Open to students enrolled in Hospitality Management & Business ESL before those in Graduated ESL
With many countries now requiring superior English communication in the workplace, Cornerstone offers students the opportunity to learn how to successfully pass a job interview. Topics include résumé and cover letter writing, do’s and don’ts for behaviour and special techniques recommended for answering the most common and difficult interview questions. Students are given specific guidelines for and gain valuable practice in numerous interview scenarios, preparing them for getting that desired position. Course content is all original Cornerstone material, based on expert opinion from various texts and websites.
- Business Presentations
Open to students enrolled in Business ESL before those in Graduated ESL
This high level class involves students in preparing, giving and attending business presentations. Students gain extensive practice with being professional, working with body language and voice tone and common techniques used by executives. Students also learn how to conduct themselves efficiently in a team setting in order to accomplish a goal. Course content is largely original Cornerstone material, though some lessons are taken or adapted from Presenting in English (Mackenzie).
- International Business
Open to students enrolled in Business ESL before those in Graduated ESL
Weekly meetings are held in this class, which simulates working for an international business, familiarizing students with the responsibilities of each participant in the meeting, including the chairperson, the treasurer, the secretary and many others. Business topics and cases are studied for language and experience and are later used as the basis for meetings. Students gain knowledge of business concepts, conducting meetings, business correspondence and note-taking as well as practice of clear pronunciation and intonation. This course uses the textbook Making Business Decisions: Real Cases from Real Companies (Boyd).
Weekly meetings are held in this class, which simulates working for an international business, familiarizing students with the responsibilities of each participant in the meeting, including the chairperson, the treasurer, the secretary and many others. Business topics and cases are studied for language and experience and are later used as the basis for meetings. Students gain knowledge of business concepts, conducting meetings, business correspondence and note-taking as well as practice of clear pronunciation and intonation. This course uses the textbook Making Business Decisions: Real Cases from Real Companies (Boyd).
- Marketing & Advertising
Open to students enrolled in Business ESL before those in Graduated ESL
The goal of this course is to equip students with the tools they need in order to create a theoretical marketing strategy for a product or service. Students are introduced to marketing and advertising vocabulary and expressions as well as concepts like the 4 P’s (product, pricing, place and promotion). Students’ language ability and confidence in speaking increases as they work within a team and explain their ideas coherently to others in a convincing manner. Course content is largely original Cornerstone material, though some lessons are taken or adapted from English for Marketing & Advertising (Gore).
The goal of this course is to equip students with the tools they need in order to create a theoretical marketing strategy for a product or service. Students are introduced to marketing and advertising vocabulary and expressions as well as concepts like the 4 P’s (product, pricing, place and promotion). Students’ language ability and confidence in speaking increases as they work within a team and explain their ideas coherently to others in a convincing manner. Course content is largely original Cornerstone material, though some lessons are taken or adapted from English for Marketing & Advertising (Gore).