This paper discusses an English as a second language (ESL) program for elementary school children in a city school in British Columbia. The main emphasis of this program is on community life outside the classroom. The students are taken on field trips to a wide variety of places, such as an aquarium, grocery stores, parks, skating rinks, swimming pools, shopping centers, public libraries, and museums. Sometimes the community comes to the classroom; there are visits, for example, from a policeman, someone from the Public Health Department, and a representative of UNICEF. The students in an ESL class need shared experiences to talk about, and these field trips and other community experiences create a meaningful framework for discussion. (CFM)