ENGLISH IMMERSION FOR ADULTS
Three-week Courses: Summer, 2008
Rockland, Maine USA

JULY  5  to  26 and
AUGUST  2  to  23

The Penobscot School is a small non-profit language school in Rockland, Maine.  Throughout the year it offers language classes and international cultural learning events to adults and children in several communities along the coast of Maine.  Students and friends of the school take a special interest in meeting and helping adult students from around the world who come to learn English while living for three weeks in the town and community of Rockland. 

The special features of the English Immersion course are specifically directed to provide students with the results and benefits obtained by their active participation in all the activities that the course offers.

Features of English Immersion:

• Use English all day, every day, for three weeks.
• Speak English in different contexts – your host family, the classroom, group activities, the larger community.
• Speak English in many situations - shopping, cooking, meals, the telephone, open discussions, group trips, team projects, recreation, sports, social events, and cultural activities.
• Listen to others speaking English – both native and non-native speakers.
• Read English in different forms – newspapers, magazines, brochures, books, signs, directions, recipes, short articles for discussion, research for team projects, information about personal interests.
• Write English - for everyday forms of communication and for specific purposes.
• Live with a host family - sharing their unique family life in their community.
• Experience different teachers – who use a variety of teaching styles and give attention to the different needs of students.
• Participate in activities with fellow students - shared meals, planning activities, recreational trips, cultural events, exploring the community. 
• Live and learn in a town and community - where the pace of life allows people time to meet and talk with visitors.
• Experience learning in a natural and relaxed environment - “almost like a  vacation.”

Results and Benefits of the English Immersion

• Increase your confidence in speaking - in conversations and in groups.
• Use idiomatic, or everyday language, as used by native speakers of the USA.
• Clarify issues of grammar.
• Improve your pronunciation.
• Listen better to the variety of English speakers.
• Improve your comprehension.
• Think in English.
• Use colloquial words and phrases.
• Develop a more natural pace of speaking English.
• Increase your vocabulary -  functional, conversational, and even in areas of special interest to you.
• Acquire the language as it is used - in the home, in the community, in working with others, in recreational activities, in cultural events.
• Interact with people from other countries - using English as the common language.
• Interact with native speakers - who want to talk with you and learn about you and your country.
• Learn English with the culture that surrounds it.
• Develop friendships - with people in Maine and from around the world.
• Meet people who share your profession or a particular field of interest.
• Learn how to learn in an informal environment – where language happens.
• Learn through experience and participation.
• Have fun with others - fellow students, teachers, your host family, and members of the community.

 
What you will experience in the English Immersion Course:

The Goal:

Maximum English acquisition is the goal of the English Immersion.

We believe students learn best when relaxed, comfortable, and highly interested in the subject.  The human brain is designed for language learning and with proper stimulation can make extremely rapid progress.

The course provides a rich “surround” of language and the students acquire the language through listening, speaking, and active participation in all that surrounds them.

Classes:
There are 20 hours of classroom instruction each week.  Each session is limited to 18 adult students, age 21 or older.  The usual class size is 5 to 8 students. Students also have extensive informal contact with teachers.

The Homestay:
This is an important part of the immersion program. Each student lives with a host who offers a home because they want to meet you and to help you learn English and American culture.  On weekends students enjoy meals and share in the lives of their host families.

Meals:
Meals are a time for conversation and an important part of the immersion experience.  Students have breakfast with their hosts before coming to school.  Students eat together for lunch and dinner. 

The school encourages a cooperative and communal atmosphere.  Students in teams help with shopping, preparing and serving meals – all occasions for use of language.

Activities:
Students organize and participate in afternoon and weekend activities with teachers, hosts and friends, individually and as a group.  There are numerous cultural, musical, theatrical and recreational activities in the area.  Many students enjoy hiking, boating, shopping, museums, sports, local events, exploring nearby towns, islands and places of interest

Rockland, Maine:
Rockland is town of 8,000 people on the coast of Maine.  It is known as a port for fishing and sailing, and as a summer resort for tourists from the United States and around the world.  Within a short distance from the school there are museums, art galleries, concert halls and theatres, a fine selection of restaurants, shops and recreational activities, as well as other schools for photography, boat building, furniture making, and wilderness survival.   

Fees for the Course:

Session I:   July 5 to 26               $1,900

Session II:  August 2 to 23           $2,300

The fees for the three-week course include everything except roundtrip airfare from your country of origin and roundtrip land transportation between your American destination and Rockland, Maine.  All tuition textbooks, lodging, meals, school trips, and transportation between the school and your homestay family are included in the fee.  Lodging is a homestay with an American family who has volunteered their hospitality.  The school does not pay hosts.  Click here to register for Summer 2008 English Immersion course.