The main objective of the ESL department at EBV is to assist non-English speaking students develop the English language ability required to be successful in a mainstream K-8 grade-level class. Along with oral, aural, reading, and writing skills, ESL students must develop critical-thinking, reasoning, and social skills to be successful in the classroom.

The ESL program reflects the philosophy and objectives of EBV. ESL students are continually challenged to develop thinking and reasoning skills through the synthesis and analysis of language-learning activities. ESL students are encouraged to use the language for social interaction and to understand and involve themselves in community activities. In learning a new language, ESL students also assimilate the cultural components that are built into it.

The ESL program is flexible in order to meet the needs of the students at any given time. The needs might be different from year to year, and might change throughout the year. As EBV is an international school, new students may join our school during the school year and require the services of the ESL program. The program is designed to cater to a range of students, from those who need English for survival to those who need their language skills refined to help them handle the transition to the mainstream classes.

Children learn in different ways. Therefore, it is necessary to use multiple activities to reach them. The use of a combination of teaching strategies gives us the opportunity to select the more effective or appropriate ones in our classroom. Another important issue is that very often there are students whose level of English does not correspond to their academic grade level. As a result, the ESL teacher has to contend with mixed ability-level classes and plan different lessons to suit the varying levels.

ESL WEB RESOURCES

• Some Useful ESL WEB Links:

  • http://www.genkienglish.net/gamemenu.htm
  • http://www.loe.org/
  • http://www.langpix.com/
  • http://www.angelfire.com/il/vivachicago/
  • http://www.researchville.com
  • Web Site for the ESL Specialist <http://4teachers.org/profd/lep.shtml> Ideas Galore
  • Fun - Frizzy University Network <http://thecity.sfsu.edu/funweb/> For Young Adults
  • ESL Magazine Online <http://www.eslmag.com/> Click on "ESL/EFL LINKS"
  • Web Sites for Teachers <http://www.sitesforteachers.com> Teacher Resources