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Department of ESL

Department Information

The Sir John A. Macdonald C.I. ESL Department welcomes close to 110 ESL students this year (2010-2011). The strands of evaluation are listening and speaking, reading, writing, social-cultural competence and media literacy. The texts used include grammar books, novels, non-fiction titles and a variety of literature.

ESL students at Sir John A. Macdonald C.I. can use the new Future Generations Computer Lab in Room 215. In October, 2009, we entered a contest through Future Shop and in January, 2010, our school was one of the five recipients in Ontario of the Future Shop’s Tech Lab grant. There are twenty-two DELL desktop computers loaded with software that can enhance their language acquisition.

Department Goals

ESL students are encouraged to become proficient in English as soon as possible so they may integrate into the English program in the four or five years at Sir John A. Macdonald C.I. By the end of Grade 10, the majority of the ESL students will be studying in either applied or academic English or in the Grade 11 University or College levels, depending on their proficiency level and their academic goals. There is a helping course available for students entering Grade 11 University English after successfully completing ESL E. This is ELS (English Literacy Skills) and it is available for students who need more time to transition from ESL to English. It is taken together with the Grade 11 University English course.

In Grade 10, ESL students may write the Ontario Secondary School Literacy Test (OSSLT) if they are proficient in their reading and writing skills. The ESL teacher can recommend that they may defer writing the test if, in the judgment of the teacher, they are not prepared to pass the test. In recent years, a small group of ELLs have been successful in passing the test on their first attempt. ESL students write it in the Staff Room/Lounge and they are given an accommodation of double the time that native speakers have to complete the OSSLT. However, they are not allowed to use any form of dictionary. Hence, vocabulary development and inferential reading are necessary skills.

Course Information

ESL A, B, C, D, and E
Packaged as ESL A/B, ESL B/C, ESL C/D, and ESL D/E – we have made these courses run like a semestered school (Sept. – Feb. focus on 1 level, and Feb. – Jun. focus on the next level – we see the ELLs (English Language Learners) everyday) . We also offer ESL E stand-alone and it is not a semester program (students see the teacher every other day)
ESL support courses: History, Geography, Science, Drama, Family Studies, Civics and Careers
3 ESL teachers
6 ESL support course teachers