ESLDO
| Course Type : | Open |
| Credit Value : | 1.0 |
| Prerequisite : | ESLCO or permission of the department |
Course Description
This course builds on students’ previous education and language knowledge to introduce them to the English language and help them adjust to the diversity in their new environment. Students will use beginning English language skills in listening, speaking, reading, and writing for everyday and essential academic purposes. They will engage in short conversations using basic English language structures and simple sentence patterns; read short adapted texts; and write phrases and short sentences. The course also provides students with the knowledge and skills they need to begin to adapt to their new lives in Canada. Contact us to know more about ESLDO.
Outline of Course Content
Unit
Titles and Descriptions
Time and Sequence
Unit 1
Coming Age
This unit starts with Grammar Review. Students will understand and use English Grammar, understand short stories structures and reading strategies from “Sightlines.” Students will explore Goal Setting, time management skills and Canadian classrooms challenges
27 hours
Unit 2
Novel study
Students will read The Catcher in the Rye.
(paragraph writing, character analysis, perfect and future tenses)
27 hours
Unit 3
Human rights
Students are introduced to Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
27 hours
Unit 4
Media Study
Students will read and analyze blogs (news article writing, gerunds and infinitives)
11 hours
Unit 5
Short Story Study
Students will read and analyze various short stories (short story writing, school system study, transition words and clauses)
11 hours
Unit 6
Final Evaluation
· Students will be assessed on their listening and speaking skills in a student-teacher conference
· Students will also complete a written exam to assess their reading, writing, media literacy and socio-cultural competence
5 hours
2 hours
Total
110 hours
Since the over-riding aim of this course is to help students use language skilfully, confidently and flexibly, a wide variety of instructional strategies are used to provide learning opportunities to accommodate a variety of learning styles, interests and ability levels. These include:
Directed Reading Activities | Seminar | Group work |
Brain storming | Literature Circles | Reflections |
Structured Discussions | Oral presentations | Close reading |
Role play | Self-assessments | Teacher Analysis |
Independent Study | Peer assessments | Analysis of Exemplars |
Assessment is a systematic process of collecting information or evidence about a student’s progress towards meeting the learning expectations. Assessment is embedded in the instructional activities throughout a unit. The expectations for the assessment tasks are clearly articulated and the learning activity is planned to make that demonstration possible. This process of beginning with the end in mind helps to keep focus on the expectations of the course. The purpose of assessment is to gather the data or evidence and to provide meaningful feedback to the student about how to improve or sustain the performance in the course. Scaled criteria designed as rubrics are often used to help the student to recognize their level of achievement and to provide guidance on how to achieve the next level. Although assessment information can be gathered from a number of sources (the student himself, the student’s course mates, the teacher), evaluation is the responsibility of only the teacher. For evaluation is the process of making a judgment about the assessment information and determining the percentage grade or level.
The assessment will be based on the following processes that take place in the classroom:
| Assessment FOR Learning | Assessment AS Learning | Assessment OF Learning |
|---|---|---|
During this process the teacher seeks information from the students in order to decide where the learners are and where they need to go. | During this process the teacher fosters the capacity of the students and establishes individual goals for success with each one of them. | During this process the teacher reports student’s results in accordance to established criteria to inform how well students are learning. |
| Conversation | Conversation | Conversation |
Classroom discussion Self-evaluation Peer assessment | Classroom discussion Small group discussion Post-lab conferences | Presentations of research Debates |
| Observation | Observation | Observation |
| Drama workshops (taking direction) Steps in problem solving | Group discussions | Presentations Group Presentations |
| Student Products | Student Products | Student Products |
| Reflection journals (to be kept throughout the duration of the course) Check Lists Success Criteria | Practice sheets Socrative quizzes | Projects Poster presentations Tests In Class Presentations |
Assessment is embedded within the instructional process throughout each unit rather than being an isolated event at the end. Often, the learning and assessment tasks are the same, with formative assessment provided throughout the unit. In every case, the desired demonstration of learning is articulated clearly and the learning activity is planned to make that demonstration possible. This process of beginning with the end in mind helps to keep focus on the expectations of the course as stated in the course guideline. The evaluations are expressed as a percentage based upon the levels of achievement.
A variety of strategies are used to allow students opportunities to attain the necessary skills for success in this course and at the post-secondary level of study. To facilitate learning, the teacher uses a variety of activities engaging the whole class, small groups, and individual students.
Some of the approaches to teaching/learning include
Strategy | Who | Assessment Tool |
Assignments | teacher | rubric or marking scheme |
Oral Presentations | self/peer or teacher | rubric |
Textbook Use | self or teacher | checklist |
Teacher Led Review/Discussions | self/peer or teacher | checklist |
Performance Task | self/peer or teacher | rubric |
Written Quiz | teacher | marking scheme |
Written Test | teacher | marking scheme |
Discussion Evaluation | Self or teacher (summative) | checklist |
The evaluation of this course is based on the four Ministry of Education achievement categories of knowledge and understanding (25%), thinking (25%), communication (25%), and application (25%). The evaluation for this course is based on the student’s achievement of curriculum expectations and the demonstrated skills required for effective learning.
The percentage grade represents the quality of the student’s overall achievement of the expectations for the course and reflects the corresponding level of achievement as described in the achievement chart for the discipline.
A credit is granted and recorded for this course if the student’s grade is 50% or higher. The final grade for this course will be determined as follows:
- 70% of the grade will be based upon evaluations conducted throughout the course. This portion of the grade will reflect the student’s most consistent level of achievement throughout the course, although special consideration will be given to more recent evidence of achievement.
- 30% of the grade will be based on a final exam administered at the end of the The exam will contain a summary of information from the course and will consist of well-formulated multiple-choice questions. These will be evaluated using a checklist.