EAL Beginning Language Intensive

Overview

For students working at English Language Proficiency Benchmark 1 or 2
3-credit course
Focuses on improving English language skills for daily activities.
Explores strategies to help students be more successful in school.
Helps students understand more about living and learning in a new culture
Helps students learn to manage their feelings and emotions as newcomers to Canada

Become a better student in the Canadian school system.
Learn to use the English language to communicate your thoughts, feelings, and ideas.
Become more comfortable and confident when speaking English.
Learn strategies that can be used in many situations.

Understand how to plan for learning, manage your time, and organize your materials.
Learn new words and grammar. Learn how to join words into sentences.
Learn how to share ideas through listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
Develop learning process skills for: taking notes, paying attention in class, asking questions to get help, remembering new words, and studying for tests.
Think about how you learn best. What is hard about being a student? How can you do better at school?
Respect, support, and work well with others.

This course helps English language learners become better communicators at school and in the community.

Students will develop behaviours and attitudes that lead to life-long learning and success in school, life, and future careers.
Assignments and activities are developed through reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing (watching) and representing.

Topics that are covered are:

Foundational skills (including spelling strategies, sentence structures, and the 5-sentence paragraph)
Self-advocacy and relationship management in learning (e.g., the importance of reading instructions and asking questions for help)
Understanding yourself and others as learners (e.g., assessing your learning style, and identifying your strengths and areas for improvement)
Organization, and time and material management (e.g., setting goals and priorities)
Understanding the learning process (e.g., note-taking and maintaining focus, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills)
Preparing for evaluation (i.e., meaningful memorization, study strategies and action plans, Stress management, and test taking skills)

Assessment will be ongoing. The teacher will help students to understand assignments and practice new language skills as part of the learning process.
Students will show their learning by completing some assignments by themselves.
Teachers will regularly collect student work and give feedback about students’ skill development.
Assessment information is used to:
- inform and design next steps in the learning process.
- evaluate knowledge, skills, competencies, and understanding in relationship to learner outcomes.
- help the teacher decide how well students are learning English language skills. The teacher will give students feedback on how well students are learning and where they need to make improvements.
When calculating final marks, the teacher will use the most recent information available about students’ skill development and language proficiency.

You are expected to:

Attend all classes with required materials.
Put your phone on ‘Silent’ mode and do not use it unless your teacher gives you permission.
Respect, support, and work well with others.
Participate fully in the course. The more work you do, the more you will learn.
Complete all assignments.
Ask for help when you have questions or concerns.