InterLinks

Goal

To give all of our students the experience of speaking English successfully.

Objective

Students will be able to:

• Speak comfortably to and in front of others in English.
• Increase reading comprehension in English.

Activities

• Students and teachers greet each other in an American fashion: Comparison to the students’ customs are done at this time as well.
• Writing activities where students are asked to write about their culture and then share with other students.
• Problem-solving activities where students will orally engage with other students for the purpose of fixing a situation or solving a problem.
• Reading activities will allow students to learn about places we will be visiting. For example, brochures are given to students about Niagara Falls. The students show their comprehension ability as they read and talk about the Falls.
• Student/teacher interaction activities: Students and teachers dine together, play sports, and “hang out” together at the Student Center. On weekends, students and teachers travel to sporting events, museums, Lake Erie, Niagara Falls, concerts, and other places. The teachers assess the students daily as the students participate in the class activities and the day's activities at the Academy. The teachers' assessment and observation of the students guide instruction during their time at InterLinks.

Mary Slaback, Director of the Interlinks program has extensive experience teaching English Language learners. As an Experiental Advisor for the Graham School, an independent public high school in Columbus, Ohio, she assists high school students in aninternship program. She is a private tutor for a Special Needs high school student and a Praxis III Assessor for the State of Ohio, where she evaluates new teachers in the teacher certification program for Ohio. Mary has also been a Bilingual Program Coordinator for Los Angeles Unified School District as well as a Resource Instructor for National Louis University. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Education from William Paterson University, a Masters of Education in Curriculum and Instruction as well as an Educational Specialist Degree from National Louis University

What will I do at InterLinks?

Students live on campus in dorms, spending mornings in classroom activities to develop vocabulary and build confidence in speaking. Afternoons include team building events, such as sports or arts, and opportunities for role playing in preparation for real life experiences faced by international students. SLEP testing can be conducted at the end of the course to determine progress, but the most noticeable improvements are within the students' ease in responding to social and classroom scenarios. Weekends include sight seeing, beach fun on the Great Lakes, designer outlet shopping, and more-- including a trip to Niagara Falls in New York.