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WCHS ELL Program
Western Canada High School
ELL Program Scope and Sequence
The following outlines the essential elements of Western’s ELL language arts
program, from assessment through placement in levels 2 A&B, 3 A&B, 4 A&B, or
ELA 10 – 1 Sheltered.
I.
Upon entering Western, students are assessed to determine best
placement to meet their needs. Assessment includes, as necessary:
a. Interview/discussion
b. Writing sample
c. Oral reading and comprehension
d. Reading test (Nelson-Denney) to determine grade equivalency
e. Math and Science assessment
II.
Recommendations are made to Guidance for placement appropriate
to each individual. Consultation with various departments is made
when necessary.
III.
Ongoing assessment of placement is conducted as needed. NB: the
possibility for movement to a different level exists if students
demonstrate increased proficiency.
IV.
Advancement: Normally, students will advance through the various
levels of ELL language courses chronologically. However,
demonstrating increased proficiency beyond the next level may result
in students being moved on by two classes. E.g. from ELL 3A to ELL
4A, skipping ELL 3B. Students graduate to the next proficiency level
when their skills have reached that level. (I.e. some students may need
to spend more time at a particular level than the usual time of one
semester.)
COURSE CONTENT OVERVIEW
ELL 2A
Focus: this course introduces students to Canadian Culture and Basic
Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS)
Skills: Students will focus on acquiring oral language skills for everyday
survival. Hence, LISTENING is very important as it forms the basis of further
language acquisition. Phonetics is taught as a foundation for reading, and parts
of speech, verb tenses, and subject-verb agreement serve as bases for writing.
“Hands-on” experiences increase comprehension.
Topics: Themes focus on Canadian holidays, traditions, and special
events (citizenship) to develop grammar, vocabulary, listening, and speaking
skills.
WCHS ELL Program
ELL 2B
Focus: This course is a continuation of ELL 2A to allow time for further
development of socio-linguistic competency (social rules of language;
appropriate non-verbal behaviours)
Skills: Students interact will all forms of text/media to solidify academic
literacy skills. Students are encouraged to take risks in oral language usage - to
practise English versus native languages. At the end of the course,
grammatically correct sentences are evident in student writing.
Topics: themes appropriate to the time of year (e.g. May - Mother’s Day)
are continued, as is development of grammar and vocabulary skills as outlined in
the following texts: “Ticket to English”, Voices in Literature”, “Amazing Canadian
Newspaper Stories.”
ELL 3A
Focus: this course helps low-intermediate level English language learners
further develop cognitive academic language (CALP). It focuses on sciencebased materials as well as “World Issues” (e.g. Women in Changing Roles, the
Environment, etc.)
Skills: Writing tasks centre on themes relating to Canadian culture. Book
reports, literary terms, journal writing, paragraph writing, and short
essay/research papers will be practised. Main ideas/topic sentences and
supporting details in writing are emphasized.
Topics: English Grammar is practised using 2nd Edition by B. Azar; and
on-line resources. Other texts include: “World Issues”, “Voices in Literature”, and
“Ticket to English”.
ELL 3B
Focus: this course includes study of literary text, response to literature,
vocabulary development, and various types of writing.
Skills: students will practise reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills
with an emphasis on personal and critical response to literature, vocabulary
development, and paragraph and essay writing. Also, components of the course
are included in D2L to develop computer skills, including reading and responding
in discussion (forum) format, reading text online, linking to resources, creating
and submitting documents electronically, and creating PowerPoint presentations.
Topics: English Grammar; writing structure; elements of the short story
and the novel
ELL 4A
Focus: this course helps high-intermediate level ELLs gain further
understanding of Canadian culture and includes background about Calgary,
Alberta, Canada, and Foreign Relations. Students are encouraged to increase
their awareness of the world’s issues and the contributions they can make as
active participants in Canadian society.
WCHS ELL Program
Skills: Students will listen to the evening news and be involved in relevant
discussions about current events. They will present current event topics to their
peers to increase their confidence and skills in oral speaking. Students will
interact with more advanced reading materials and improve their abilities to
paraphrase and summarize.
Topics: English Grammar; Social Issues; Canadian Culture; Canadian
Current Events. Text: My Country, Our History
ELL 4B
Focus: this course focuses on literature including the historical
background of various ages of literature, such as Greek Mythology, Arthurian
Legends, and popular fiction.
Skills: students will practise reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills
with an emphasis on personal and critical response to literature, vocabulary
development, and essay writing. Also, components of the course are included in
D2L to develop computer skills, including reading and responding in discussion
(forum) format, reading text online, linking to resources, creating and submitting
documents electronically, and creating PowerPoint presentations.
Topics: Greek and Roman history, classical literature and mythology,
Arthurian legend, Biblical stories, and elements of the short story and the novel.
ELA 10-1 Sheltered
This is a sheltered class for proficiency level 5 ELL students. Its contents
are the same as the regular ELA 10-1 class and are presented at a pace
necessary to meet the needs of the advanced ELL.
Focus: Reading, writing, speaking, listening, viewing, and representing
skills are practised. Outcomes include responding personally, critically, and
creatively to literature and to oral, visual, multimedia, and print texts.
Topics: poetry, the short story, the novel, essay writing, Shakespearean
drama, Greek Mythology