English Language Learners - Level 1
(Emerging or Beginning Level)
Who takes ELL course at Burnaby South?
What courses do they take?
Why is it important to take ELL courses?
How are students assessed?
Who takes ELL course at Burnaby South?
- Students with little English who have recently arrived to Canada, (within the year and up to 2 years) are usually placed in Level 1.
- Students range in ability from having no English, to having some everyday vocabulary to express basic needs and/or to participate in simple exchanges.
- Students at this level are working at the word level and learning how to write simple and compound sentences, but rely a lot on one-to-one support or visual aids to make meaning.
- Students who have an interrupted educational background or are emerging into literacy may have an extra block of support / peer tutoring. ELL 1A – Language and Literature (pre-English)
What courses do they take?
- ELL 1D – Cultural Studies (pre-Social Studies)
- ELL 1E – Science Applications (pre-Science)
- ELL 1F – Applied Skills (School, Life, Community, Safety Skills)
- Regular Math, P.E. Home Ec / Tech Ed, Art or other electives
Why is it important to take ELL courses?
- to learn basic English language speaking, writing, listening and reading skills
- to develop confidence in a sheltered English language academic environment
- to develop socially in a new language environment
- to acquire the skills necessary for success in a Canadian school, i.e., getting around the school, asking questions, participating in discussions, expressing an opinion, working both independently and cooperatively, etc.
How are students assessed?
- ELL report cards for Levels 1 and 2 provide detailed feedback on progress in English Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.
- All ELL teachers do a writing assessment early in the school year to ensure students are enrolled in the correct level.
- Formal District Reading and Writing tests, held in May, assess students for next year’s placement.
- ELL writing is assessed using a District Writing Matrix for consistency among ELL Levels across the Burnaby School District (Matrix attached).
- Teachers provide frequent and regular feedback / correction of student writing and participation throughout the school year.
English Language Learners - Level 2
(Intermediate Level)
Who takes ELL course at Burnaby South ?
What courses do they take?
Why is it important to take ELL courses ?
How are students assessed?
- These students have conversational skills and control over basic sentences, simple tenses and general conventions of writing (capitalization / basic punctuation).
- Students in ESL Level 2 begin to take regular Science so should have some background knowledge with Science, and skills to detect academic vocabulary in English textbooks.
- Students can write longer responses to writing tasks, more independently, and have enough vocabulary to provide a range of personal examples for support
What courses do they take?
- ELL 2A – Language and Literature (pre-English)
- ELL 2D – Cultural Studies (pre-Social Studies)
- ELL 2E – Science Applications (provides textbook, reading and assignment support for regular Science course)
- Regular Math, Science, P.E., Planning 10, Home Economics / Tech Ed, Art, or other electives
Why is it important to take ELL courses ?
- to develop better control over sentence grammar and to resolve typical ESL errors (e.g., agreement, count / no count nouns, tense shifting, subordination)
- to develop / distinguish between academic writing and conversational English
- to organizational longer pieces of writing / essays / reports / labs, etc.
- to preview the types of classroom activities expected in regular classes (note-taking, debate, role play, group work, presentations, etc)
How are students assessed?
- ELL report cards for Levels 1 and 2 provide detailed feedback on progress in English Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.
- All ELL teachers do a writing assessment early in the school year to ensure students are enrolled in the correct level.
- Formal District Reading and Writing tests, held in May, assess students for next year’s placement.
- ELL writing is assessed using a District Writing Matrix for consistency among ELL Levels across the Burnaby School District (Matrix attached).
- Teachers provide frequent and regular feedback / correction of student writing and participation throughout the school year.
English Language Learners - Level 3
(“Transitional”, “Advanced” or “English Language Adapted")
Who takes ELL course at Burnaby South ?
What courses do they take?
Why is it important to take ELL courses?
How are students assessed?
- Students who have been in Canada for 3 or 4 years, or who attended school where English was the mode of instruction.
- These students have sufficient control of English to be able to respond (may still need some support), to a wider range of age-appropriate and grade level, academic reading, writing and speaking tasks.
- Students whose communication / intended meaning is generally not impeded by language.
- Students who can cope with the prescribed textbooks / novels of regular English and Socials
What courses do they take?
- English Language Adapted 8, 9 or 10
- Language Adapted Social Studies 8, 9, or 10
- Both ELA and LASS are offered through the regular English and Social Studies departments, and students are marked and receive the same credit as regular students. Course are adapted for language.
- Except for the two specialty courses above, Level 3 ELLs are timetabled as regular students.
Why is it important to take ELL courses?
- to gain credit for regular English and Social Studies courses, while having a teacher trained in ELL who can provide extra support in academic writing and reading
- to study with students at a similar English language level, where the pace of instruction is adjusted to best meet students’ language levels
- to fill-in-the-gaps of Canadian academic content that might be missing from home country education
How are students assessed?
- Students receive regular report card grades from ELD and LASS courses.
- Students must write Provincial Exams the same as all students in regular English and Social Studies classes.
- ELD and LASS are recorded as regular English and Social Studies on students’ official Secondary School transcripts.