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Colleges and Schools

Program Requirements

Required Semester Hours: 18

Required Courses

Six classes are required for the ESL endorsement. These courses are available to both undergraduate and graduate students; undergraduate course are 3000-level, graduate courses are 5000-level. Click on a course title below to read the description for that class.

The purpose of this course is to observe and assist a teacher in an ESL school setting for a minimum total of 100 clock hours. The requirements for this course may also be met through certification of three months of teaching experience with ESL students. Only those who have verification by a principal or other administrators of three months of teaching ESL students prior to entering the program may take this for no credit. To be taken at the end of the five-course ESL course sequence.


Introduction to the basic principles of linguistics, the study of human language. Origins of language; what it means to know a language; comparisons of the difficulty levels of different languages; how children acquire language and common threads that may connect languages will be explored.


Exploration of various aspects of the relationship between language and society. Culture, sex differences, communities, dialects, and speech will be examined.


Philosophical and theoretical considerations for teaching a second language. An explanation of theories as well as comparisons among the different theories of teaching a second language will be explored. The student will build a personal framework for teaching a second language. Kindergarten through high school student populations will be the focus of attention including design and sequencing of ESL courses.


Assessment techniques of ESL students and bilingual students. Different types of assessment instruments, the theoretical viewpoints of these instruments, and testing procedures in general will be discussed. Assessment of all levels of proficiency and grade levels will be considered.


Introduction to the various methods of teaching a second language in K-12 based on the philosophies and theories that were presented in 3603. Strategies used when working with ESL or second language students and exposure to the issues of multicultural diversity and socioeconomic diversity.


The purpose of this course is to observe and assist a teacher in an ESL school setting for a minimum total of 100 clock hours. The requirements for this course may also be met through verification of three months of teaching experience with ESL students. Only those who have verification by a principal or other administrators of three months of teaching ESL students prior to entering the program may take this for no credit. To be taken at the end of the five-course ESL sequence.


Introduction to the basic principles of linguistics, the study of human language. Origins of language, what it means to know a language, comparisons of the difficulty levels of different languages, how children acquire language, and common threads that may connect languages will be explored.


Exploration of various aspects of the relationship between language and society. Culture, sex differences, communities, dialects, and speech will be examined.


Philosophical and theoretical considerations for teaching a second language. An explanation of theories as well as comparisons among the different theories of teaching a second language will be explored. The student will build a personal framework for teaching a second language. Kindergarten through high school student populations will be the focus of attention, including design and sequencing of ESL courses.


Assessment techniques of ESL students and bilingual students. Different types of assessment instruments, the theoretical viewpoints of these instruments and testing procedures in general will be discussed. Assessment of all levels of proficiency and grade levels will be considered.


Introduction to the various methods of teaching a second language in K-12 based on the philosophies and theories presented in 5603. Strategies used when working with ESL or second language students and exposure to the issues of multicultural diversity and socioeconomic diversity.

For full course descriptions view our academic catalog.

Academic Catalog