1. What does the American Language Course (ALC) consist of?

The General English materials of the ALC consist of Books 1-34. Each book consists of an instructional package which includes an instructor text, student text, audiotapes or audio CDs, instructor language laboratory activities book, student language laboratory activities book, training aids (such as flashcards, videotapes, IMI CD-ROMs), book quizzes, and performance tests.

2. What does a student text consist of?

Each student text has four lessons and one review lesson. There is a focus page at the beginning of each lesson which illustrates the objectives that will be covered in the lesson. Daily homework activities and evaluation exercises are a part of each book. Each student text also has appendices which provide information such as a word list, a glossary, a structure list, a list of the principal parts of irregular verbs, important spelling rules, etc.

3. What does an instructor text consist of?

In addition to containing all the information found in the student text, each instructor text contains the lesson objectives, notes to the instructor, learning activity descriptions (which provide the instructor suggestions on how to conduct a particular activity), enrichment activities, and suggested answers to all the activities.

4. What do the language laboratory activities consist of?

The language laboratory activities support the objectives in the lesson and require active student participation. Students may be required to speak, take notes, follow directions, etc. The language laboratory activities include some authentic listening materials; students are provided with the correct answers to the activities.

5. What are the Nonintensive materials?

The Nonintensive materials of the American Language Course (ALC) incorporate the best of the intensive ALC and are designed for use in programs where students may study only two or three days a week. There are four volumes; each volume has 30-32 lessons which take about two to three hours to complete. There are about 30 minutes of homework activities to accompany each lesson, and there are also audiotapes and audio CDs with accompanying language laboratory activities. Volumes 3 and 4 include learning strategies linked to the skills.