What is ELL? |
ELL stands for English Language Learning. For some students English is a second language (ESL) and for some it is third, fourth, or fifth, so an additional language (EAL). ELL can be used in place of ESL and EAL but it is essentially the same thing.
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What do ELL Teachers Help With? |
We help those new to learning English develop their Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills (BICS) which are needed to communicate with peers, teachers, and other members of the community. We also help students develop their Cognitive Academic Language Proficiency (CALP). This is what is needed for academic success in the intermediate grades and beyond. A university arts degree typically requires that students have a vocabulary of about 40,000+ words. BICS alone might demand 1000 to 5000 words. With that vocabulary people can focus just fine in nonacademic settings. See the graphic below for more information on BICS and CALP. In this graphic language is represented with an iceberg. The BICS is what people hear. CALP is below the surface and what most people can't see in the average conversation.
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At what stage is my child at with their English language development?
According to the BC ELL Standards:
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For this website, I use the terms Stages 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in referring to these levels. For intermediate students (grades 4-7), if your child has been in Canada for 6 months or less and had some previous English learning, or if they have been in Canada for less than a year with no previous English, then they are likely at a beginner level (stage 1). After that, they would be at the developing level (or stage 2). After two years in Canada your child would likely be at an expanding, consolidating, or bridging level (stages 3, 4, 5). At this point it is usually a matter of reading, writing, and vocabulary development. If your child struggles with reading and writing at grade level, they are probably at stage 3. If they read and write at grade level but struggle with understanding the harder vocabulary (i.e. words like observe, investigate, comprehend) then they are probably at stage 4. If your child does well in school and they just struggle with some of the finer points of English grammar, they are probably at stage 5.