Page 29 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development, 2007

the course. Students entering secondary school as beginning learners of English or in the beginning stages of literacy development may need more than four years to complete diploma requirements or to meet postsecondary entrance requirements.
INTEGRATION OF STUDENTS INTO MAINSTREAM SUBJECT CLASSROOMS
The successful integration of English language learners into the academic and social life of the school requires all teachers to work together to support them. Although many students become proficient users of English for most day-to-day purposes within two years, students may take seven years or more to catch up to first-language English speakers in their ability to use English for academic purposes. Participation in ESL and/or ELD courses assists English language learners to make rapid progress; however, students who arrive as beginning learners of English during their secondary school years may not have enough time to catch up with their peers by the end of Grade 12. Reading textbooks, participating in academic discussions, or writing essays or examina- tion answers may be much more difficult for these students than for first-language English speakers. Their relatively limited vocabulary may make reading some textbooks difficult, and in some cases, inexperience with complex sentence patterns may make it difficult for them to write as fluently as some of their peers. Most students who have completed their ESL and/or ELD courses will therefore continue to need support from their subject teachers to achieve success.
English language learners will have the best chance to succeed in classrooms where there is opportunity for extensive oral interaction with English-speaking peers. In evaluating achievement, it is important for teachers to recognize the value of the content and the organization of ideas in students’ written work, as well as grammar, spelling, and word choice. In addition, teachers must provide instruction on specific features of English for those students whose written English indicates a need for such assistance.
English language learners need access to their first language as a tool for learning and thinking, at least until they are sufficiently proficient in the second language to use it for a wide range of academic purposes. The first language is the foundation upon which English proficiency is built. An insistence on “English only” may limit students’ cognitive activity to their level of proficiency in their second language. Students’ first languages therefore have a place in the classroom alongside English, and students may use their first languages in a variety of ways: for example, by consulting bilingual dictionaries, by making notes or preparing outlines and first drafts in their first language, or by working on specific activities with first-language peers before transferring to English.
Another way of helping English language learners succeed is to design lessons and activities and choose resources that recognize students’ background knowledge and experiences. The subject teacher can also use the wealth of linguistic and cultural diver- sity in the classroom by encouraging students to share information with each other about their own languages and cultures. In this way, all students are enriched with a greater awareness of language and culture, and all students have a sense of belonging.
THE PROGRAM IN ENGLISH AS A SECOND LANGUAGE AND ENGLISH LITERACY DEVELOPMENT
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