Course Profile Beginning Communication in English, ESL Level 1, open, Public

Unit 1

Course Profiles are professional development materials designed to help teachers implement the new Grade 9 secondary school curriculum. These materials were created by writing partnerships of school boards and subject associations. The development of these resources was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Education and Training. This document reflects the views of the developers and not necessarily those of the Ministry. Permission is given to reproduce these materials for any purpose except profit. Teachers are also encouraged to amend, revise, edit, cut, paste, and otherwise adapt this material for educational purposes.

Any references in this document to particular commercial resources, learning materials, equipment, or technology reflect only the opinions of the writers of this sample Course Profile, and do not reflect any official endorsement by the Ministry of Education and Training or by the Partnership of School Boards that supported the production of the document.

©Queen’s Printer for Ontario

Acknowledgments

Public District School Board Writing Team - English as a Second Language

Lead Board

Toronto District School Board

Course Profile Writing Team

Jane Campbell

Hazel Excell

Denise Gordon

Jane Hill

Elaine Iannuzziello

Paula Markus (Team Leader)

Eleanor Minuk

Jane Sims

Ero Siouga

Betty Ann Taylor

Unit #1: Getting Acquainted

Activity 1 | Activity 2 | Activity 3 | Activity 4 | Activity 5 | Activity 6 | Activity 7

Time: 20 hours

Unit Developers: Jane Campbell, Hazel Excell, Denise Gordon, Jane Hill, Elaine Iannuzziello, Paula Markus, Eleanor Minuk, Jane Sims, Ero Siouga, Betty Ann Taylor.

Development Date: April, 1999

Unit Description

In this unit students will develop the ability to use simple oral and written language for beginning communication at home, at school, and in the community. Using authentic orientation materials, students will demonstrate the ability to use simple sentence patterns and key conventions of standard English to participate in social interactions in the classroom and the community. They will begin to use reading strategies to acquire beginning English vocabulary and to adapt to key teacher expectations and school routines.

Strands and Expectations

Strands: Oral and Visual Communication; Reading; Writing; Social and Cultural Competence.

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X, AORV.02X, AORV.03X, AORV.04X, AREV.01X, AREV.02X, AREV.03X, AREV.04X, AWRV.01X, AWRV.02X, ASCV.02X.

Specific Expectations: AOR1.01X, 1.02X, 1.03X, 1.04X, 1.05X, 1.06X, 2.01X, 2.02X, 2.04XX, 3.01X, 3.02X, 3.03X, 3.04X, 3.05X, 4.02X, 4.03X.

ARE1.01X, 1.02X, 1.03X, 2.01X, 2.02X, 2.03X, 3.01X, 3.02X, 3.03X, 3.04X, 3.05X, 4.01X.

AWR1.01X, 1.02X, 1.03X, 2.01X, 2.02X, 2.03X, 2.04X, 2.05X, 2.06X, 2.07X, 2.08X.

ASC1.02X, 1.03X, 2.01X, 2.02X, 2.03X, 2.04X, 2.05X, 2.06X.

Activity Titles (Time + Sequence)

Activity 1	About Me	2 hours
Activity 2	The Classroom	3 hours
Activity 3	The School	3 hours
Activity 4	The Family	3 hours
Activity 5	The Home	3 hours
Activity 6	The Neighbourhood	4 hours
Activity 7	Transportation	2 hours

Unit Planning Notes

In addition to the detailed teaching and learning strategies presented, a number of ongoing routines which are part of a balanced language learning program will need to be established during this first unit. These activities should include the following:

• student journal writing

• silent reading of English, first language and bilingual materials, with entries into a reading log (See Appendix 3 for a sample log.)

• reading aloud by the teacher

• listening to tapes at the class listening centre

• keeping a personal vocabulary list or book

• teaching relevant Canadian cultural material at appropriate times throughout the year

• compiling a personal career list

• maintaining individual portfolios of student work

• compiling a classroom picture dictionary

Throughout this course, a number of children’s picture books have been suggested as possible resources. These books have been carefully selected for quality of story and illustration, as well as for their content of mature themes appropriate for adolescent learners. In using children’s literature, teachers should always be sensitive to the ways in which these materials are presented to secondary school students. When these books are introduced with the needs of adolescent learners in mind, there is much in quality children’s literature which speaks to a secondary school audience. Universal human themes, diverse cultural viewpoints, simplicity and clarity of language, contextual redundancy and repetitive language patterns are just some facets of children’s literature which enrich the second language learning process.

Similarly, the inclusion of the resource Great Beginnings, originally created for learners in the junior grades, has been made with the caveat that teachers will select only those sections of this document which address the language needs of adolescent ESL students, such as the calendar pages, as well as the visuals for classroom, school and community vocabulary.

A beginning level English as a Second Language class will be of a heterogenous nature. Some students will have had more exposure to English than others, as well as more educational opportunities. In addition, continuous student intake is a fact of life in many ESL programs. In order to accommodate the varying levels of beginning English proficiency in a class, it is suggested that teachers make use of complementary language practice activities found in many commercially available beginning level course texts. A list of suggested texts can be found below. Other suggestions for supporting the varying levels of language proficiency include preparing packages of materials to distribute to students as they arrive during the term or semester, keeping a class stock of visuals and word cards for students to practice vocabulary alone, in pairs or small groups, and providing opportunities for practice with English language learning software.

Many of the activities in this unit include small group work components. In a heterogeneous class of newly arrived learners from around the world, students will have had varying degrees of exposure to group work, which is a frequent teaching strategy in Ontario classrooms. Teachers will want to present a well-paced entry to the concept of working and learning in groups, and to set up these early group activities clearly and with plenty of time for students to become accustomed to the dynamics of working in a group of their peers. Thoughtful consideration will need to be given to the selection of group members for different activities, as well as to how to help students understand their roles and responsibilities in a group learning situation.

Many newly arrived ESL students will be experiencing culture shock, family separation and dislocation, at the same time as they begin to cope with attending school in a new country. The ESL teacher must be

aware of and sensitive to the many changes and adaptations which immigrant and refugee students face, and must strive to create a welcoming and secure classroom environment. While it is essential that ESL students master the vocabulary for topics such as family structure and living accommodations, the teacher should remember to be sympathetic to students’ possible reluctance to share personal information about their backgrounds.

Prior Knowledge Required

Most students entering ESLAO will have attended full time education in their country of origin, and thus will have the necessary first language literacy skills to be successful in a secondary school program. However, other students may not have first language literacy or may have gaps in their educational backgrounds. These students may be concurrently enrolled in ELDAO and may take longer to achieve the expectations for this beginning ESL course. Additional modifications for these new literacy learners will help facilitate their integration into the ESLAO program.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

Brainstorming/webbing, modelled writing, journal writing, cooperative learning groups, teacher read- alouds, silent reading, listening centre, graphic organizers (pie graph, bar graph, T-chart, web – see Appendix 4 for samples), Total Physical Response, field trips, language games, guest speakers, student created books, class and community surveys, information gap, jigsaw, language experience stories, mapping, classifying and categorizing, pair, group and class interaction, viewing a non-narrative video, sharing languages and cultures.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

Activity Type Tool Categories

Activity 1	Formative Summative	Oral Class Introduction Alphabetized List	Communication Knowledge
Activity 2	Formative Summative Summative	Object Identification Classroom Diagram Cloze exercise	Knowledge Comm, Knowledge Thinking, Knowledge
Activity 3	Formative Formative Summative	School Visit Organizer Group Vocabulary Poster Agenda Listening Task	Know/Think/Com/App Know/Think/Com/App Know/Think/Com
Activity 4	Summative Formative Summative	Family T Chart Group Presentation Family Tree Worksheet	Knowledge, Thinking Know, Communication Know/Think/Com/App
Activity 5	Summative Formative Formative Summative	Personal Information Test Vocabulary Quiz Preposition Quiz Ideal Room Project	Know/Communication Know/Communication Know/Communication Know/Think/Com/App
Activity 6	Form/Summ Summative	Map Listening Quiz Community Directory Project	Know, Communication Know/Think/Com/App
Activity 7	Formative Formative Formative Summative	Oral Summary Road Sign Locations Shape Identification List Final Unit Test	Know/Communication Know/Comm/Application Know/Comm/Application Know/Comm/Thinking

Course expectations which are assessed through the assessment tools for each activity are denoted by the iconic symbol < in the expectations lists for each activity.

Resources

Print

Acosta, Joan. Canada Coast to Coast, Second Edition. Toronto: ITP Nelson, 1999.

Acosta, Joan. Coast to Coast Reader. Vancouver: Douglas and McIntyre, 1987.

Bailey, Cindy. Start Up Multiculturalism. Markham: Pembroke Publishing, 1991.

Berish, Lynda and Thibaudeau, Sandra. Canadian Concepts, Books 1, and 2. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1997.

Berish, Lynda, Sandra Thibaudeau and Maria De Rosa Wilson. Grammar Connections 1. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1995.

Boyd, John R., Mary Ann Boyd and Paula Kezwer. Before Book One, Canadian Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1994.

Carver, Tina Kasloff, Fotinos, Sandra Douglas and Clarice Cooper. A Canadian Conversation Book: English in Everyday Life, Second Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1997.

Carver, Tina Kasloff, Fotinos, Sandra Douglas and C. K. Olson. A Writing Book, English in Everyday

Life: A Teacher Resource Book. New Jersey: Prentice Hall Regents, 1996.

Chabot, John. 101 Illustrated Crossword Puzzles. Virgil, Ontario: Full Blast Productions, 1994. (Box 408, Virgil, Ontario L0S 1T0)

Chabot, John. Thematic Activities for Beginners in English. Virgil, Ontario: Full Blast Productions.

Curcin, Ranka and Mary Koumoulas. Canadian Concepts 1, Teacher’s Manual and Resource Package. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1997.

Grennan, Maggie. The Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary, Beginner’s Workbook. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1997.

Lipszyc, Carol. People Express: Readings and Chants for Literacy/ESL. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1996.

Metropolitan Toronto School Board. (Now the Toronto District School Board) Great Beginnings: ESL in the Junior Division, Suggestions for Classroom Teachers, 1990.

Molinsky, Steven and Bill Bliss. Side by Side, Secondary School Edition, Book 1. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1997.

Molinsky, Steven and Bill Bliss. Word by Word Picture Dictionary, Canadian Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1997.

Molinsky, Steven and Bill Bliss. Word by Word Beginning Workbook, Canadian Edition. Toronto: Prentice Hall Allyn and Bacon, 1997.

Mollica, Anthony. Crossword Puzzles for Beginners. Welland, Ontario: Editions Soleil, 1988. (Box 847, Welland, Ont.)

Nishio, Yvonne Wong. Longman ESL Literacy. Second Edition. White Plains, NY: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998.

O’Malley, J. Michael and Lorraine Valdez Pierce. Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners: Practical Approaches for Teachers. Addison Wesley, 1997.

Parnwell, E.C. and Maggie Grennan. The Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1998.

Software

The Rosetta Stone, Fairfield Language Technologies

122 South Main Street, Harrisonburg, Virginia 22801

1-800-788-0822 for Ontario distributors

-an interactive, multi-media language practice program for beginning ESL learners, which provides activities in listening comprehension, reading, speaking and writing

Activity #1: About Me

Time: 120 minutes

Description: Through the creation of a welcoming classroom environment, students will acquire some beginning English patterns for introductions, in order to introduce themselves to each other. They will demonstrate knowledge of the English alphabet, as well as a beginning familiarity with alphabetical order.

Strands and Expectations

Strands: Oral and Visual Communication; Reading; Writing; Social and Cultural Competence.

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X*, AORV.02X, AORV.04X, AREV.03X*, AWRV.02X, ASCV.02X.

Specific Expectations: AOR1.03X, 1.05X, 2.02X, 2.04X, 3.03X*, 4.03X, ARE3.01X*, 3.03X*, AWR2.01X, 2.05X, ASC1.02X.

Planning Notes

• Items needed for this activity: Polaroid camera, name tags, post-it notes, coloured string, pushpins, large world map.

• To order the short, non-narrative video Alphabet, call the National Film Board at 1-800-267-7710.

• Strategies to help create a welcoming classroom environment include: being at the door to greet the students as they arrive; having your name printed clearly and placed prominently in the class; posting commercially available multilingual welcome posters, and having brochures about the community and support resources in English and other languages where available.

• For complementary activities on introductions and greetings from course texts, see: Canadian Concepts 1, Canadian Concepts 2, Grammar Connections 1, Side by Side, Secondary School Edition, Book 1, A Canadian Conversation Book, Thematic Activities for Beginners in English.

• This activity includes taking Polaroid photos of all the students: teachers need to be sensitive to any student’s reluctance to participate in having their picture taken.

• Teachers may want to take a few minutes to check students’ timetables to determine appropriate placement for their level of English proficiency.

Prior Knowledge Required

• Knowledge of the English alphabet and ability to copy some English words and phrases. Some students may not have familiarity with the English alphabet and will need extra time and practice.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. After introducing yourself, draw students’ attention to a visual which contains the pattern My name is ____________ . I am from __________ . Model this pattern, and encourage students to practice. Distribute a blank chart which will help students record all their classmates’ names and countries of origin. Students will circulate, introduce themselves to each other, and complete the organizer.

2. Take pictures of all students with the Polaroid camera. Students will attach these photos to the large world map with string leading from their country of origin. Students will copy onto post-it notes (or index cards) the introduction pattern, along with their name in their first language. Affix these notes or cards under the students’ photos.

3. Together with the class, prepare a pie graph showing the percentage of students from each continent and post in the classroom.

4. Do some activities to allow students to demonstrate their proficiency with the English alphabet: e.g., alphabet Bingo; letter identification and matching; upper and lower case identification; flash cards; cloze exercises.

5. Show the non-narrative NFB video Alphabet. The class can engage in a variety of learning strategies such as calling out names of objects which appear in the film; creating a written list of the objects; categorizing and classifying the objects; focusing on the order of letters in the alphabet, etc.

6. Alphabetical order can be practised through various strategies such as: students line up in alphabetical order of first/last name and/or country of origin; students alphabetize name cards or lists, etc. Ordinal numbers can be introduced at this time, using either the line-ups or word lists.

7. Individually, in pairs and/or groups, students will prepare posters or friezes of their first language alphabets, share with their classmates, and post around the room.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

1. Oral introductions in front of the class. (Formative)

2. Alphabetization of a list of classmates’ names in written form. (Summative)

Accommodations/Special Needs

• Pair students with the same first language background.

• Pair students who have less familiarity with the English alphabet with students who are more familiar with it.

• Scribe for individual students as needed.

• Alphabet practice for literacy students could include overwriting, underwriting and copying letters (as in Longman ESL Literacy or A Writing Book, English in Everyday Life) and alphabet recognition listening practice (as in Before Book One).

• More advanced students could work to create a pie graph according to initials of first names in the class, or they could alphabetize countries of origin and other word lists.

Resources

Videotapes

Alphabet, Robert Verrall, National Film Board of Canada, 6 min. 13 sec., order # 0166 044.

Activity #2: The Classroom

Time: 180 minutes

Description: Students will learn the vocabulary of classroom objects. They will practise English patterns such as simple present forms of the verb to have, this is, what questions and some ordinal numbers to describe their school timetable. This activity also includes consolidation of knowledge of English alphabetical order.

Strands and Expectations

Strands: Oral and Visual Communication; Reading; Writing; Social and Cultural Competence.

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X*, AORV.02X*, AORV.04X, AREV.03X*, AWRV.02X, ASCV.02X.

Specific Expectations: AOR1.01X*, 1.03X, 1.05X, 1.06X, 2.01X*, 2.02X, 4.02X; ARE1.03X, 2.01X*, 2.02X, 3.02X, 3.03X, 3.04X*; AWR2.01X, 2.03X, 2.05X, 2.07X, 2.08X; ASC2.04X.

Planning Notes

• The classroom should be labelled with large word cards highlighting a variety of common classroom items and objects such as: desk, chair, chalkboard, cupboard, clock, window, computer, bulletin board, pencil sharpener, etc.

• A collection of classroom objects should be assembled on a tray in advance.

• Make an overhead transparency of a student timetable.

• Complementary activities for learning classroom vocabulary can be found in Canadian Concepts 1, Canadian Concepts 2, Great Beginnings, A Canadian Conversation Book, Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary and Beginner’s Workbook, Thematic Activities for Beginners in English.

• One of the teaching strategies in this activity is Total Physical Response. TPR is a language teaching methodology in which students physically respond to oral directions without having to answer verbally. It is particularly useful for beginning language learners.

Prior Knowledge Required

• English alphabetization skills and some familiarity with ordinal numbers

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Familiarize students with major classroom vocabulary items using the labelled word cards around the room, as well as drawings/pictures of classrooms such as can be found in Canadian Concepts 1, Canadian Concepts 2, or The Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary.

2. Have students remove all the word cards around the room, and negotiate a line-up based on alphabetical order of all the classroom vocabulary on the cards. After this, students work in pairs to re-attach the word cards around the classroom.

3. Place a number of classroom articles such as a pen, pencil, eraser, ruler, binder, workbook, etc. on a tray. Model and teach vocabulary using the pattern This is a _____. Then do a Total Physical Response exercise in which students are asked to take various items off the tray (Pick up a pencil.) and then put items back. Other actions such as passing, hiding, etc., can also be done using the items (Give Jamal the ruler.)

4. Give each student a picture of a classroom object (e.g, from Great Beginnings). Model the pattern: I have a ________. Sasha has a ________. What do you have? Students circulate around the class to

do an information gap activity to determine the objects everyone has. As they complete the activity, they fill in an organizer on the following model: ____________has a ___________.

___________has an _________.

5. Using an overhead transparency of a student timetable, introduce vocabulary such as period, subject, class, etc. Model and teach ordinal numbers: I have math first period (second, third, last). Do a class survey with a visual organizer: __________has __________last period. Days of the week can be introduced at this point.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

1. Orally identify objects in the classroom. (Formative)

2. Complete a diagram or picture with names of classroom objects, or match pictures to words. (Summative)

3. Complete a cloze exercise with missing grammatical structures (e.g., have, has), or classroom vocabulary. (Summative)

Accommodations/Special Needs

• Provide extra opportunities for practising vocabulary and structures.

• Assign a partner who speaks the same first language if possible.

• Scribe for individual students as needed.

• Literacy students underwrite names of classroom objects, match pictures with word cards, and sort word cards by first letter.

• Longman ESL Literacy contains a unit on the school.

Resources

1. Wick, Walter. I Spy: School Days. Toronto: Scholastic, 1995.

-an excellent picture book for a read-aloud

Activity #3: The School

Time: 180 minutes

Description: Through a tour of the school facilities, students will develop English language skills relating to school personnel and activities. They will create their first language experience story, focusing on simple sentence formation. Students will practise some simple formal greetings as they gather information from brief interactions with key school personnel.

Strands and Expectations

Strands: Oral and Visual, Reading, Writing, Social and Cultural Competence.

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X*, AORV.02X*, AORV.03X, AORV.04X; AREV.02X, AREV.03X*, AWRV.01X*, AWRV.02X; ASCV.02X*.

Specific Expectations: AOR1.01X*, AOR2.01X*, 2.02X, 2.04X, 3.01X, 3.02X, 3.03X, 3.04X, 3.05X, 4.02X; ARE1.01X, 1.02X, 1.03X, 2.01X*, 2.02X*, 3.02X, 3.04X, 4.01X; AWR1.01X, 2.03X, 2.07X*, 2.08X*; ASC2.01X, 2.02X*, 2.03X, 2.04X*, 2.05X.

Planning Notes

• Items needed for this activity: overhead transparency of the school map, word cards printed with school locations, Polaroid camera, large roll of paper or taped together sheets of chart paper, markers, school agenda books.

• In advance, let all school staff know that ESLAO students will be touring the school and collecting signatures and basic information from a number of key school personnel.

• Arrange for the principal or vice-principal to visit the class. Prepare her/him for the students’ beginning level of English proficiency, and for the types of questions they will be asking by submitting a list of questions brainstormed by the class in advance of the visit.

• Complementary language activities can be found in the following course texts: Grammar Connections 1, Canadian Concepts 1, Canadian Concepts 2, Side By Side, Secondary School Edition, Book 1, Word by Word Beginning Workbook.

Prior Knowledge Required

• classroom vocabulary

• beginning introductions, simple questions, simple present of verbs to be and to have

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Brainstorm rooms/locations/places in the school and compile in a web or chart. Using an overhead transparency, familiarize students with the layout of their school. Distribute a blank map of the school which includes room numbers, but not room names.

2. Take the class on a tour of the school. As key locations are visited, hold up word cards with the names of the locations. Point out emergency routes and exits for fire drills, as well as other safety concerns around the school where appropriate. Make the students aware of appropriate behaviour and speech volume in different locations around the school. Have students complete the blank school map as they progress on the tour and take pictures of each other in various locations with the Polaroid camera. Back in the classroom, use a long roll of paper or vertically arranged sheets of chart paper to draw an enlarged school plan, and have students label this map and attach the photos.

3. Using the school tour, the class will generate their initial language experience story to be recorded on chart paper. Exploit the language experience story with the students using a variety of consolidating activities such as: copying the story in their journals; choral reading; vocabulary review; cloze exercises; isolating phonetics and spelling points; ordering sentence strips and cut-up sentences with pocket charts; taping the story for the classroom listening centre; categorizing according to first, second, third floor, etc.

4. Brainstorm a list of questions that the students will ask the principal/vice-principal during the guest visit. Give these questions to the administrator in advance. Host the principal or vice-principal or other key person for a guest visit.

5. Brainstorm a list of staff jobs around the school. Create a web including these jobs and some basic responsibilities and activities associated with them. Focus on the simple present tense of verbs. Students will now begin to compile a “career list” of jobs and associated activities which can be posted in the room on charts, as well as recorded in their notebooks.

6. Introduce and model some basic expressions for social interaction and greetings, such as Hi. How are you? Nice to meet you, etc. Roleplay for classroom practice using a jigsaw strategy with role cards for students in groups of five, and an overall organizing chart. (Appendix 1) Then in pairs, students will visit key school personnel such as administrators, the attendance secretary, caretaker, cafeteria attendant, teacher-librarian, guidance counsellor, etc. Students will complete a similar organizer

while they collect information over several class periods.

7. Brainstorm a list of classroom and school rules. Post prominently. Briefly go over emergency procedures such as fire drills, exits, etc. Record and post the list. Reinforce both these texts with a variety of language practice activities such as choral reading, classifying, word matching, etc.

8. Using the school agenda book, teach vocabulary such as today, tomorrow, next week, weekend, days of the week.

9. Brainstorm reasons for being late or absent. Draft a model late/absence note for the students. Small groups of students work together to prepare sample notes based on role cards with late/absence situations.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

1. Fully complete visual organizer compiled through the visits to school personnel. (Formative)

2. In small groups, create an alphabet poster of vocabulary associated with the school. (This can also be done in a multilingual version). (Formative)

3. Using a blank agenda book or timetable format, students complete a teacher prepared listening exercise based on vocabulary learned. (Summative)

Accommodations/Special Needs

• Students match visuals of school personnel jobs to responsibilities or match names of school objects/locations to corresponding visuals.

• Teacher or peers scribe for individual students as necessary.

• Literacy students practise word recognition and phonics with the large word cards from the school tour.

• Begin to compile a wall chart with sentences and visuals of classroom instructions such as Please sit down, Please close your books, Raise your hand, please.

• Longman ESL Literacy contains a unit on the school.

Resources

1. Young, Ed. Seven Blind Mice. Toronto: Scholastic, 1992. -good read-aloud for days of the week

2. Wick, Walter. I Spy: School Days. Toronto, Scholastic, 1995.

Activity #4: The Family

Time: 180 minutes

Description: Students will learn the names of members of the family and some formal ways of addressing people. They will answer who, how many, and yes/no questions, and study possessive and plural forms of nouns.

Strands and Expectations

Strand: Oral and Visual Communication

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X*, AORV.02X*, AORV.03X

Specific Expectations: AOR1.O1X, AOR1.02X, AOR1.05X, AOR2.01X*, AOR2.02X*,

AOR3.01X, AOR3.03X

Strand: Reading

Overall Expectations: AREV.O1X, AREV.02X*, AREV.03X*

Specific Expectations: ARE1.02X*, ARE201X*, ARE2.02X, ARE2.03X, ARE3.04X*,

ARE3.05X

Strand: Writing

Overall Expectations: AWRV.01X, AWRV02X*

Specific Expectations: AWR1.02X, AWR2.02X*, AWR2.03X*, AWR2.05X, AWR2.06X, AWR2.07X, AWR2.08X

Strand: Social and Cultural Competence

Overall Expectations: ASCV.02X

Specific Expectations: ASC1.03X

Planning Notes

• While students are in the process of acquiring the fundamentals of English, teachers must recognize their diverse histories. Many of our immigrant and refugee students are experiencing family loss due to war, trauma and separation; others are reuniting with family members after a significant period of time. Teachers must be sensitive to these realities, as well as to the varieties of family structures that our students come from and to the possibility that they may be reluctant to discuss their backgrounds.

• In an effort to be as inclusive as possible, teachers can define the family as “....any large or small group of people living together for love and security.” From: The Bias Assessor: a Framework for Identifying Bias in Learning Materials, Ontario Curriculum Clearinghouse, 1998.

• Assemble a variety of visual materials that reflect a diversity of family backgrounds, ethnicities and cultures such as: photos, newspaper and magazine illustrations, books, and posters. (See resources.)

• Materials required for this activity include: a transparency projector, markers, experience paper.

• Complementary language practice activities on the family can be found in Canadian Concepts 1, Canadian Concepts 2, Grammar Connections 1, A Canadian Conversation Book , Side By Side, Secondary Edition, Book 1, Word by Word Beginning Workbook, 101 Illustrated Crossword Puzzles.

Prior Knowledge Required

• Classroom and school vocabulary

• Yes/no questions

• Verb to be

Teaching/ Learning Strategies

1. Bring in a variety of visual materials showing different families. Brainstorm the vocabulary of the names of family members on the chalk board. Using a visual organizer (T graph), separate the family members into male or female groups. Vocabulary can be reinforced by completing exercises in beginner ESL texts as listed in the planning notes.

2. Introduce the definition of family as mentioned in the planning notes. Describe one of the families in the visuals and write a model paragraph about it on chart paper. Give small groups of students a different picture. Using the teacher’s model, the students write a paragraph describing the illustrated family. Students practise describing their illustrated family in small groups. (jigsaw)

3. On an overhead transparency, use a graphic organizer to map family members (family tree). Focus on these grammatical structures: plural and possessive forms of nouns, questions: who, how many, yes/no. Using a blank graphic organizer such as a family tree or chart, students copy down the information. Where comfortable, students may complete another one that reflects their family, naming the members.

4. On the chalk board, record the names of the students’ teachers and other school personnel. Brainstorm formal ways of addressing people (Mr., Ms., Miss, Mrs.). Have students survey teachers to find out their preferred forms of address, and share this information with the class. Exercises such as those found in Grammar Connections 1 will reinforce this concept.

5. Have students share the formal ways of addressing people that are used in their language and compare them to English conventions, noting similarities and differences.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

1. Using a T chart graphic organizer, students list five male and five female family members. (Summative)

2. Students give oral presentations on the illustrated family in strategy #2. (Formative)

3. Students are given a family tree of a hypothetical family, with the full names of each member. Have students answer yes/no/how many, and who questions, and demonstrate the use of the possessive and plural forms of nouns. (Summative)

Accommodations/Special Needs

• Scribe for individual students as needed.

• Literacy students match word cards to visuals and practise word recognition.

• Write an experience story based on a hypothetical family.

• Longman ESL Literacy contains a unit on the family.

Resources

• Clay, Rebecca. Ties That Bind.: Family In Community. Woodbridge: Blackbirch Press, 1996.

• Hausherr, Rosemarie. Celebrating Families. New York: Scholastic, 1997.

• Jenness, Aylette. Families: A Celebration Of Diversity, Commitment and Love. Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1990.

• Super, Gretchen. What Kind Of Family Do You Have? Frederick, Maryland: Twenty-First Century Books, 1991.

• Tremblay, Helene. Families of the World: The Americas and the Caribbean. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1988.

• Tremblay, Helene. Families of the World: East Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1990.

Activity # 5: The Home

Time: 180 minutes

Description: Students will complete personal identification forms including mailing addresses. They will learn household vocabulary and associated verbs. Grammatical points to focus on include: where questions, possessive pronouns, prepositions of location, and third person singular and the negative form of the verb to be.

Strands and Expectations

Strand: Oral and Visual Communication

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X*, AORV.02X*

Specific Expectations: AOR1.01X, AOR2.01X*, AOR2.02X*, AOR3.05X

Strand: Reading

Overall Expectations: AREV.03X*, AREV.04X

Specific Expectations: ARE1.02X*, ARE2.01X*, ARE2.02X, ARE2.03X, ARE3.02X, ARE3.03X, ARE3.04X*, ARE3.05X, ARE4.01X

Strand: Writing

Overall Expectations: AWRV.01X*, AWRV.02X*

Specific Expectations: AWR1.01X, AWR1.02X*, AWR1.03X*, AWR2.03X*, AWR2.05X*, AWR2.06X*, AWR2.07X*, AWR2.08X

Strand: Social and Cultural Competence

Overall Expectations: ASCV.02X

Specific Expectations: ASC2.05X, ASC2.06X

Planning Notes

• Students live in a wide variety of accommodations. Some may be self conscious about their present living conditions. Teachers need to be sensitive to these feelings.

• An excellent resource for extension activities about living conditions around the world is Material World: A Global Family Portrait by Peter Menzel. The photographic essays depict the material goods belonging to families around the world. Some vocabulary of comparison and contrast can be introduced in a thoughtful way through the use of this book.

• Materials needed for this activity include: transparencies and an overhead projector, blank wallet identification cards, flash cards with a variety of addresses, postal code book, blank envelopes, pictures of furniture and appliances from a variety of sources, change of address forms from Canada Post outlets, and a 3-ring binder for the picture dictionary.

• Complementary language practice activities on the home can be found in Canadian Concepts 2, Grammar Connections 1, A Canadian Conversation Book, Word by Word Beginning Workbook, 101 Illustrated Crossword Puzzles, Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary Beginner’s Workbook.

Prior Knowledge Required

• Vocabulary relating to personal information

• Verb to be

• Yes/no questions

• Alphabetical order

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Using a transparency of a blank identification form, model how to complete it, using the school’s address. Using a transparency from the corresponding page of the postal code book, model how to locate the school’s postal code. Focus on the term: odd/even numbers and how buildings are numbered on streets. On a separate transparency, model how to complete a mailing address on an envelope. Refer to texts such as: A Writing Book, English in Everyday Life Book 1 for examples.

2. Group students and give out address flash cards where the postal code is missing. Using the postal code book, students find the correct postal code and complete a blank envelope with the full mailing address. Alternatively, students can access Canada Post’s Internet site: www.canadapost.

3. Using a transparency of a blank change of address form, model how to complete it. Give students blank change of address forms. Have each student complete one.

4. Brainstorm different types of housing accommodation and the names of rooms in a home. Provide a variety of visuals to illustrate them. Teach new vocabulary using the visual materials. Use additional exercises such as: matching, cloze, flash cards to reinforce new vocabulary.

5. Working in groups, have students generate a list of classroom furniture. Create a master class list on the chalk board. Invite students to identify which items can also be found in the home. Using pictures introduce new furniture and appliance vocabulary. Divide the class in groups. Assign different rooms to each. Have each group create a labelled collage of drawings and illustrations on a page for the class picture dictionary. Using the pages, review new vocabulary. Later, have students place the pictures in the class binder in alphabetical order.

6. Post the student-created pictures around the class. Using a Venn diagram, teach same and different by comparing the furniture and appliances between two rooms of the home.

7. Using one picture of a room, model a descriptive paragraph, focusing on prepositions of location. Teach the conventions of writing using the modeled paragraph. Focus on: capitalization, punctuation, indenting, and other relevant writing conventions. Students should copy the teacher’s modeled paragraph into their notebooks. Reinforce prepositions of location by using exercises in the suggested texts.

8. Using magazines and illustrations, students create a visual interior arrangement of an ideal room. Students write a descriptive paragraph based on the teacher’s model, and present their visual and written work to the class (or in small groups). See Appendix 2 for a rubric to assess this project.

9. Generate a list of jobs performed in different rooms of the home. Show pictures of people performing these tasks. Using verbs such as: cook, wash, clean, study, sleep, and iron. Model the third person singular.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

1. Complete personal information forms, change of address forms and envelopes with full addresses. (Summative)

2. Quiz: Label rooms, furniture, and appliances in the home. (Formative)

3. Quiz: Complete a cloze activity on prepositions of location . (Formative)

4. Assessment of Ideal Room (see rubric in Appendix 2) (Summative)

Accommodations/Special Needs

• Scribe for individual students as needed.

• Literacy students practice word recognition and phonics with large word cards and visuals.

• Literacy students can do a group dictated story for the ideal room project, instead of an individual paragraph.

• More advanced students can write an experience story on the jobs performed in his/her home.

• Practise prepositions of location with a TPR activity: Put the book under the desk, etc.

• Complete a bilingual picture dictionary of items in the home.

Resources

Menzel, Peter. Material World: A Global Family Portrait. San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1994.

Activity # 6: The Neighbourhood

Time: 240 minutes

Description

Students will develop English language skills to describe the neighbourhood and begin to understand and give directions. They will focus on connectors/transition words and past tense verbs.

Strands and Expectations

Strand: Oral and Visual Communication

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X*, AORV.02X, AORV.03X

Specific Expectations: AOR1.03X*, AOR1.06X, AOR2.01X*, AOR2.04X

Strand: Reading

Overall Expectations: AREV.01X, AREV.02X, AREV.03X*

Specific Expectations: ARE1.01X, ARE1.02X, ARE1.03X*, ARE2.01X*

Strand: Writing

Overall Expectations: AWRV.01X*, AWRV.02X

Specific Expectations: AWR1.01X, AWR2.03X, AWR2.09X*

Strand: Social and Cultural Competence

Overall Expectations: ASCV.02X*

Specific Expectations: ASC2.01X*, ASC2.05X

Planning Notes

• Students will complete an assignment requiring them to interview various members of the community. Prepare a letter for distribution, explaining the activity in full. Students can distribute it as they complete the assignment.

• The teacher will need to create a blank graphic organizer with these headings: address, phone number, hours of operation, activities.

• Complementary language practice activities can be found in Canadian Concepts 1, Canadian Concepts 2, Word by Word Beginning Workbook, Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary Beginner’s Workbook, A Canadian Conversation Book, Side by Side, Secondary Edition, Book 1.

Prior Knowledge Required

• Verb to be

• Prepositions of place

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Brainstorm a web with students to assess prior knowledge about what they see around them as they walk to school. Categorize the vocabulary into headings such as: parks, businesses, community buildings (library, hospital, fire hall, police station, housing). Refer to: The Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary, or A Canadian Conversation Book for excellent visuals and additional exercises. Using visuals from a variety of sources, introduce new vocabulary to add to the headings created in the brainstorming activity.

2. Take the students on a walk around the neighbourhood to reinforce new vocabulary, consolidate orientation to the community, and highlight safety issues. This is also an excellent opportunity to begin a discussion on environmental concerns such as littering, recycling, and respect for private and public property.

3. Create a language experience story based on the walk. Focus on: connectors /transition words (first, next, after, then, finally); directions (left and right); simple past tense.

4. As a class, create and label a large, simplified map of the community.

5. Using the large class-created community map, model giving directions from one place on the map to another. Encourage students to ask questions about how to get to various locations, and elicit student responses in giving specific directions.

6. Have students practise giving directions with a barrier/ information gap game. Provide each pair of students with partially completed maps A and B of the community. Students trade information orally about their maps, retrieving missing information from each other. At the end, students can share their maps with each other to determine accuracy.

7. Community Directory Project: Give students an assignment to find out about stores, libraries, the post office, and community services in the neighborhood. Have paired students find specific information and record it on a teacher-prepared graphic organizer. Have students find the following information: address, telephone number, hours of operation, and two things that can be done in a given location. Compile each pair’s organizer into a class community directory. Alternatively, the information could be compiled on a database or spreadsheet program by the students.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

1. Listening quiz: From the teacher’s oral directions, students plot various locations on a labelled map. (Formative and Summative)

2. Evaluate the community directory project. (Summative)

Accommodations/Special Needs

• Pair students who speak the same first language.

• Provide scribing assistance for students with weaker literacy skills.

• Write an experience story about the community interview.

• Literacy learners practise phonics and match visuals with word cards.

Resources

Cohen, Caren Lee. Where’s the Fly? New York: Greenwillow Books, 1996.

Jenkins, Steve. Looking Down. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1995.

- two good read-alouds on the neighbourhood

Activity #7: Transportation

Time: 120 minutes

Description: Students will learn the English vocabulary for different modes of transportation, road signs, and shapes. They will discuss road safety, focusing on the grammatical structures must/must not, can/cannot.

Strands and Expectations

Strand: Oral and Visual Communication

Overall Expectations: AORV.01X*, AORV.02X*, AORV.03X

Specific Expectations: AOR1.03X, AOR1.04X*, AOR1.05X, AOR2.01X*, AOR2.02X*

Strand: Reading

Overall Expectations: AREV.02X*, AREV.03X

Specific Expectations: ARE1.03X*, ARE2.01X*, ARE2.02X, ARE2.03X, ARE3.02X,

ARE3.04X*

Strand: Writing

Overall Expectations: AWRV.01X, AWRV.02X*

Specific Expectations: AWR2.02X, AWR2.03X*, AWR2.04, AWR2.06X

Strand: Social and Cultural Competence

Overall Expectations: ASCV.02X

Specific Expectations: ASC2.01X

Prior Knowledge Required

• Verb to be

• Simple past tense

• Prepositions of place

• Questions: where, yes/no, how

Planning Notes

• Materials required for this activity include: transparencies and an overhead projector, community maps, traffic signs, copies of the Ministry of Transportation’s Driver Education Handbook.

• Prepare a set of road sign flash cards.

• Complementary language practice activities can be found in A Canadian Conversation Book, People Express, Word by Word Beginning Workbook, Canadian Oxford Picture Dictionary Beginner’s Workbook, Side by Side, Secondary Edition, Book 1.

Teaching/Learning Strategies

1. Brainstorm and web different modes of transportation and vehicles such as: cars, trucks, taxis, buses, train systems, streetcars, bicycles. Focus on verbs associated with transportation and transit vocabulary such as: entrance, exit, front, rear, exact change, fare, coin, token, transfer, ticket,

platform, turnstile, crowded, seat, driver, safe, dangerous; get on/off, pay, turn, go, drive, walk,

stop.

2. Survey students regarding their mode of transportation to school: (by car, by foot, by public transit...) Bar graph the students' responses. The community map could be used to illustrate their routes.

3. Using a T-chart, have students compare how they get to school now with how they got to school in their country of origin or last country of residence. Focus on the simple past tense.

4. Introduce a map of the city/town/region. Model directions to a specific destination. Write them down and have students copy into their notebooks. Orally and/or in writing, have students provide directions to get to a specific location by foot, public transport, etc. This can be completed in pairs or individually.

5. Provide students with a worksheet of a variety of common road signs. Using a matching overhead, teach the meanings of each sign. Using flash cards with each road sign, have students state what they must do when encountering the sign. Focus on: must/mustn't; can/can't.

6. Shapes: Using the road signs, teach the different shapes: octagon, triangle, rectangle, square, circle, diamond. Have students label their road sign worksheet with shape vocabulary. The Ministry of Transportation’s Driver Handbook can be used as a resource to reinforce the vocabulary.

Assessment/Evaluation Techniques

1. Oral summary about the route students take to come from home to school every day.(Formative)

2. Students locate five road signs in the community, giving their exact location (at the corner of ____) The teacher models an example of his/her expectations: example: I saw a stop sign on the corner of _____ and ____.(Formative)

3. For each shape, student gather the names of any five items with the same shape. (Formative)

4. Test based on the activities presented in the first unit. The test could contain written, oral and listening components. (Summative)

Accommodations/Special Needs

• Pair students who speak the same first language.

• Provide scribing assistance for students with weaker literacy skills.

• Develop with the students a language experience story about route taken to school.

• Focus on environmental print in the community, as a complement to signs.

Resources

Hoban, Tana. Shapes, Shapes, Shapes. New York, Greenwillow Books, 1986.

Hoban, Tana. So Many Circles, So Many Sqaures, New York: Greenwillow Books, 1998.

-Two excellent books of photographs to elicit talk about shapes.

Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Driver’s Handbook.

Appendix 1: Role Cards for School Jobs/Responsibilities Jigsaw

Gurpreet Singh Margaret Bullock

Attendance Secretary Caretaker

I work in the main office. The caretakers have their own room, but I work all

I keep lists of students who are absent. over the school.

I collect late and absence notes. I keep the school safe and clean.

I repair the electricity.

Robert Chan Fatima Oporto

Teacher-Librarian Guidance Counsellor

I work in the Resource Centre. I work in the Student Services office.

I help students find books and information. I help students choose their courses.

I buy books and software for the Resource I talk to students about their problems and concerns.

Centre.

Maurice Labelle

Vice-Principal

I work in the main office, and all over the

school.

I make sure students follow school rules for

appropriate behaviour.

I help students settle conflicts.

Job

Name

Location of Work

Two Work Activities

Signature

APPENDIX 2

RUBRIC FOR ASSESSING THE CREATION OF AN IDEAL ROOM

(ESLAO: UNIT 1 - ACTIVITY 5)

Student Prepared Visual of an Ideal Room
Categories	50-59% Level 1	60-69% Level 2	70-79% Level 3	80-100% Level 4
Knowledge/ Understanding -understands design of floor plan	The student demonstrates limited understanding of design of floor plan	some understanding of design of floor plan	considerable understanding of design of floor plan	thorough understanding of design of floor plan
Thinking/ Inquiry -selects appropriate furnishings	The student demonstrates limited selection of appropriate furnishings	some selection of appropriate furnishings	considerable selection of appropriate furnishings	thorough selection of appropriate furnishings
Application -demonstrates neatness and organization of visual	The student demonstrates limited neatness and organization of visual	some neatness and organization of visual	considerable neatness and organization of visual	thorough neatness and organization of visual

APPENDIX 2 - cont’d

RUBRIC FOR ASSESSING THE CREATION OF AN IDEAL ROOM

(ESLAO: UNIT 1 - ACTIVITY 5)

Written Paragraph
Categories	50-59% Level 1	60-69% Level 2	70-79% Level 3	80-100% Level 4
Knowledge/ Understanding -uses appropriate home furnishing vocabulary -uses prepositions of location correctly	The student demonstrates limited use of appropriate vocabulary limited use of location prepositions	some use of appropriate vocabulary some use of location prepositions	considerable use of appropriate vocabulary considerable use of location prepositions	thorough use of appropriate vocabulary thorough use of location prepositions
Thinking/ Inquiry -content of paragraph reflects the visual	The student demonstrates limited content reflecting visual	some content reflecting visual	considerable content reflecting visual	thorough content reflecting visual
Communication -uses writing conventions: capitals, periods, spelling, present tense of verb to be	The student demonstrates limited use of writing conventions	some use of writing conventions	considerable use of writing conventions	thorough use of writing conventions
Application -uses sentence structure to reflect teacher modelled paragraph in new context	The student demonstrates limited sentence structure reflecting model	some sentence structure reflecting model	considerable sentence structure reflecting model	thorough sentence structure reflecting model

APPENDIX 2 - cont’d

RUBRIC FOR ASSESSING THE CREATION OF AN IDEAL ROOM

(ESLAO: UNIT 1 - ACTIVITY 5)

Oral Presentation
Categories	50-59% Level 1	60-69% Level 2	70-79% Level 3	80-100% Level 4
Knowledge/ Understanding -uses appropriate home furnishing vocabulary -uses prepositions of location correctly	The student demonstrates limited use of appropriate vocabulary limited use of location prepositions	some use of appropriate vocabulary some use of location prepositions	considerable use of appropriate vocabulary considerable use of location prepositions	thorough use of appropriate vocabulary thorough use of location prepositions
Communication -uses oral language to describe the written/visual	The student demonstrates limited use of oral language to describe the written/visual	some use of oral language to describe the written/visual	considerable use of oral language to describe the written/visual	thorough use of oral language to describe the written/visual
Application -uses present tense of the verb to be	The student demonstrates limited use of present tense of the verb to be	some use of present tense of the verb to be	considerable use of present tense of the verb to be	thorough use of present tense of the verb to be

Appendix 3: Reading Log

Title

Author

Date Started

Date Finished

About this Book

Appendix 4: Graphic Organizers

T Chart	Pie Graph	Venn Diagram
Bar Graph	Time Line	Web

Continue to Unit 2 | Back to Course Profiles main menu