This is the foundational course in the ESL series. At this level, a student may have no prior knowledge of English and will learn the basics, so they are able to communicate simple needs. Students will learn to communicate words and ideas and understand concepts when spoken slowly and clearly. They will also learn to recognize and write letters, numbers, short words, and very short, simple phrases related to everyday situations.

Students continue to build foundational skills and are learning to master the basics of English, so they can interact with others in a simple way. Students will learn how to use familiar everyday expressions, how to ask and answer questions about personal details, and how to write personal information. Students are beginning to guess the meaning of unknown words in texts and use visual clues. They are developing an understanding of simple language structures, everyday vocabulary, and can use these to construct simple sentences about personal experiences.

At this level, students are introduced to the language and skills needed to communicate and understand basic information about common everyday activities, experiences, wants and needs in small group settings. Students learn to identify the purpose, main ideas, and some specific details in texts, and also to write multi-sentence compositions with a developing understanding of spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.

Students are introduced to frequently used expressions related to their personal areas of interest, and are able to communicate in conversations and in simple forms of written communication. Students can understand key words, phrases and the overall meaning of short texts related to familiar topics. Students learn to use more complex grammatical structures, mechanics, and topic-specific vocabulary.

At this level, students learn to maintain small group discussions and build their fluency, developing strategies for responding to moderately complex communication styles and settings. Students also learn to describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes, and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans with clear pronunciation. Finally, students learn to identify the purpose, main ideas, important details, links between paragraphs, and styles in texts. The course builds on vocabulary and grammaticalstructures, so students are able to produce simple connected paragraphs on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.

Students learn to extract the main ideas from texts, and to engage in more complex discussions about their areas of interest. The course covers a range of vocabulary, which includes idioms and colloquial expressions. Students build fluency and spontaneity through regular interaction with other speakers. They produce clear, detailed writing on a wide range of subjects and learn to express their point of view by writing about a topical issue, citing the advantages and disadvantages of various options with proper mechanics.