When children are assessed as being second phase English learners and working on either the A2 or B3 stages of the EAL Continuum they join the EAL Program.
In EAL the focus is on the four macro skills of language: Listening, Speaking, Reading and Writing.
By the time students enter this phase of EAL they are able to function independently in their classroom environment but still require considerable practise in vocabulary development, grammar rules, formal spelling conventions, reading comprehension, writing forms and structures and oral fluency and correct pronunciation. Our program aims to support the work of the classroom teacher by providing more intensive instruction and revision in these aspects of English.
A strong emphasis in each session is given to oral language. Even students who have been learning English for a number of years will still be reluctant to join in class or group discussions in the classroom for fear of making a mistake or not using the right word. The EAL Program structures opportunities in each session for the students to practise oral expression, oral expressiveness and pronunciation.
Formal instruction and practise in grammatical conventions supports the EAL students’ oral and written work. The students’ own writing is frequently used as the basis for instruction as it provides greater meaning and relevance.
Vocabulary development involves the teaching of common usage words and the word lists developed in classrooms in themes or projects. The EAL Program teaches specific spelling strategies to ensure their students have a range of approaches they can use to decode written language.
Writing requires considerable modelling from the EAL learner. Teachers model a range of writing styles that students will be expected to produce in their classrooms, such as narratives, expositions, recounts and procedures. Writing activities generally follow a language experience activity where specific vocabulary will have been emphasised for the students to refer to.
New arrival students who enrol at the school and who have little or no English are eligible to access this program. This is an intensive English language program where children receive up to 10 hours of instruction each week in small groups. Children remain in this program for between six to twelve months before exiting to either the Transition or EAL Programs. The focus of the New Arrival Program is on oral language to develop a level of understanding that enables children to function and understand basic instructions in the mainstream classroom. The New Arrival teachers commence with a focus on the alphabet, sounds, basic school vocabulary then move to themes easy for the children to relate to and understand such as, ‘Their family’, ‘The Body’, ‘Food’, ‘Shopping’, ‘Clothes’, ‘Transport’.
Children are taught a repertoire of language phrases so they are able to build on their limited English language with gradually introduced vocabulary.
The teaching of reading evolves from the student’s oral language. Students retell an activity or experience and this is recorded for them to read back. Shared wall stories also form the basis of reading activities.
Teaching letter formation is important for students, particularly if they have come from a background where a completely different script or characters have been taught. Repetitive modelled sentences, modelled wall stories and shared writing are taught in a supportive approach with significant guidance from the teacher.
The Transition EAL Program is specifically for students who have experienced little or no prior schooling in their own language and who are no longer eligible for the New Arrivals Program. This program aims to support students integrating into their mainstream classrooms, something older children can find difficult if they have never been students before.
The program builds on the literacy foundation work taught in the New Arrivals Program but also provides a broader curriculum similar to that provided in the classroom. A major focus is also to develop independent work habits and routines required by students to function effectively in larger classes. The program provides additional support with specific tasks, research skills and frontloading vocabulary linked to their mainstream classroom curriculum. Additional assistance is given to develop homework and time management strategies.
Transition students are taught research skills such as what a glossary is used for, how to look up topics using an index, looking for key words, presenting information in graphs or charts, labelling diagrams and how to locate information using either the library or the internet.
Numeracy skill development requires many older students being taught basic number concepts using manipulatives and concrete aides similar to those used in the early years of schooling. Place value, patterns & counting, time, measurement are some examples of the maths concepts these students have missed out on, along with the language of maths. Therefore, the EAL Transition Program includes numeracy as a literacy genre.
