Chinatown ESL is a public service program under the Chinatown Committee of Harvard's undergraduate service organization, the Phillips Brooks House Association. It is an English-as-a-Second-Language program serving the Chinese

Chinese people

The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....

 immigrant population of Greater Boston. The students range from newly immigrated working adults to senior citizens. The curriculum is divided among the most basic to highly proficient into five levels with two tutors teaching a class of five to fifteen students. Classes are held Saturday and Sunday for two hours, from 11AM to 1PM in classrooms on Harvard's campus.

Level 1

The goal of Level 1 is to teach the fundamentals of English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

. The curriculum begins with instruction of the English alphabet along with rigorous lessons of phonetics. Students begin to learn the simple vocabulary for very practical thematic applications. These themes are present throughout all levels of the curriculum. Level 1 is taught in Mandarin

Standard Mandarin

Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Chinese, also known as Mandarin or Putonghua, is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Republic of China , and is one of the four official languages of Singapore....

 and Cantonese

Standard Cantonese

Cantonese, or Standard Cantonese, is a language that originated in the vicinity of Canton in southern China, and is often regarded as the prestige dialect of Yue Chinese....

.

Level 2

The goal of Level 2 is to continue to build the confidence of the student in their English abilities. Basic grammar, including sentence construction as well as simple present tenses, is covered, along with practical vocabulary. Listening skills are sharpened with dialogs. Level 2 is taught mostly in Chinese.

Level 3

Level 3 is taught half in Chinese and half in English. The goal of this level is to instruct the past and future tense and continuation of sentence construction. The same practical thematic lessons are presented, but with more complex dialog and vocabulary.

Level 4

Level 4 is taught mostly in English. The goal of level 4 is preparation for level 5, which is taught entirely in English. It is a continuation of level 3 where students become more fluent and familiar with English.

Level 5

Level 5 is taught fully in English. Students practice their formation of ideas and relying them in English. Paragraphs and lengthy texts are read and discussions ensue during class.

Program Directors

2009–Present: Cynthia Cheung, Alan Chiu, Marion Liu, Vidya Viswanathan, Wendy Ying

2008-2009: Hai Xi Li, Janet Li, Gina Moy, Nathan Tu, Wenxin Xu

2006-2008: Erin Baggott, Connie Leung, Janet Li, Linda Li, Xiao Annie Wang, Wenxin Xu

2005: Julia Cai, Shaq Chi, Kristin Lee, Roger Lee, Zhe (Ocean) Li, Rosa Ng, Ada Wan, Xiao Annie Wang, Yue Zhou, Ruo Peng Zhu

2004: Julia Cai, Kevin Gan, Kristin Lee, Zhe (Ocean) Li, Charlie Maule, Dominique Nong, Wendy Pang, Yue Zhou, Ruo Peng Zhu

2003: Julia Cai, Ellen Ching, Margaret Hsieh, Mihuan Li, Dominique Nong, Wendy Pang, Angela Tsang, Julia Twarog, Yanjun Wang, Sherra Wong, Yipeng "Woodie" Zhao

2002: Dennis Hsieh, Margaret Hsieh, Mihuan Li, Elissa Sato, Rebecca Starr, Julia Twarog, Alice Yang, Yipeng "Woodie" Zhao, Amy Zhai

2001: Frances Chen, Dennis Hsieh, Elissa Sato, Alice Yang

1999: Sophia Chiu, Julie Harms, Reggie Harris, Jennifer Liu, Janson Wu