Page 46 - THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Classical Studies and International Languages

THE ONTARIO CURRICULUM, GRADES 9–12 | Classical Studies and International Languages
environment that nurtures their self-confidence while they are receiving focused literacy instruction. When they are ready to participate, in paired, small-group, or whole-class activities, some students will begin by using a single word or phrase to communicate
a thought, while others will speak quite fluently.
In a supportive learning environment, most students will develop oral language proficiency quite quickly. Teachers can sometimes be misled by the high degree of oral proficiency demonstrated by many English language learners in their use of everyday English and may mistakenly conclude that these students are equally proficient in their use of academic English. Most English language learners who have developed oral proficiency in everyday English will nevertheless require instructional scaffolding to meet curriculum expectations. Research has shown that it takes five to seven years for most English language learners
to catch up to their English-speaking peers in their ability to use English for academic purposes.
Responsibility for students’ English-language development is shared by all teachers, including the ESL/ELD teacher (where available), and other school staff. Volunteers and peers may also be helpful in supporting English language learners in the language classroom. Teachers must adapt the instructional program in order to facilitate the success of these students in their classrooms. Appropriate adaptations include:
• modification of some or all of the subject expectations so that they are challenging but attainable for the learner at his or her present level of English proficiency, given the necessary support from the teacher;
• use of a variety of instructional strategies (e.g., modelling; small-group instruction; extensive use of visual cues, images, diagrams, graphic organizers, and scaffolding; previewing of texts; pre-teaching of key vocabulary; peer tutoring; strategic use of students’ first languages);
• use of a variety of learning resources (e.g., visual material, illustrated guides or diagrams, multilingual word walls with target language vocabulary, resources/ guides/brochures available in languages that students speak at home, simplified text, bilingual dictionaries, materials that reflect cultural diversity);
• use of assessment accommodations that support students in demonstrating the full range of their learning (e.g., provision of options for students to choose how they will demonstrate their learning; use of oral interviews and presentations; provision of additional time; use of demonstrations or visual representations, portfolios, or tasks requiring completion of graphic organizers or cloze sentences instead of essay questions and other assessment tasks that depend heavily on proficiency in English).
Teachers need to adapt the program for English language learners as they acquire English and second language proficiency. For English language learners at the early stages of English language acquisition, teachers are required to modify curriculum expectations as needed. Most English language learners require accommodations for an extended period, long after they have achieved proficiency in everyday English.
When curriculum expectations are modified in order to meet the language-learning needs of English language learners, assessment and evaluation will be based on the documented modified expectations. Teachers will check the ESL/ELD box on the Provincial Report Card only when modifications have been made to curriculum expectations to address the language needs of English language learners (the box should not be checked to indicate
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