English as a Second Language
42 courses · El Camino College · 2026-2027 Catalog
Classes: Fall 2026 · Winter 2027 · Spring 2027
NESL 02A Grammar and Conversation Level I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- concurrent enrollment in NESL 03A
This Level I grammar and conversation course provides English practice through listening, speaking, reading and writing activities. Emphasis is on the verb "to be" in the present and past tenses and the simple present tense of action verbs. Other topics covered are nouns, adjectives and prepositions.
NESL 02B Grammar and Conversation Level II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment or completion of NESL 02A and concurrent enrollment in NESL 03B
This Level II conversation and grammar course provides practice in English through listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities. Emphasis is on prepositions of time, possessive nouns and adjectives, present progressive and simple past tense, helping verbs, imperatives, and punctuation rules.
NESL 02C Conversation and Grammar Level III
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment or completion of NESL 02A and NESL 02B and concurrent enrollment in NESL 03C
This Level III conversation and grammar course provides extensive focused practice on English grammar forms and structures through listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities. Emphasis is on past, present, and future verb tenses, and gerunds and infinitives.
NESL 02D Conversation and Grammar Level IV
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment or completion of NESL 02C and concurrent enrollment in NESL 03D
This Level IV conversation and grammar course provides focused practice on English grammar forms and structures through listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities. Emphasis is on count and non-count nouns, including quantifiers; modals expressing advice, requests, desires, offers, and necessity; and the comparison forms of adjectives and adverbs.
NESL 03A Reading and Writing Level I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- concurrent enrollment in NESL 02A
This beginning Level I reading and writing course is designed to develop basic reading skills, expand vocabulary, and develop basic writing skills. Students will move from sentence-level writing to short descriptive and chronologically-ordered paragraphs.
NESL 03B Reading and Writing Level II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment or completion of NESL 03A and concurrent enrollment in NESL 02B
This Level II reading and writing course is designed to improve reading comprehension, increase vocabulary, and improve critical thinking and writing skills. Students will write descriptive, biographical, narrative, and subjective paragraphs.
NESL 03C Reading and Writing Level III
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment or completion of NESL 03B and concurrent enrollment in NESL 02C
This intermediate reading and writing course is designed to improve reading comprehension, increase vocabulary, and improve critical thinking and writing skills. Students will write paragraphs using chronological order, emphatic order, and spatial order.
NESL 03D Reading and Writing Level IV
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment or completion of NESL 03C and concurrent enrollment in NESL 02D
This advanced reading and writing course is designed to provide students with strategies to improve reading comprehension and writing skills. Reading practice activities will be presented to increase vocabulary, to use context for determining meaning of texts, and to develop critical thinking skills. In writing, students will study a variety of grammatical structures and transitional expressions to help generate simple expository paragraphs.
NESL 04A ESL for Healthcare I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 03D
Designed for intermediate ESL learners, this course helps prepare students for careers in healthcare. Students gain a general knowledge of healthcare settings, careers, and terminology including the major body systems and their basic functions.
NESL 04B ESL for Healthcare II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 04A
This second course in a two-course sequence develops the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills of intermediate ESL students seeking a career in the healthcare field. Emphasis is on terminology and communication skills for interacting with patients and professionals in the medical field. Topics include communication, safety, medical emergencies, first aid, and pharmacology.
NESL 05A ESL for Childhood Educators I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 03D
This first course in a two-course sequence prepares intermediate-level ESL students for a career in childcare, with special emphasis on vocabulary and entry-level skill acquisition as well as familiarity with common phrases for interacting with English speaking children, staff, and parents. Topics include basic childcare vocabulary, communicating about children, preventing incidents, reporting incidents, and treating illnesses and minor injuries. This course prepares students for the Childhood Education credit program.
NESL 05B ESL for Childhood Educators II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 05A
This is the second course in a two-course sequence that prepares intermediate-level ESL students for a career in childcare, with special emphasis on vocabulary and entry level skill acquisition as well as familiarity with common phrases for interacting with English speaking children, staff, and parents. Topics include infant development, toddler development, preschooler development, and school-age child development. This course prepares students for the Childhood Education credit program.
NESL 06 English for Specific Uses
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
This noncredit ESL course is intended for students wanting to improve their English language skills related to specific careers and academic fields. Students will receive instruction in writing, reading, speaking, and vocabulary building related to a particular career or academic subject. Subsequent enrollment in an additional semester will provide students with an opportunity for continued skills and competency development within the subject matter.
NESL 07A ESL for Math I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 03D
ESL for Math I helps students acquire the English necessary to do basic math. Students practice their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills related to math concepts such as numbers, measurement, addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. This course provides ESL support for students who plan to take or who concurrently take MATH 12, MATH 23, or MATH 37.
NESL 07B ESL for Math II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 03D
ESL for Math II helps students acquire the English necessary to succeed in algebra and geometry courses. Students practice their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills related to algebra and geometry. This course provides ESL support for students who plan to take or who concurrently take MATH 40, MATH 60, MATH 67, MATH 73, and MATH 80.
NESL 07C ESL for Math III
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 03D
ESL for Math III helps students acquire the English necessary for statistics courses offered at El Camino College. Students practice their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills related to statistical concepts. This course provides ESL support for students who plan to take or who concurrently take MATH 150 (now STAT C1000) or MATH 67.
NESL 08 ESL for Medical Terminology
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ESL 52A
In this high-intermediate ESL course students study key medical terms in anatomy and physiology and vocabulary for diseases, symptoms, procedures, common medical tests, and abbreviations. Emphasis is placed on word parts (prefixes, roots, and suffixes), pronunciation, and spelling. Students practice listening to and reading medical terms as well as utilizing them in writing and in speech. This course provides ESL support for students who plan to take or who concurrently take Medical Terminology I.
NESL 09A ESL for Anatomy and Physiology I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 08
This first course in a two-course sequence prepares high-intermediate to advanced ESL students for credit anatomy and physiology courses. Several body systems and their functions as well as the basics of chemistry and cell biology are covered with reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities. Emphasis is on pronunciation, spelling, and study skills useful for success in healthcare programs. This course provides ESL support for students who plan to take or who concurrently take ANAT 30, ANAT 32, Anatomy and Physiology 34A, and Anatomy and Physiology 34B.
NESL 09B ESL for Anatomy and Physiology II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 09A
This second course in a two-course sequence prepares high-intermediate to advanced ESL students for credit anatomy and physiology courses. Blood, body defenses, and the digestive, cardiovascular, respiratory, urinary, and reproductive body systems and their functions are covered with reading, writing, speaking, and listening activities. Emphasis on pronunciation and spelling for success in healthcare programs. This course provides ESL support for students who plan to take or who concurrently take ANAT 30, ANAT 32, Anatomy and Physiology 34A, and Anatomy and Physiology 34B
NESL 10 ESL for Radiological Technology I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- ESL 51A
This course is designed to help intermediate to advanced ESL learners acquire the listening and speaking skills necessary for communicating in the radiography field. Emphasis is on communicating with fellow radiographers and radiologists, other healthcare workers, and clients and their families. This course provides ESL support for students who plan to take or who concurrently take Radiologic Technology A
NESL 11 English Support Course
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 12 hours TBA
- Advisory
- NESL 51B, NESL 52B, and NESL 53B
This noncredit course is designed to help non-native speakers of English with the reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills necessary for success in a content course at El Camino College. Students will learn how to use content-specific vocabulary and grammatical structures so that they can participate in course lectures, labs, and group activities as well as comprehend content-specific texts, lectures, and instructions. They will also learn writing skills germane to the content area such as lab reports, essays, and research papers. Note: The content of this course varies depending upon the content-area course it supports.
NESL 51A Introduction to English in Conversation
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment
This introductory course is designed to increase a student's English-speaking and comprehension skills in a supportive atmosphere. The course includes cross-cultural communication topics, role play and other small group activities, introduction to common American idioms and expressions, pronunciation exercises designed to improve intelligibility, and listening comprehension practice. The content of NESL 51A, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 51A, a credit course. NESL 51A shall be offered with ESL 51A as a dual-roster course.
NESL 51B Intermediate Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 51A with a grade of Pass or ESL 51A with a minimum grade of C or qualification by assessment
Students in this course gain greater confidence and skill in listening and speaking English by participating in activities such as listening to mini-lectures and taking notes, presenting impromptu speeches, prepared speeches, and oral reports; conducting surveys and interviews; role playing; and discussing and debating controversial topics. Students improve their pronunciation, intonation and stress, listening comprehension, and knowledge of idiomatic expressions and American culture and humor. The content of NESL 51B, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 51B, a credit course. NESL 51B shall be offered with ESL 51B as a dual-roster course.
NESL 51C Noncredit Advanced Listening, Speaking and Pronunciation
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 51B with a grade of Pass or ESL 51B with a minimum grade of C or qualification by assessment
This course provides instruction in listening and speaking, emphasizing oral communication, pronunciation, and idiomatic expressions in a multi-cultural academic setting. Students practice listening to and taking notes on lectures from across the curriculum such as history, business, and science, and other listening material. Students present research-based speeches and participate in group discussions and panel presentations. The content of NESL 51C, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 51C, a credit course. NESL 51C shall be offered with ESL 51C as a dual-roster course.
NESL 52A Introduction to Reading and Vocabulary Building
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment
This is an introductory course designed to transfer literacy in the first language to English by building basic reading skills and expanding vocabulary. Through the use of reading texts, reading kits, main idea exercises, and skimming and scanning activities, the foundation skills are developed through regular application. The aim of the course is to identify and reinforce good reading habits and to free students from over-dependence on dictionaries with a focus on context as key to meaning. The content of NESL 42A, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 52A, a credit course. NESL 42A shall be offered with ESL 52A as a dual-roster course.
NESL 52B Intermediate Reading and Vocabulary Building
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 52A with a grade of Pass or ESL 52A with a minimum grade of C or qualification by assessment
This is an intermediate level course designed to teach appropriate reading skills, such as the ability to make inferences, draw conclusions, understand the meaning of vocabulary words in context through word analysis and contextual clues, and determine the main idea from a passage. Students read from a variety of sources, including newspapers, essays, short stories, and novels. Students also increase their academic vocabulary through vocabulary building activities.
NESL 52C Advanced Reading
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 52B with a grade of Pass or ESL 52B with a minimum grade of C or qualification by assessment
This advanced-level reading course teaches interpretive, critical, and analytical reading skills for closer reading and better understanding of fiction and nonfiction works. It includes an indepth study of a novel, and the terminology necessary to discuss and write critically about works of various genres. Students also increase their vocabulary through vocabulary building activities. The content of NESL 52C, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 52B, a credit course. NESL 52C shall be offered with ESL 52C as a dual-roster course.
NESL 53A Elementary Writing and Grammar
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- qualification by assessment
This beginning level academic composition course offers students an intensive writing experience. Students will write well-organized and coherent paragraphs, transitioning to multi-paragraph essays. Students will identify and address grammar problems in their writing. The content of NESL 53A, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 53A, a credit course. ENSL 53A shall be offered with ESL 53A as a dual-roster course.
NESL 53B Intermediate Writing and Grammar
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 53A with a grade of Pass or ESL 53A with a minimum grade of C or qualification by assessment
This course offers students intensive experience in preparing to write college-level essays. Students will learn to write well organized, coherent expository essays, including critical reactions to reading. They will review basic rhetorical modes such as summary, narration, description and process, and will be introduced to the rhetorical modes of comparison-contrast and argumentation. Simple, progressive, and present perfect verbs, and other basic grammar rules will be reviewed, and passive voice, conditionals, past perfect, perfect modals, and other intermediate grammar topics will be introduced. The content of NESL 53B, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 53B, a credit course. NESL 53B shall be offered with ESL 53B as a dual-roster course.
NESL 53C Advanced Writing and Grammar
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 53B with a grade of Pass or ESL 53B with a minimum grade of C or qualification by assessment
- Advisory
- NESL 52B or ESL 52B
This course strengthens college-level writing skills in preparation for English 1A for students learning English as a second language. Students read articles, essays, poetry, and works of fiction or non-fiction which are of literary and cultural importance. Students practice and further develop advanced grammar and sentence skills. Students utilize research strategies and Modern Language Association (MLA) style to write a thesis-driven, multi-source research paper. The content of NESL 53C, a noncredit course, is identical to the content of ESL 53C, a credit course. NESL 53C shall be offered with ESL 53C as a dual-roster course.
NESL 500 Supervised Tutoring: English Support Center
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 12 hours lab
This is a supervised tutoring course that provides English as a Second Language students with the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills necessary for success on the specific assignments and assessments in the courses for which they seek tutorial support.
NESL 504A ESL for Healthcare I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 lecture hours
- Advisory
- NESL 603
Designed for intermediate ESL learners, this course helps prepare students for careers in healthcare. Students gain a general knowledge of healthcare settings, careers, and terminology including the major body systems and their basic functions.
NESL 504B ESL for Healthcare II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 504A
This second course in a two-course sequence develops the listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills of intermediate ESL students seeking a career in the healthcare field. Emphasis is on terminology and communication skills for interacting with patients and professionals in the medical field. Topics include communication, safety, medical emergencies, first aid, and pharmacology.
NESL 505A ESL for Childhood Educators I
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 603
This first course in a two-course sequence prepares intermediate- level ESL students for a career in childcare, with special emphasis on vocabulary and entry-level skill acquisition as well as familiarity with common phrases for interacting with English speaking children, staff, and parents. Topics include basic childcare vocabulary, communicating about children, preventing incidents, reporting incidents, and treating illnesses and minor injuries. This course prepares students for the Childhood Education credit program.
NESL 505B ESL for Childhood Educators II
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 5 hours lecture
- Prerequisite
- NESL 505A
This is the second course in a two-course sequence that prepares intermediate-level ESL students for a career in childcare, with special emphasis on vocabulary and entry level skill acquisition as well as familiarity with common phrases for interacting with English speaking children, staff, and parents. Topics include infant development, toddler development, preschooler development, and school-age child development. This course prepares students for the Childhood Education credit program.
NESL 600 ESL Integrated Skills, Beginning Literacy
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 6 hours lecture
This open entry/open exit course is designed for adult language learners who possess limited to no proficiency in English. Students also may not possess literacy skills in their first language. The class will focus on basic vocabulary in English along with basic writing conventions and pronunciation. Students will start to build competency in all four language skills: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Course topics relate to everyday needs and include information related to community resources, the workplace, and lifelong learning opportunities. English language and civics topics are chosen each semester based on student needs.
NESL 601 ESL Integrated Skills, Beginning Low
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 6 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 600 or placement by assessment
This open entry/open exit course focuses on developing basic-level listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Students will acquire basic language forms and functions to help them access community resources, prepare for the workplace, and introduce them to lifelong learning opportunities.
NESL 602 ESL Integrated Skills, High Beginning
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 6 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 601 or qualification by assessment
This open entry/open exit course focuses on developing high beginning-level listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. It also involves competency-based learning to help students access community resources, prepare them for the workplace, and introduce them to lifelong learning.
NESL 603 ESL Integrated Skills, Intermediate Low
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 6 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 602 or qualification by assessment
This open entry/open exit course focuses on developing intermediate low-level listening, speaking, reading, and writing language skills. It also involves competency-based learning to help students access community resources, prepare them for the workplace and introduce them to lifelong learning opportunities.
NESL 604 ESL Integrated Skills, Intermediate High
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 6 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 603 or qualification by assessment
This is a four-skill language course using topics and information sources related to student need. Students will build English fluency in reading, writing, listening, and speaking by acquiring new vocabulary and applying learned grammatical structures. In this course, students will apply learned language skills to access community resources and become active community participants. Language practice is focused on helping students navigate the many ins and outs of their communities. Civics topics will be chosen each term based on the needs of the students. Note: This is an open entry/open exit course.
NESL 605 ESL Integrated Skills, Advanced
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 6 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 604 or qualification by assessment
This advanced, multi-skills course is designed to improve the English language skills of non-native speakers. The course focuses on listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The skills taught in this course prepare students to transition to post-secondary education and to function effectively as community members, parents, and participants in the workforce. Note: This is an open entry/open exit course.
NESL 606 Citizenship Preparation
- Units
- 0
- Hours
- 3 hours lecture
- Advisory
- NESL 603 or qualification by assessment
This intermediate/advanced ESL course prepares students for the US citizenship process. Students examine required forms for naturalization and prepare for the USCIS Citizenship Interview by practicing the USCIS Civics Questions, conversation strategies, and dictation. This course focuses on writing paragraphs with complex sentences while refining accuracy in speaking, listening, and pronunciation. Note: This is an open entry/open exit course.