BCI is authorized under federal law to enroll nonimmigrant
alien students.

ESL Level I

The ESL Level I class focuses on providing the English-language student with the fundamentals of
English grammar. The basics are explored in preparation for the students’ advancing to an intermediate
level of study.

Students are given the opportunity in class to work with the various sounds of the language, using
tongue twisters and other reading material for in-class practice. An emphasis is placed on learning
the correct sounds and pronunciation early on, so that subsequent studies are more readily accessible.

At the same time as the grammar basics are being absorbed, students participate in a number of
sentence structure games, grammar games, and conversation and listening activities to strengthen
their listening, reading, writing, and thinking skills.

Opportunities for cultural and practical field trips are ample, with recent trips including a visit to the
Los Angeles Zoo, Griffith Park and other neighboring parks, and frequent invitations from the
Long Beach Shakespeare Company to see theatrical productions at their very own Richard Goad
Theatre. Practical trips to grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail establishments are also
implemented to give students a chance to use English in real-life situations.

The ESL Level I class works from the Azar Basic English Grammar Text, Second Edition.

ESL Level II

This course builds on the English skills that BCI students have learned in the basic-level course.

The intermediate course focuses on all four skills necessary for mastery of a foreign language:
listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students practice listening with authentic native materials:
movies, television shows, and songs are three sources that introduce current vocabulary and idioms.
Students practice speaking through extensive role-plays. In class, we read a combination of authentic
native materials, such as newspaper articles and short stories, in addition to level-graded materials developed specifically for English-language learners. Writing practice usually consists of short essays
and dialogues analyzing reading materials.

In addition, the intermediate course features an intense focus on grammar in several areas that
English learners often find particularly troublesome. The course highlights the consistent and correct
use of articles (a, an, the, some); verb tenses in contrast to one another (present perfect vs.
simple past tense); and passive vs. active voice, to name three particularly nettlesome areas.

ESL Level III

The goal of this course is to master American English grammar through reading, writing, and speaking
exercises and by acquiring an exhaustive vocabulary. Students should expect a demanding but
rewarding class.

While mastery of grammar is paramount, it is the wide application of grammar that makes this class
unique. Films, novellas, short stories, and poems will be examined and discussed in the Classics
section of the course. In the Topical section, newspapers, weeklies, and monthlies will be addressed
not only to understand the official daily log in action but also to prompt critical thinking, compositions,
and oral reports concerning events of the day. The point here is to become comfortable with journalism
and its defining impact as the standard for daily communication. In the Business section of the course,
we will learn to navigate the idiomatic language and culture of the American professional world.

Concurrent with and integrated into the grammar exercises, the films screened will include Chinatown,
Network, The Insider, Taxi Driver, Zodiac, and many others to be discussed. The literature will include
the Steinbeck novellas The Pearl and The Red Pony and an array of short stories and poems by Edgar
Allan Poe. The musical genre of the blues will also be examined in its origins and history through
studying artists and songs including Muddy Waters, the Rolling Stones, and others.

TOEFL

The four essential skills for language development and proficiency (listening, speaking, reading,
and writing) are emphasized in this particular class. The current TOEFL examination, the TOEFL
IBT,mandates that all test takers demonstrate proficiency in the four essential skills in order to
receivehigh scores in each section of this examination. Since the examination is divided into
four sections, and each accounts for 25% of the total score, this class emphasizes the skills
needed in order to pass the reading, writing, speaking and listening sections of the TOEFL IBT
so that students will be successful in accomplishing their goals.

This TOEFL course designates approximately five to five and a half hours of instruction four times
a week and lasts approximately 12 weeks, starting at 9:30 a.m. and ending between 3:45 and
4:15 p.m. Recently published TOEFL test prep textbooks for the TOEFL listening, speaking, reading,
and writing sections are used and reinforced throughout the class. Examinations in this class are
performance-based and emphasize the usage of TOEFL test concepts and methods.
A strong background in American English is highly recommended.

TOEFL I
This course is designed for students who have not taken the TOEFL before and need to understand
the test-taking process while they improve their English. All sections of the TOEFL are covered in a
small classroom setting. Throughout the course, the latest practice tests are given weekly and each
student works to improve his or her score. Students practice daily on the computers in the TOEFL
classroom. [ PRICING ]

TOEFL II
This course is designed for the repeat TOEFL taker who wants to improve his or her score. The
instructor works on the specific area(s) of trouble for each student and practice tests are given
weekly using the latest materials and computer software. The parts of the TOEFL that have given
the students trouble will be thoroughly explored; students can obtain a vastly improved score. [ PRICING ]

Friday Speech Class

On Fridays at BCI, all levels of English language students come together to hone their speaking
and pronunciation skills. Students are given the opportunity in class to work with the various
sounds of the language, using tongue twisters and other reading material for in-class practice.

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is implemented to help the students differentiate the
subtleties among English sounds. An emphasis is placed on learning the correct sounds and their
pronunciations, so that subsequent studies are more readily accessible. Emphasis is also placed
on intonation and inflection in interpretation to prepare the students to better speak and understand
English in any situation. Course material includes American short stories, poetry, monologues,
dialogues, and movies when appropriate.

For more information please feel free to contact us.