• Course Introduction

        • Time: 10 hours
        • Free Certificate
        This course covers concepts prospective teachers should be proficient in to effectively teach the use of the English language. This course will prepare you for the English Language exam for teachers by considering how organization, structural choices, vocabulary, word use, and grammar impact the effectiveness of a student's writing. This course will also consider how tone, diction, and commonly confused terms can both enhance and detract from a reading passage or piece of original writing.

        Throughout the course, we will address strategies for taking the language exam to help you prepare. This course will help you develop your ability to recognize and correct common English language errors and evaluate how writing can improve for clarity and efficacy.

        This course is not intended to be your first exposure to, nor to teach language skills. This course is designed to provide an opportunity to practice and assess your grasp and mastery of standard middle to high school level subject matter. Should you discover that you need to learn or relearn the concepts presented in this course it is recommended that you take whichever of the courses in our ESL series that addresses your needs prior to attempting a teacher licensing exam. Read the course learning outcomes posted in the syllabi of each course to select the course that best suits your need.

        • Course Syllabus

          First, read the course syllabus. Then, enroll in the course by clicking "Enroll me". Click Unit 1 to read its introduction and learning outcomes. You will then see the learning materials and instructions on how to use them.

        • Unit 1: The Building Blocks of English

          Unit 1 introduces us to grammar structures. For many, English grammar is something they've been learning since grade school. Even when we feel like we know the rules well, a refresher can help us articulate the structure we're using. When we can name the structure, it's easier to identify and correct when not used appropriately. In this unit, we'll review grammar structures in general and then look at specific uses of parallelism, modifiers, and rhetorical modes. When employed correctly, these structures make a text easy for a reader to comprehend and clarify our ideas.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 1 hour.

        • Unit 2: Using Your Words

          Unit 2 considers the impact and efficiency of words. Throughout this unit, we'll look at how to find and use the best word for a particular situation. When the most appropriate word is used in a sentence, the meaning of that sentence is more clear to the reader. In this unit, we'll review context clues, tone, and diction – and the ways these elements influence word use. Being able to identify correct word use ultimately helps us write and edit effectively.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 2 hours.

        • Unit 3: Making It Clear

          Unit 3 looks at the proper use of specific grammar elements: verbs, pronouns, adjectives, and adverbs. Once we know the correct use of these words, we can edit a variety of texts. The last section of this unit reviews editing strategies to put this knowledge into practice. This unit presents definitions and examples of grammar structures that assist clarity and improve description. Appropriately applying these structures improves the accuracy of a text and the reader's ability to comprehend its meaning.

          Completing this unit should take you approximately 2 hours.


        • Course Feedback Survey

          Please take a few minutes to give us feedback about this course. We appreciate your feedback, whether you completed the whole course or even just a few resources. Your feedback will help us make our courses better, and we use your feedback each time we make updates to our courses.

          If you come across any urgent problems, email contact@saylor.org.

        • Certificate Final Exam

          Take this exam if you want to earn a free Course Completion Certificate.

          To receive a free Course Completion Certificate, you will need to earn a grade of 70% or higher on this final exam. Your grade for the exam will be calculated as soon as you complete it. If you do not pass the exam on your first try, you can take it again as many times as you want, with a 7-day waiting period between each attempt.

          Once you pass this final exam, you will be awarded a free Course Completion Certificate.