English as a
Second Language (ESOL) Program
Information for Parents
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Elementary ESOL Support Program
Article: Supporting Your Child's Native Language While They Learn English
Shanghai American School (SAS)
offers an ESOL Program to students with limited proficiency in English. Students
who speak English as a second or additional language are evaluated upon entry to
SAS and placed on an English Language Proficiency scale of 1-5. (Level 1
students do not speak English at all, while students at level 5 are at or near
native proficiency).
Except for Chinese and other foreign language classes, the language of instruction at SAS is English. Students who need additional English language development are provided with ESOL support in a caring and safe environment. The ESOL teachers help ESOL students successfully learn skills necessary to complete their grade level work in English by working and planning collaboratively with the students’ classroom teachers. The support for ESOL students is closely aligned with the school curriculum and expectations.
Elementary ESOL Support Program
ESOL support services to students are planned accordingly to the students’ developmental level and English language development needs. In addition, the support services are closely coordinated and based upon the recommendations of classroom teachers and ESOL support teachers. ESOL support teachers and the students’ classroom teachers work collaboratively to plan and organize activities and instruction for the students.
In Grade 1, students who need ESOL support receive small group instruction from their classroom teachers and teacher assistants to reinforce the academic subjects studied in the mainstream classrooms.
In Grades 2-5, students with English language proficiency levels of 1-3 receive ESOL support provided by ESOL support teachers and classroom teachers. ESOL instruction may occur in small group instruction outside of the regular classroom or in-class support. All ESOL students in Levels 1, 2 and some Level 3 students receive small group instruction outside of the regular classroom during Chinese language time. Classes are 40 minutes long, and take place every day. There is a need to have the time to work with students to facilitate English language development to ensure success in the acquisition of academic skills in English.
Based upon recommendations of the
support and classroom teachers, students who reach at or near native English
language proficiency levels and who also meet the exit criteria may be
transitioned out of the ESOL Support Program.
The students who exit the ESOL Program will be monitored by
ESOL support and classroom teachers.
In the
In the Pudong middle school program, ESOL students receive ESOL support outside of their classrooms as well as some in-class support. In addition, a writing workshop is offered to ESOL students who are in need of additional writing support.
It is an expectation at SAS, that
whenever possible, teachers will work collaboratively and cooperatively to meet
the needs of ESOL students. ESOL teachers are often available to consult and
support students at various times of the school day.
In High School Program was modified to include support ESOL students in content classes as well as coursework to strengthened academic literacy and Language Arts skills. The High School ESOL program provides concentrated assistance to entering 9th grade ESOL students so that they can acquire English academic skills quickly and efficiently. ESOL students in 9th and 10th grades receive in class support and specially designed academic courses.
9th grade ESOL students take a specially designed Language Arts/ESOL course and an academic literacy course. This is a grade 9 Language Arts course is specifically designed for ESOL students with similar course content and common assessments. The pacing of instruction and assignments are specifically designed for ESOL students with the inclusion and integration of ESL standards throughout the course content. Students also take an academic literacy course which provides extra skills development in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, listening and study skills.
10th grade ESOL students will receive support in content classes and also take a specially designed academic literacy course which provides extra skills development in the areas of reading, writing, speaking, listening and study skills. The ESOL teacher works closely with the content teachers so that skills taught in the Academic Literacy course is closely related and integrated.
ESOL students are also encouraged to work with ESOL teachers during Study Hall. ESOL teachers are often available for individual consultations with students at mutually agreed upon time.
The ESOL department is closely aligned with the Special Needs Department at SAS. Policies defining admissions and procedures for supporting our students have been developed to ensure success. The following are statements of belief that support the philosophy and rationale for our ESOL program:
•
We
believe that each student possesses unique strengths and progresses at different
developmental rates.
•
We
respect and appreciate the diversity of our student
population.
•
We
believe that a partnership between school and home is critical in creating a
successful learning experience for students.
•
We
believe that the school is a community where all staff members share in the
responsibility of educating all students.
•
We
believe that SAS students should have an equal opportunity and access to the
general education curriculum at their instructional
levels.
•
We
believe that students learn best when a variety of instructional practices and
flexible groupings are used to deliver the curriculum.
•
We
believe that students learn best when the teaching context and the level of
subject matter are responsive to student readiness levels.
•
We
believe an optimal learning environment is created when educational experiences
are implemented with regard to ability level, linguistic development, interests,
and learning styles.
•
We
believe that high expectations of staff and students and respect for individual
differences will enable students and staff to achieve high levels of success at
SAS.
Supporting Your Child’s Native Language (Mother Tongue)
(Adapted from Maurice Carder, Head of ESL,
This article is to give you
information about how you can help your children learn to speak and write
English well while developing their mother tongue skills at the same time.
Research shows that when parents actively develop the mother tongue in the home,
their children consistently perform better than monolingual children in all
subjects at school. The better the children’s home language is developed, the
more successfully they acquire high levels of English education
skills.
Will bilingualism confuse children’s thinking and hurt their school progress?
No, quite the opposite; a large
number of research studies show very clearly that bilingualism can increase
children’s language abilities and help their progress in school. However, for
children to experience these beneficial effects of bilingualism, it is important
that both their languages continue to develop. Children who can write as well as
speak two languages have a major advantage, not just in school but also in
finding jobs after school. Unfortunately, in the past many children did not
develop reading and writing skills in their mother tongue.
How can parents form the
foundations for school success and mother tongue
development?
•
Communicate in your native language with your
child
Language is learned primarily
through communication with other people. Research shows that the more
communication children experience at home the better developed their language
skills will be. This is especially important for the development of mother
tongue skills, since the language is seldom reinforced by the child’s
environment outside school.
However, the quality of
communication is just as, if not more, important than quantity alone. The
language adults use helps children become aware of the many different aspects of
objects and events around them. For example, during a shopping trip to the fruit
market (or any store), adults can develop children’s concepts (in their mother
tongue) by bringing their attention to the shapes, colors, sounds, textures, and
size of objects and events around them. For older children, discussions of history,
the news and world events, novels, and all subjects involving abstract thinking
is very important for the child's intellectual and verbal
development.
This is done naturally through
conversation, without explicit teaching. In other words, conversation with
children in everyday situations expands their minds and develops their thinking
skills.
•
Help your
child develop an interest in books and print
In addition to conversing with
children, adults can help prepare their children to succeed in school by
encouraging them to take an active interest in books and in the print that
surrounds them in their environment (e.g. signs, posters, etc.). The child’s
first major task in school is learning to read. Children with an interest in
books and stories, who come to school with knowledge that the print around them
carries important meanings, often learn to read very quickly. Parents can
promote this knowledge and interest either by reading or telling their children
stories in their mother tongue.
•
Encourage
your child to read books and stories in English or your native language
After the child has mastered some reading
skills, parents can encourage their child to read them stories (in either their
mother tongue or English). This “sharing of literacy” between adults and
children in the home, both before and during the school years appears to play an
important part in laying a strong foundation for children’s
success.
By spending time with your children
on reading and writing in their mother tongue, you will not only be helping them
to retain their own cultural heritage, you will actually be helping them develop
skills which transfer directly to English.
In addition, you will be giving them the confidence to perform equally
well in two languages.
•
Supply your
child with dictionaries, books and magazines in their native
language.
You should make sure that your
child has a good bilingual dictionary (from your language to English, and
English to your language), and also a good English dictionary. We are building
up a multilingual book section in the school library; this includes bilingual
dictionaries, children’s books and novels in the world’s languages. If you can
help, either by contributing books or suggesting titles, authors or publishers,
please let us know.
At
Research shows conclusively that a
lack of a solid grounding in the mother tongue not only leads to difficulties in
acquiring the language expertise which would be expected (following a program of
total immersion in the second language), but may also have psychological
implications. Students with no real language of their own may suffer from a loss
of identity, or experience problems arising from conceptualization in language
only partially comprehended.
It is also apparent that,
especially from the ages of 12-15, students who can follow the school curriculum
in their mother tongue will perform better than those students who did not
receive instruction in their mother tongue.
In other words, literacy skills learned in the mother tongue are
transferable and have an impact on learning the curriculum in English.
The ESOL staff at SAS is always ready to talk to you about your child’s progress or matters concerning language learning. If you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher and or principal about this or any ESOL issue.