.ESL Curriculum. Levels 1 & 2 Detailed

Adapted by Nada AbiSamra

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Go to Detailed High School Curriculum- Levels 3-4-5

Curriculum Expectations

The expectations identified for each course describe the knowledge and skills that students are expected to develop and demonstrate in their class work, on tests, and in various other activities on which their achievement is assessed and evaluated.

Two sets of expectations are listed for each strand, or broad curriculum area, of each course. The overall expectations describe in general terms the knowledge and skills that students are expected to demonstrate by the end of each course. The specific expectations describe the expected knowledge and skills in greater detail.

The specific expectations are organized under subheadings which help us focus on particular aspects of knowledge and skills as we plan learning activities for our students.

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ESL Level 1- Beginning Communication in English

This course builds on students’ previous education and language knowledge to introduce basic literacy skills and help students adjust to their new cultural environment. Students will develop the ability to use oral and written English for daily needs, acquire basic conversation skills and vocabulary, and use simple sentence patterns. Students will also acquire basic orientation information related to their needs as newcomers to ACS.

Oral and Visual Communication

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

participate in oral learning tasks and engage in social interaction in the classroom;

use high-frequency words and simple sentence patterns to communicate meaning;

demonstrate some awareness of different levels of formality in social interaction;

obtain key information from media works.

Specific Expectations

Developing Fluency in Oral Communication

By the end of this course, students will:

demonstrate an understanding of classroom directions and activities, and of key vocabulary;

understand and respond to a short, simple story, either told or read aloud (e.g., retell key events, ask questions, express opinions and preferences);

give and respond to straightforward directions and instructions;

describe personal experiences;

participate in conversations by responding to specific questions, using short phrases;

use some major forms of non-verbal communication, common courtesies, and variations in tone of voice in English.

Developing Accuracy in Oral Communication

By the end of this course, students will:

use basic conversational vocabulary in the school and community environment (e.g., frequently used verbs; names of articles of clothing, foods, places in the community);

use subject-predicate (noun-verb) word order, the verb to be, simple verb tenses, negatives, questions, plurals, pronouns, and common contractions;

express feelings in a variety of contexts, using suitable vocabulary (e.g., express likes and dislikes);

imitate some key English stress and intonation patterns (e.g., rising intonation at the end of a question).

Using English in Socially and Culturally Appropriate Ways

By the end of this course, students will:

respond to teachers and peers with an appropriate degree of formality in most classroom situations;

use gestures and facial expressions to bridge gaps in English- language knowledge;

use polite forms for greetings and leave-takings in formal and informal situations;

obtain a teacher’s attention in a courteous manner;

use an appropriate speech volume in different settings (e.g., in a library or gymnasium, in small-group discussions);

take turns in conversations and classroom discussions.

Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

By the end of this course, students will:

view, listen to, and read media works to obtain information and to complete assigned tasks (e.g., report the weather as forecast on television; compile sports scores from the newspaper; obtain geographical data about The USA from a CD-ROM or an online database);

follow teacher presentations on overhead transparencies or power point;

retell key events from films that have little or no dialogue or narration.

Reading

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

read and respond to short passages from fiction and non- fiction texts designed or adapted for beginning learners of English, with teacher guidance;

use some reading strategies to acquire key English vocabulary from simple texts for classroom studies, with teacher guidance;

use some key reading strategies for decoding and comprehension, with teacher guidance;

find specific information in straightforward reference materials, with teacher guidance.

Specific Expectations

Reading and Responding

By the end of this course, students will:

read language-experience stories composed by the class, and identify or read aloud specific words or sentences;

follow simple written instructions (e.g., fill in the blanks; circle the correct answers);

extract information from signs, advertisements, notices, timetables, and maps relating to the school and community environment;

read and retell simple stories, using a variety of strategies (e.g., picture sequencing, sentence combining, dramatization);

select, read, and respond to abridged and modified material (e.g., write a personal response to a story);

use classroom and school libraries to find suitable reading material for personal enjoyment.

Developing Vocabulary

By the end of this course, students will:

demonstrate comprehension of the vocabulary and phrases common in the print environment of the school and community (e.g., choose words or phrases to label objects or locations; complete a sentence; provide a caption for a photograph or an illustration);

determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, using pictures and illustrations;

use dictionaries to clarify word meanings (e.g., bilingual, pictorial, and monolingual learner dictionaries);

include key conceptual vocabulary in personal word lists for classroom study (e.g., multiple, history, keyboarding).

Using Reading Strategies for Comprehension

By the end of this course, students will:

identify the letters of the Roman alphabet in both print and script;

decipher new words, using phonics and simple sound patterns as aids;

use alphabetical order in tasks such as searching the telephone book and learner dictionaries;

demonstrate comprehension of some simple language forms or patterns used in texts, such as simple verb tenses, adjectives, question forms, negatives, plurals, common contractions, and basic prepositions of location and direction (e.g., provide a missing word in a predictable pattern such as noun-verb-adverb);

use punctuation and capitalization to determine meaning (e.g., recognize proper nouns).

Developing Research Skills

By the end of this course, students will:

locate key information in telephone books, maps, and monolingual learner and bilingual dictionaries;

locate key facts in informational texts designed or adapted for beginning learners of English.

Writing

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

write in a variety of forms, with teacher guidance;

use some simple sentence patterns and key conventions of standard English to write about classroom topics and activities.

Specific Expectations

Relating Purpose to Form

By the end of this course, students will:

create individual and group language-experience stories (e.g., sequence and provide captions for a series of photo-graphs of a class activity or field trip);

write short, structured compositions of personal relevance (e.g., follow a model to produce a simple journal entry);

write basic personal information on simple forms (e. g., fill in an application form for a public-transit pass);

compose short messages (e.g., write simple questions, notes, and greetings).

Developing Accuracy in Written Communication

By the end of this course, students will:

write legibly, using the Roman alphabet, in cursive and printed form;

write simple assertive, interrogative, and imperative sentences;

use simple verb tenses, plurals, pronouns, count nouns, adjectives, and basic prepositions, with teacher guidance;

use the negative construction in simple sentences (e.g., I don’t speak French);

use capitals at the beginning of sentences and for frequently occurring proper nouns (e.g., names, countries, months);

use periods and question marks at the end of sentences, and apostrophes in commonly used contractions;

spell frequently used words from classroom and personal word lists;

confirm spellings, using learner, bilingual, and pictorial dictionaries and classroom charts;

use some notebook conventions and formats appropriate to other subject areas (e.g., headings, titles, dates).

Social and Cultural Competence

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

demonstrate a beginning awareness and appreciation of the cultural diversity at ACS;

demonstrate adaptation to some key teacher expectations and school routines.

Specific Expectations

Developing Citizenship Awareness and Skills

By the end of this course, students will:

demonstrate knowledge of basic facts about the US (e.g., identify the different states and capital cities of the USA; provide information about common American customs and holidays);

demonstrate respect for cultural differences in the US by showing courtesy and sensitivity to others;

communicate information about various cultures (e.g., naming practices, forms of address, celebrations, family roles and relationships).

Adapting to ACS Classroom

By the end of this course, students will:

find and map important locations in the school and community;

identify key school and community personnel;

follow important school routines (e.g., emergency procedures);

follow individual school timetables, including special school schedules (e.g., “short period” days);

work cooperatively with a partner on shared classroom tasks;

behave appropriately in coeducational and/or mixed-age groupings (e.g., treat male and female classmates with equal respect);

evaluate their own skill in completing learning tasks, using simple evaluation forms;

adapt learning strategies to a task and to the conditions of learning (e.g., remain on task in group and individual activities; locate or share necessary resources).

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ESL Level 2- Low Intermediate

This course expands students’ essential English communication skills and cultural knowledge and introduces the language of classroom studies. Students will develop oral classroom skills and reading strategies, expand their vocabulary, and use more complex sentence patterns. Students will also learn how to use some school and community resources.

Oral and Visual Communication

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

participate in conversations on familiar topics in some social situations;

recognize and respond appropriately to body language, pauses, and common stress and intonation patterns in English speech;

understand and use some key subject-specific vocabulary in classroom discussions when visual aids are used;

communicate orally, using accepted word order, common tenses, and other features of English grammar with some accuracy and consistency;

use appropriately some features of language that indicate different levels of formality in English;

demonstrate comprehension of key information from media works.

Specific Expectations

Developing Fluency in Oral Communication

By the end of this course, students will:

maintain face-to-face conversations on familiar topics;

determine meaning by requesting clarification and restating information when necessary;

listen to others and stay on topic in group discussions;

offer and respond to greetings, introductions, invitations, farewells, compliments, and apologies;

use the telephone to obtain some specific information (e.g., determine movie schedules, transportation arrival and departure times, store opening and closing times);

use short sentences and phrases to tell stories, recount events, provide directions or instructions, and give opinions;

use tone of voice, gestures, and other non-verbal cues to help clarify meaning when describing events, telling stories, and stating opinions;

use the customary stress and intonation patterns of English speech to emphasize meaning or to express feelings (e.g., add emphasis to certain words; use intonation to express surprise).

Developing Accuracy in Oral Communication

By the end of this course, students will:

use, in simple contexts, some key vocabulary learned in other subject areas (e.g., explain how to solve a mathematics problem);

restate important information from presentations that include visual aids (e.g., pictures, charts, models);

ask others the meaning of words for clarification;

use common tenses, adjectives, adverbs, conjunctions, prepositions, common idioms, some two-word verbs, and some interrogative and negative constructions appropriately and with some consistency.

Using English in Socially and Culturally Appropriate Ways

By the end of this course, students will:

use and respond appropriately to common non-verbal signals (e.g., gestures, handshakes, eye contact);

exchange information about cultural variations in non-verbal communication (e.g., discuss the gestures, facial expressions, or conventions of eye contact of various cultures);

demonstrate knowledge of appropriate verbal behavior in a variety of contexts (e.g., conventions for making requests, interrupting, leave-taking).

Developing Media Knowledge and Skills

By the end of this course, students will:

view, read, and listen to media works to obtain information and complete assigned tasks (e.g., school announcements, television and radio news, newspaper advertisements, short geography documentaries on the USA, CD-ROMs, online databases with information on and images of the USA).

Reading

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

respond to a range of short fiction and non-fiction texts, using a variety of strategies;

choose reading materials for study and personal enjoyment, with teacher guidance;

demonstrate knowledge of English vocabulary related to classroom studies;

read texts with familiar content or vocabulary, using a variety of reading strategies;

choose appropriate resources from preselected materials for use in teacher-directed assignments.

Specific Expectations

Reading and Responding

By the end of this course, students will:

demonstrate understanding of fiction and non-fiction texts designed or adapted for second-language learners (e.g., by completing graphic organizers, participating in teacher-led discussions, retelling content, relating information to background knowledge, and making a personal response);

read and respond to a variety of materials selected for study and pleasure (e.g., explain a preference for a book; participate in a literature study group or informal class discussion);

use classroom, school, and local libraries to find reading materials for study and personal enjoyment.

Developing Vocabulary

By the end of this course, students will:

use context and familiar vocabulary in texts to infer the meaning of new words;

use vocabulary-acquisition strategies (e.g., check learner dictionaries; recognize common prefixes, suffixes, and word families; use knowledge of common sound-symbol relationships and dictionary pronunciation guides to aid in pronouncing new words);

maintain a vocabulary notebook or list for various subject areas (e.g., “Words for Science”, “Words for Mathematics”).

Using Reading Strategies for Comprehension

By the end of this course, students will:

extract information from specific features of text (e.g., headings, margin notes, glossaries, charts, diagrams, photos);

demonstrate comprehension of teacher-prepared texts and summaries (e.g., through completion of cloze passages related to the content of text);

state the main idea of individual passages that contain familiar vocabulary;

skim text with familiar vocabulary or content for overall comprehension (e.g., find the main idea; determine the author’s purpose);

scan text with familiar vocabulary or content for specific information (e.g., locate key information in a mathematics problem expressed in narrative form);

demonstrate comprehension of syntactic cues (e.g., possessives, verb phrases, comparatives, progressive tenses, and conjunctions), with teacher guidance.

Developing Research Skills

By the end of this course, students will:

locate information in subject-specific non-fiction sources (e.g., math posters, natural science series, abridged biographies);

use a graphic organizer provided by the teacher to extract information from pre-selected texts (e.g., to find examples or supporting details).

Writing

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

write in a variety of forms;

use some elements of the writing process, with teacher guidance, with an emphasis on prewriting activities;

use a variety of simple sentence patterns and basic conventions of standard English with some accuracy in written work.

Specific Expectations

Relating Purpose to Form

By the end of this course, students will:

write short journal entries, notes, dialogues, narratives, autobiographies, reports, personal responses, and letters, with teacher guidance;

respond appropriately to written questions based on familiar academic content (e.g., by writing short sentences or phrases; by completing graphic organizers).

Applying the Writing Process

By the end of this course, students will:

generate and organize ideas for writing, using graphic organizers provided by the teacher (e.g., charts, webs, and timelines);

compose a first draft of a simple composition;

use simple word-processing software to compose and edit pieces of writing;

use simple graphics software to format and embellish pieces of writing.

Developing Accuracy in Written Communication

By the end of this course, students will:

compose a short paragraph containing simple and compound sentences;

use common tenses and verb phrases, adjectives, adverbs, and some conjunctions in their writing;

use a variety of simple sentence patterns in their writing;

use vocabulary-acquisition strategies to spell words correctly (e.g., knowledge of prefixes, suffixes, and word families);

check spelling, using a variety of resources (e.g., learner dictionaries, word lists, spell checkers);

use capitals for proper nouns, commas to separate items in lists, and quotation marks for direct speech, with some consistency.

Social and Cultural Competence

Overall Expectations

By the end of this course, students will:

demonstrate understanding of and respect for the wide variety of cultures and languages at ACS;

demonstrate knowledge of a variety of facts about American culture, geography, and history;

participate in some school and community activities;

demonstrate adaptation to school norms, key teacher expectations, and classroom routines.

Specific Expectations

Developing Awareness and Skills

By the end of this course, students will:

compare and contrast the traditions and behavioral norms of a number of cultures (e.g., compare gender roles, schooling, family structures);

demonstrate awareness of the variety of languages in the community and school environment (e.g., share information about first-language media gathered from class or school surveys).

Adapting to Our Classroom

By the end of this course, students will:

use time-management skills to organize homework, complete assignments on time, and make up missed work;

ask questions of teachers and peers for clarification and to obtain information;

use their first language when appropriate to understand and communicate (e.g., request clarification; link new learning to background knowledge; use a bilingual dictionary);

use school and community resources to support classroom learning (e.g., libraries, computers, study rooms);

participate in some school activities, special events, sports, or clubs.