Page 18 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development, 2007

THEONTARIOCURRICULUM,GRADES9–12 | ESLandELD
The specific expectations reflect the progression in knowledge and skills from level to level through (1) the wording of the expectation itself, (2) the examples that are given in the parentheses in the expectation, and/or (3) the “teacher prompts” that may follow the expectation. The examples and teacher prompts help to clarify the requirements specified in the expectations, and suggest the intended depth and level of complexity of the expec- tations. They have been developed to model appropriate practice for the various levels, and are meant to serve as illustrations for teachers. Teachers can choose to use the exam- ples and teacher prompts that are appropriate for their classrooms, or they may develop their own approaches that reflect a similar level of complexity. Whatever the specific ways in which the requirements outlined in the expectations are implemented in the classroom, they must, wherever possible, be inclusive and reflect the diversity of the student popu- lation and the population of the province.
STRANDS
The content in each of the ESL and ELD courses is organized into four interrelated strands, or broad areas of learning: Listening and Speaking, Reading, Writing, and Socio-cultural Competence and Media Literacy. Effective instructional activities blend expectations from the four strands in order to provide English language learners with the kinds of experiences that promote meaningful learning and that help students recognize how language and literacy skills in the four strands overlap and strengthen one another. The program at all levels is designed to develop a range of essential skills in the four inter- related strands, built on a solid foundation of knowledge of the language conventions
of standard English and incorporating the use of analytical, critical, and metacognitive thinking skills. Students learn best when they are provided with opportunities to moni- tor and reflect on their learning, and each strand includes expectations that call for such reflection.
Listening and Speaking
The Listening and Speaking strand has three overall expectations, as follows:
Students will:
1. demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes;
2. use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes;
3. use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English.
Oral language development lays the basic foundation for the acquisition of any new language, and paves the way for learning to read and write in that language. Well- developed listening and speaking skills in English are essential both for English lan-
guage learners’ successful social integration at school and in the community and for their development of the language proficiency in academic English that they will need to succeed in all aspects of the mainstream classroom program.
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