Page 40 - The Ontario Curriculum, Grades 9-12: English As a Second Language and English Literacy Development, 2007

SOME CONSIDERATIONS FOR PROGRAM PLANNING IN ESL AND ELD
THEONTARIOCURRICULUM,GRADES9–12 | ESLandELD
INSTRUCTIONAL APPROACHES AND TEACHING STRATEGIES
Students in ESL and ELD courses will benefit from a content-based, thematic approach to lesson planning and delivery. All teachers should integrate language and content instruc- tion so that students can develop academic knowledge and skills in specific content areas at the same time as they develop their English language skills. As well, teachers should ensure that the teaching of English grammatical structures is integrated with context rather than being taught or practised in isolation. For example, students learning about regions of Canada may be involved in making a bar graph to compare annual precipita- tion in different regions. The cognitive activity consists of finding the information and recording it in graphic form. The language activity consists of describing the graph, orally and in writing, using newly learned vocabulary related to the subject matter. In addition, students will gain practice in using impersonal expressions such as it rains, it snows,
and there is/there are. Students could then compare the annual precipitation in different regions of Canada and the world, using quantitative expressions such as twice as much, half as much, five times more, and fifty per cent less. The lesson could then continue with a description of the water cycle, and students might talk and write about a diagram of the cycle, using connectors such as then, next, after that, and finally, while following the rules for subject-verb agreement and comparative forms of adjectives.
Since language activities in ESL and ELD courses can include content from various subject areas, ESL and ELD teachers need to be aware of the expectations in other subject areas so that they can design relevant units of work for their students. In addition, subject teachers
should pay attention to the uses and functions of language in their respective disciplines, in order to help all students, and most especially English language learners, to acquire the specialized vocabulary and language skills needed for success in particular subjects.
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