I. COURSE
DESCRIPTION
Welcome to ELL 4 at Steveston-London Secondary! English Language Learning focuses on building knowledge and understanding the English language. The goal of the ELL program is to ensure that
ELL students can obtain a high rate of success in the regular classroom. Students will be required to listen, speak,
read, and write in English at all times and practice their pronunciation,
grammar, and vocabulary in an integrated way.
In an attempt to help ELL students better their English and to learn
vocabulary in context, the use of electronic dictionaries will not be allowed
in class. Occasionally, students may use
a classroom or personal English-only paper dictionary.
II. COURSE
OBJECTIVES
· To be confident
in reading, writing, and speaking via the use of short stories, essays, novels,
poems, media, plays, films, and students’ own writing.
· To develop
composition skills through regular practice in writing and rewriting.
· To connect
language and literature skills to the world outside the classroom.
· To develop
literacy in thinking, listening, reading, speaking, writing, and viewing.
· To integrate a
wide English lexicon for various areas and apply this lexicon correctly in
their writing.
· To choose the
appropriate form of a word, based on context and grammatical positioning in the
sentence.
· To define and use
a limited number of common phrasal verbs and idiomatic expressions.
· To write
coherent, well-organized paragraphs of 250 words or more.
· To employ
appropriately a variety of writing styles.
· To write
creatively for self-expression (e.g.
journals, letters, scripts, etc.).
· To engage in
critical analysis of various literary forms and respond in an appropriate
written form (e.g. character analysis,
book review, passage and theme analysis)
· To use writing
process (e.g. brainstorm, outline,
organize, draft, peer-edit, self-edit, rewrite, proofread).
· To understand a
variety of speech delivered at normal speed by English speakers and be able to
understand a speaker’s intent (e.g.
ironic, sarcastic, etc.).
· To engage in
reasonable fluent discussions in classroom academic situations and use target
language confidently and fluently in daily life situations with pronunciation
and intonation near to an L1 speaker.
· To read a variety
of material for enjoyment and information.
· To identify
literary terms and some common poetic devices (e.g. foreshadowing, suspense, rhyme,
personification, etc.)
· To demonstrate a
knowledge of the elements of short stories and novels (e.g. character, conflict, theme, point of view,
setting, symbolism, etc.)
III. EXTRA HELP
As always, all students are
welcomed to ask questions in class and to e-mail me (msytsang@gmail.com). I encourage the use of email and the blog (msytsangslss.blogspot.ca)
to facilitate communication between parents, students, and myself. Those who require extra assistance or who
wish to speak to me are asked to make an appointment with me so that I can
ensure my availability. These
appointments will be held before school, breaks, during lunch, and occasionally
after school. Students who choose to
e-mail me for homework help should note that if the e-mail is sent to me too
late, there is a risk that I may not receive the e-mail and respond in
time. Abuse of this e-mail address will
result in my unavailability.
IV. EVALUATION
As every student learns in
different ways and different rates, there will be various forms of assessment
to meet the needs of different learners.
For example, learning will be assessed through (in-class) writing
assignments, homework, formal quizzes/tests, peer evaluations, projects, and
oral presentations. Students will be
evaluated through Criterion-Referencing, which ensures that all students who
pass the course have met a required minimum standard of competency in all areas
of the course. Mastering the ELOs (Essential Learning Outcomes) for ELL 4
English fully prepares students for success in the next ELL level and regular
English classes. Criterion-Referencing
will prevent students from moving forward through the education system with
gaps in their skills and learning.
Students must demonstrate a
required minimum competency in the ELOs in order to past the course. Competency must be demonstrated several times
to be considered to have mastered a particular ELO. Students will receive multiple opportunities
to demonstrate their skills.
If a student has not
demonstrated competency for any one of the ELOs, the course will be considered
incomplete, and the student will receive an “I” (Incomplete) for ELL 4.
Student assessment will be communicated on the
rubric provided. Students should show and discuss the rubric with their parents
about how and why it works.
Acquiring
another language takes time. Richmond School District has a world-class English
Language Learning Program. The ELL program is one year long for each
level. It will take most students, doing
the required work in their ELL classes, most of the school year to achieve the
learning outcomes for this level.
Sometimes it takes a student longer to progress to the next level, but
students will have an opportunity to take more time if they need it.
The
teachers will report to students regularly about how they are progressing. The
ELL Learning Rubric outlines various learning outcomes and descriptions of how
each student is progressing in each learning outcome. The Learning Rubric will provide meaningful
feedback about strengths and areas for improvement in language development. We
anticipate that early in the year, students will be performing at the beginning
of the level continuum and as the year progresses, with some hard work, they
will move down the continuum as they improve their language skills. We
encourage students to talk to their parents and tutor (if they have one) about
their Learning Rubric. Students will be able to address specific gaps in their
learning with the information we provide them.
By the end of the ELL program and their time at high school, students
will have a world-class education in the form of a Dogwood Diploma as well as academic competency in a
second language that will help them be more successful in their future studies.
IV. STUDENT
EXPECTATIONS: How to Succeed in Ms.
Tsang’s Class
Classroom Behavior
a. Demonstrate
respect, honesty, sense, and safety at all times.
b. Be responsible
and act maturely.
c. Leave food (including
gum and candy) out of the classroom.
Beverages that are in re-sealable containers are allowed.
d. Follow direction
by carefully listening to instructions.
e. Actively
participate in discussions.
f. Bring a positive
attitude to class.
g. Speak loudly and
clearly when presenting information to the class.
h. Do not
communicate with a classmate during a quiz or a test.
i. Realize that
leaving the classroom (washroom, water, locker) and using the couches are
privileges, not rights. Abuse of such
privileges will result in the privilege(s) being revoked and/or the appropriate
consequences.
j. Speak English in
the classroom at all times so that you respect your classmates and the teacher
and have the chance to practice your oral skills.
In Your Studies
a. Attend all
classes.
b. Arrive on time
for class and be prepared to work. You
are NOT on time if you are not in your seat when the bell rings.
c. Complete all
assigned readings, handouts, and assignments.
d. Submit
assignments and homework on time.
e. Prepare for
quizzes and tests.
f. Come prepared for class with the following items: pens (blue,
black, coloured), pencils, erasers, ruler, white-out, textbook(s), agenda,
binder, lined paper with margins, and dividers (the teacher will tell you what
titles to use).
g. Ask for extra
help outside of class if needed.
h. Review corrections and learn from your mistakes. This
is very important for success in your ELOs.
Notebook Organization
a. Put work into binder in date order and in appropriate
sections.
b. Be consistent when organizing your paper. Follow guidelines in class.
c. Be legible, neat, and double-space your work unless
otherwise stated.
d. Unless the ink of your pen seeps through, write on
both sides of the paper.
e. Write paragraphs and essays in black or blue pen.
Assignments
a. Assignments are
always due at the beginning of class unless otherwise stated. Place your assignment in the designated spot
before the bell rings.
b. Submit all your assignments on time. Late/missed
assignments will be accepted until the end of each unit. However, remember that not submitting an
assignment (or submitting it late) means missing out on timely feedback, which could have helped you do
better on the next assignment.
Absences
a. For any absence,
it is the student’s responsibility to complete missed work. Call a classmate for any work you can do at
home that you may have missed so that you are already caught up when you return
to class. In-class work and
tests/quizzes may be made up but ONLY if your parent/guardian has notified the
office of your absence.
b. Being away from
school does not excuse the due date of homework. There are several options for handing in the
homework on time:
i.
Have a friend or
family member hand in the assignment to the office.
ii.
Inform me at the
school that you are absent (via email) and submit your assignment upon your return.
c. Missed lecture
notes must be obtained from a classmate.
d. Be prepared to
make up missed work the day you return.
e. If you have been
sick or away, you may re-do a presentation provided that you (or your parent/guardian) has sent me an email. Be prepared to make up a missed presentation
the day you return.
f. If you know about
an absence in advance, please let me know.
Cheating Behavior
a.
Cheating is a serious offence and will result in…
i.
a score of zero, and/or
ii. a note to the administrator and your
counselor, and/or
iii. a phone call home.
b.
Cheating includes…
i. plagiarizing, which is claiming someone
else’s work (including that of a tutor, friend, classmate, sibling, parent,
guardian, or relative) as your own without giving the real author credit. You are expected to produce original and
thought-provoking work. Each and every
sentence/phrase must be your own! If you
are not sure if you are plagiarizing work or not, ask me.
ii. any
form of communication with a classmate during a quiz/text,
iii. any
kind of suspicious behavior during a quiz/test.
*Refer to the student agenda
for further details.
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Please sign and return this bottom
portion to the subject teacher.
I, ,
have read and fully understood the Course Outline and Student Expectations for
the year .
Student Number:
Student Signature:
Email address of student: _________________________________________________
Date:
Parent/Guardian Signature:
Email address of
parent/guardian:
__________________________________________
Upon discussion with my child, he/she has decided to
_________________________________________________________ after grade 12.
Here’s what else you
should know about my child:
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