Penn Summer High School: English Language Academy

Overview

The English Language Academy is a 4 week program (July 5-August 1, 2009) that was created specifically for international high school students who are motivated to improve their English language and academic skills. All classes are small and taught by our expert instructors. Students are tested to determine intermediate or advanced placement.

Students in the English Language Academy will have frequent interactions with American high school students who are enrolled in other Penn Summer High School Programs through organized social activities and in the dormitories

In addition to a world class education, students can participate in numerous organized extracurricular activities, trips and excursions. Some possible activities include: trips to NYC, Washington DC, or Hershey Amusement Park, tours of historic Philadelphia, and DVD and game nights just to name a few.

Housing

All Penn Summer High School students live together in one on-campus residence hall – a special feature of our programs. This enables students and staff to develop a close-knit community living under one roof. In addition, this gives international students the opportunity to immerse themselves in American culture and practice their language skills with their American peers. In fact, it is our hope that each International student will be matched with an American roommate.

Students will be very closely supervised by staff. There will be several resident counselors who live with our students in the dorms. In addition, there will be daily and nightly sign-ins and room checks. And as with our other programs, the ELP staff is available to provide support and counsel to English Language Academy students.

Course Information

In terms of workload, this program is academically rigorous. Students will spend 25 per week in classes and labs.  Below is some more specific information about classes:

Intensive English (Intermediate Level)

Morning module: Students will work on improving their speaking/listening and reading/writing skills while exploring various themes that will engage them in critical thinking. Vocabulary expansion and pronunciation improvement will also be key parts of classroom activities. Opportunities will exist for students to interact with people and institutions in the Philadelphia community as part of their
learning process.

Afternoon module: Students will focus on grammar and the connection between grammar, context of use, and intended meaning. Students will examine real data and use it to test and refine the grammar rules they know, developing a more realistic understanding of how grammar works when people speak or write.

Academic Preparation (Advanced Level)

Morning module: Students will develop the reading skills needed to understand academic texts by exploring themes relevant to them. They will then improve their ability to write appropriate academic responses using information from these texts. A process writing approach that emphasizes idea exploration, drafting, revising, and editing will be introduced and used.

Afternoon module: Students will practice and become more familiar with the sections of the TOEFL test, which is used for placement in U.S. colleges. They will primarily focus on building up the academic skills needed to do well on the test.

Visas

Students attending the Penn Summer High School programs should apply for a tourist visa (B-Visa). For students from a visa waiver country, no visa is required.

Dates

July 5- August 1, 2009 (4 weeks)

Prices

$6,499 (includes tuition, housing, two meals daily Monday through Friday and Sunday [no meals Saturday], program fees, academic and enrichment programs, use of libraries and other facilities)

How to Apply

Apply online at http://www.sas.upenn.edu/lps/highschool/summer/apply.