Class Descriptions Learn English in Austin, Texas!
CORE CLASSES GRAMMAR and CONVERSATION Learn to write - and speak - with correct English grammar! If grammar is challenging for you, or you feel like you don’t have enough opportunities to speak English, then this class is for you. We’ve put together these two skills so that you can learn grammar, and then immediately use it to talk about all kinds of different topics. We know that sentence structure and verb tenses can seem boring sometimes, but in this class, because you can put your grammar to use in a dynamic way, it’s actually fun! Even better - because you will be practicing in small groups and pairs, you’ll be sharing your opinions and personal stories, so you will get to know your classmates and make friends! LISTENING and DISCUSSION We know that listening is often one of the hardest things to do in a new language. What people say can be very different than what you see in your grammar and reading books! The key to improving your listening is practice, and in this class, you’ll get a lot of practice listening to many things, such as TV shows, radio interviews, parts of movies, music and lectures. You’ll also have time to talk about what you heard and learn new vocabulary while you’re learning about American culture. WRITING and READING This class combines two complementary skills and helps you to improve both of them! First, writing: It’s a big task, but we divide it into clear, understandable steps. You’ll start with the basics, like punctuation and capitalization, and then move to more challenging things such as transitions, voice, sentence structure and organization. And what about reading? You’ll be reading a variety of texts about different topics and learning to recognize some of the same elements you’re working on in your own writing. You’ll also learn how to find and understand main ideas, details, and the author’s goal and point of view, and learn new vocabulary from context. Whether you want to improve your writing and reading for personal, work or academic reasons, this class is for you. TOEFL iBT and IELTS Are you planning to enter an American college or university? Do you need to pass the TOEFL iBT or IELTS? We know that passing these tests is not easy to do by yourself, so we’re here to help! Our teachers will guide you step-by-step through all of the necessary skills and strategies for whichever test you are preparing for – with lots of practice inside of class and out - and give you the ability and confidence to get the score you need. We want to see you reach your educational goals! These classes are offered in place Listening and Discussion, and Writing and Reading.
ELECTIVE CLASSES *Note: Elective class offerings may vary each term based on student demand and need.
AUSTIN EXPLORER Are you new to Austin? Or maybe you have been in Austin for a while, but you haven’t seen much of the city? This class gives you an opportunity to learn more about Austin. Class hours are devoted to reading, listening, writing and talking about history and culture - of Austin, Texas and the US - and several hours each month are spent outside Austin. Some things you might explore: museums, the University of Texas campus, Austin landmarks and cultural spots. CREATIVE WRITING If you like to write, but want to do more than the usual 5-paragraph academic essay, this is the class for you! You will learn about and then write: short stories, shorts scenes for a movie or TV show, monologues, poetry, comic strips, journals, biographies, and a variety of different kinds of fun essays. As a final class project, you will work to create an AIA magazine to share with the school. PRONUNCIATION English pronunciation can be difficult, but we will help you to improve yours in a fun, productive environment. You will learn about how speech sounds are made and then practice those sounds, but you’ll also learn about and practice intonation, word and sentence stress, and linking words together - one of the things that makes listening hard! Finally, you’ll get an understanding of the phonetic alphabet and how to use it on your own. This class will help you in all your other classes, and any time you use spoken English. FILM STUDIES Everybody loves watching movies! In this class, you will watch movies of course, and really work on your listening skills. In addition, you will practice your speaking and writing skills because you will discuss, write about and analyze films. There will be articles to read about the topics and themes of the films, so you can better understand them. Finally, you’ll also learn a little bit about the film-making process. JOURNALISM Being a journalist is an exciting job - and we think learning about it is exciting too! Some people think that being a journalist only involves writing, but in fact, before any writing can take place, a journalist has to read and listen to information, and talk to people to get their stories - and that is exactly what you will learn to do in this class! You will not only learn about journalism, but you will practice being a journalist. There will be a final class project that will involve one or several aspects of being a journalist. IDIOMS Did you know there are approximately 25,000 idiomatic expressions in the English language? If you want to read and listen to native speakers of English, and use English comfortably when speaking and writing informally, you will need to understand some idiom expressions. Taking an Idioms class will increase your confidence and add to the things that you are learning in other classes, and you’ll do lots of fun exercises to help you learn! INTRODUCTION to WRITING & RESEARCH If you plan to study in an American college or university, research-paper writing is one of the skills that you will definitely need. This class will focus on the entire research process: developing ideas, collecting, reading and analyzing academic articles, creating an outline, drafting and writing a final paper, and citing sources. You will also get help using appropriate grammar structures, vocabulary, and transition words and phrases. LANGUAGE and CULTURE Have you studied English for a while, but feel like you still have so much to learn about American culture and life? Then you will love this class! It’s fun, it’s dynamic, and it’s full of all sorts of interesting topics and activities. You’ll read and react to a variety of different kinds of texts, you’ll listen to and analyze things such as films, documentaries, TED Talks, TV programs and music, and you’ll explore Austin’s culture in several off-campus excursions. Along the way, you’ll learn lots of new vocabulary, compare different dialects of English pronunciation, and work on class projects that end with culture-focused presentations. VOCABULARY and CONVERSATION You can’t learn English without learning vocabulary! If you are a lower-level English learner, this class is for you. You will learn about 300-350 new vocabulary words from a variety of areas of life, and use them to talk about topics such as food and restaurants, shopping, professional services, sightseeing, entertainment, and activities. With the vocabulary you learn and practice in this class, you will feel more prepared for your other classes, and be able to talk more confidently with native speakers. ENGLISH for PROFESSIONALS Are you a business professional, or hope to be one in the future? This class will help you learn how to communicate orally and in writing, in a professional way. You will learn how to write business emails, how to make PowerPoint and other presentations, how to use Excel spreadsheets, and how to create a resume and cover letter, and how to arrange a virtual meeting. You will discuss business concepts such as marketing and management, and you will also work on building your professional network. PRE-TOEFL Are you planning to take the TOEFL test, but don’t have enough English ability to take AIA’s TOEFL iBT class? This class will introduce you to the structure and timing of the test, and show you what is required in all four skill areas that are tested. You will do in-class and out-of-class practice with many TOEFL-style questions in addition to other kinds of exercises that will help you increase your reading, listening, writing and speaking skills, and help you reach your goal of passing the TOEFL. LITERATURE If you like to read, but want to read more than what you can find in a typical textbook, then you would enjoy this class. You will read a variety of different types of short stories, from many different authors, organized around different themes. Some semesters there is a short novel as well. In addition to reading the stories, you will also watch and listen to videos about the authors and story themes. At the end of the semester, there is a class trip to a famous author's home that's now a museum.