English as a Second Language

Teacher: Greg Phillips

The purpose of the ESL program is to foster acquisition of the students'  English language skills necessary to succeed in their core classes. In ESL, we work on skills in the 4 areas of language: talking, listening, reading, and writing. Students also receive support with the language of different core classes and specific concepts when required.

Goals
1.  Students will develop their English language skills.
2. Students will improve their academic achievement in their core classes.

Objectives
1.1 Students will improve their reading skills.
1.2  Students will improve their writing skills.
1.3 Students will improve their listening skills.
1.4 Students will improve their spoken English skills.
2.1 Students will learn key vocabulary from their different core classes.
2.2 Students will clarify concepts and information on their various subject classes.

Classroom Agreements
1. Students will show respect for themselves and others.
2. Students will work at their best of their abilities during the entire period.
3. Students will arrive on time to class.
4. Students will bring required materials to class.

Evaluation
Students in the ESL class will be graded with a variety of assessment instruments on the following categories:
30% class participation
20% verbal activities  (i.e. oral presentations, class discussions, listening comprehension)
25% reading activities  (i.e. book critiques, comprehension quizzes, read alouds)
25% writing activities (i.e. journals, essays, grammar quizzes, vocabulary quizzes)

Weekly Reports
Some students in ESL will be required to complete Weekly Performance Evaluations. These forms will be circulated by each student among his/her teachers.  In these forms, teachers will evaluate each student's performance on the past week and give a brief comment. These evaluations will be signed by parents and returned to the ESL teacher on Mondays.