THE RIGHT MOVES Transition to Secondary School for English Language Learners Understanding ESL/ELD Support at Secondary School A Guide for Ontario Middle School Educators

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THE RIGHT MOVESTransition to Secondary School
for English Language LearnersUnderstanding
ESL/ELD Support at Secondary School A Guide
for Ontario Middle School Educators
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• To help prevent middle school English language
  learners from becoming
• LOST IN TRANSITION
• this slide show has been developed to assist you
  in supporting ELLs and their families with the
  transition to secondary school.

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Terms and Issues

• What do the following mean?
• ELL
• ESL
• Everyday English
• Academic English

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ELL English Language Learner

• English language learners are students in
  provincially funded English language schools
  whose first language is a language other than
  English, or is a variety of English that is
  significantly different from the variety used for
  instruction in Ontarios schools, and who may
  require focused educational supports to assist
  them in attaining proficiency in English.
• (English Language Learners, ESL and ELD Programs
  and Services Policies and Procedures for Ontario
  Elementary and Secondary Schools, Kindergarten
  to Grade 12, Ontario Ministry of Education, 2007)

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What is ESL?

• English as a Second Language (ESL) programs are
  for students whose first language is other than
  English or is a variety of English significantly
  different from that used for instruction in
  Ontario schools. Students in these programs have
  age-appropriate first language literacy skills
  and educational backgrounds.

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English Proficiency Everyday and Academic

• In order to participate in the curriculum
  learning taking place in their classrooms,
  English language learners must achieve two types
  of English proficiency
• Everyday English proficiency
• Academic English proficiency

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Everyday English

• Everyday English takes 1 2 years to acquire.
• Everyday English proficiency is relatively easy
  for most ELLs to master, usually within one to
  two years, because the vocabulary and language
  skills directly relate to their immediate
  surroundings, daily lives and needs.

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Everyday English proficiency includes

• the ability to maintain a face-to-face
  conversation with peers and others in various
  settings, inside and outside the classroom
• the ability to talk, read, or write about
  familiar content or about what is happening here
  and now
• knowledge about basic vocabulary/high frequency
  words such as old, food, tired, cars, trees
• the ability to use simple sentences and the
  active voice such as We heated the water until
  it boiled. We used a thermometer to measure the
  temperature.
  

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Strong Everyday English proficiency enables ELLs
to

• Communicate more effectively with teachers and
  peers in social contexts
• Integrate well into their new school environment
• Interact comfortably with English speakers
  outside of school

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Academic English

• Academic English takes 5 -7 years to acquire.
• Academic English is more difficult to acquire and
  takes much longer, often five or more years. ELLs
  are working hard to catch up to a moving target
  they are learning the language of instruction at
  the same time as they are learning the grade
  curriculum.

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Academic language proficiency includes

• the ability to understand when there is less
  opportunity for interaction (e.g. listening to a
  presentation or reading a textbook)
• the ability to talk, read, and write about
  content that has fewer connections to prior
  learning or personal experience, is more
  abstract, and is more distant in space or time
  (e.g., learning about the water cycle, studying
  the earths crust, or learning about the
  economic differences in Canadas various regions)

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Academic language proficiency includes

• knowledge of more sophisticated, low frequency
  vocabulary such as ancient, nutrition, fatigued,
  vehicles or deciduous
• the ability to use more complex sentences and
  grammatical structures such as When the water
  was heated to the boiling point, a thermometer
  was used to measure the temperature.

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Implications

• Although students may be integrated into
  mainstream classrooms and functioning well on an
  everyday, social level, they may still be in the
  process of acquiring the academic English
  language skills which will be needed for academic
  success at secondary school and beyond.

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Eligibility

• Regardless of length of time in Canada, ELLs who
  need ESL courses at secondary school are eligible
  to take them.
• Students who have not received ESL support in the
  middle grades due to various program delivery
  considerations, can still transition into ESL
  courses at secondary school.

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ESL programs at secondary school

• The framework of ESL programs in secondary school
  differs significantly from the framework of ESL
  programs in elementary school.

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Differences between ESL programs at Elementary
and Secondary

• Elementary School
• ESL is a
• support program
• ELLs may be
• in an intensive small group setting
• withdrawn from other classes
• receive in-class support
• be monitored

• Secondary School
• ESL are CREDIT granting courses
• ESL courses are offered as part of the students
  timetable, similar to English, math, or any other
  subject
• Up to THREE ESL courses may be substituted for
  compulsory ENG credit requirements

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ESL programs at Secondary School

• are set up on a continuum from ESL A to ESL E
• ESL A introduces students to the English language
  and helps them adapt to their new lives in Canada
  
• ESL E provides students with the skills and
  strategies they need to make the transition to
  college and university preparation courses at the
  senior level in ENG and other subject areas

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ELD Level 1 ELDAO
Pathways to English
ESL Level 1 ESLAO
ELD Level 2 ELDBO
ESL Level 2 ESLBO
ELD Level 3 ELDCO
ESL Level 3 ESLCO
ELD Level 4 ELDDO
ESL Level 4 ESLDO
ELD Level 5 ELDEO
ENG1P/1D ENG2P/2D ENG3E/4E
ENGLDCC ENG1P/2P ENG3E/4E
ESL Level 5 ESLEO
Please note that not all ELLs will follow this
sequence exactly and individual students may
vary in the rate at which they progress through
the levels.
ENG3U/3C ENG4U/4C
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A sample of expectations at different ESL levels
Skills ESL A ESL B ESL C ESL D ESL E
Listening and Speaking Present ideas and information orally for academic purposes in simple, highly structured situations. (e.g., retell key events from a photo montage or picture sequence) Present ideas and information orally for academic purposes in simple, structured situations (e.g., tell a brief story about an imaginary or real event following a model provided by the teacher) Present ideas and information orally for academic purposes in supported situations (e.g., make short oral presentations on familiar topics using elements of presentation format) Present ideas and information orally for academic purposes in a variety of situations (e.g., plan and make oral presentations on school-related topics using subject specific vocabulary) Present ideas and information orally for academic purposes in a wide variety of situations (e.g., explain a viewpoint on a current issue during a debate)
Reading Respond to simple texts created or adapted for English language learners (e.g., create a pictorial representation of a story) Respond to simplified or adapted texts in a variety of ways (e.g., participate in an informal class discussion) Respond to adapted and authentic texts in a variety of ways (e.g., identify and discuss story elements ) Respond to more complex authentic texts in a variety of ways (e.g., connect ideas in the text to their own knowledge, experience and insights Respond to more complex authentic texts in a variety of ways (e.g., write a critical review of a book or article)
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Sample ESL Expectations
Skills ESL A ESL B ESL C ESL D ESL E
Writing Organize information in chronological, sequential or spatial order in a scaffolded paragraph Organize information relating to a central idea in a short paragraph with a topic sentence, supporting details, and a concluding sentence Organize information relating to a central idea in a series of several linked paragraphs Organize information relating to a central idea in a structured composition of three or more paragraphs. Organize information in a logically structured essay of five or more paragraphs that includes a these statement, body and conclusion.
Socio-Cultural Competence and Media Literacy View, read and listen to simple media texts to obtain information and complete assigned tasks (e.g., report the weather as forecast on television) View read and listen to a number of media texts to obtain information and complete assigned tasks (e.g., television, radio and internet news broadcasts) View read and listen to media texts to compare the information available on a subject or issue in different sources. View read and listen to media texts and identify strategies used in them to influence audiences View read and listen to media texts and explain some ways in which they influence society
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Placement Information

• Students may enter the ESL continuum at any
  level.
• Students who are not in an ESL program at
  elementary or middle school but who require ESL
  courses may move into them at secondary school.
• Secondary schools may vary in the range of ESL
  courses that they offer.
• Check with your local secondary school to
  determine which ESL courses are offered.

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Subject Support

• In addition to ESL courses, some secondary
  schools offer sections of other courses
  designated for ELLs, such as
• ADA 1O8 - Dramatic Arts adapted for ELLs
• SNC 1D8 - Grade 9 Science for ELLs

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Subject Support cont.

• ESL subject section courses are credit-granting
  courses.
• These courses focus on the subject content while
  placing emphasis on subject-related vocabulary,
  language structures and cultural background in
  order to support students who are acquiring
  English at the same time that they are learning
  the subject.
• Often these subject specific courses are aligned
  with specific ESL levels.

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Myths and Realities

• Myth
• Some students and parents believe that having an
  ESL course on a transcript will impact
  post-secondary acceptance.
• Reality
• Post secondary institutions look at students
  achievement in their final years. Taking ESL will
  give students the skills to perform well in their
  senior English courses and other subject areas.

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Important Additional Considerations

• Students in ESL classes may receive a deferral
  from the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test
  (OSSLT)
• Students in ESL classes can be given extra time
  and other accommodations on tests, assignments
  and exams in other subject courses

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