ELL at CIS: Philosophy and Everyday Practice

The after-school ELL classes at CIS are highly participatory, and will support basic interpersonal
communication skills as well as academic language. This allows the teacher to take a student-centered
approach to learning, so that language-learning is relevant to their local content and immediate needs in
the classroom. ELL should teachers communicate regularly with classroom teachers and vise versa about
the students strengths and areas of need.

Classes will be designed by the ELL teacher to best meet the needs of the students in the class.
Each class will have between 8 and 15 students. Lessons will be individualized to build students skills in
theareas of highest need. ELL teachers equip students with strategies to build their vocabulary, improve
reading comprehension, write with more precision and accuracy and engage in conversations on a more
sophisticated level.

While using English in class is encouraged in order to help the students have an authentic way to
practice their new language, we will not punish students for speaking their first language. In fact, we
encourage students at beginner levels, to brainstorm ideas in their first language and translate it later.
Research shows that proficiency in multiple languages makes learning an additional language easier and
that discouraging first language use can damage a students self-esteem, which is demotivating.

Activities in the ELL classrooms include:

sorting basic vocabulary building Practice with advance vocabulary for all subjects
grammar structures (simple to complex) Math
phonemic awareness Science
Morphological language awareness Social Studies / History / Geography
pronunciation practice Music / Art / Drama
reading aloud Physical Education / Swimming
Reinforcing literacy strateiges understanding academic expectations
oral exercises clarifying academic concepts
aural exercises additional resources for background info
writing exercises brainstorming, mind-maps (bilingual)
brainstorming literacy strategies
social and academic command terms real-world applications
drama and role play reflection (ie., process, product)
songs and music social and emotional learning
poetry collaborative exercises
short stories interactive games
current events (ie., culture, sports, weather) presentation skills
social simulations and games support for project-based learning in HR
images and information
Please note: ELL classes are not intended to be a quiet study hall, a time for silent
reading, or a place to finish work independently. Students may work in isolation at
home, but not at CIS in ELL. Students will be working together, talking together, and
problem solving together, to promote English communication in the school
environment. Teachers may adjust the program accordingly to engage students.
 ELL teachers prepare reports that go home along with CIS report cards 4 times per
academic year. In ELL classes, students do not take tests or quizzes routinely.
Instead, their teachers gather evidence during the ELL class regarding their ability in
listening, speaking, reading and writing proficiency. They may also use evidence that
the students produce in their daytime classes, so the students communication is
continually being evaluated and programming of ELL classes is adjusted to meet the
needs of students as efficiently as possible.

The reports will communicate the STEP of English proficiency that the ELL students
have attained. After STEP 6 students are considered fluent speakers and no longer
require ELL support. Promotions from ELL will happen twice per year.