Language A:English
Philosophy and Aims
Language instruction at BIS focuses on preparing students to be effective communicators, life-long learners and critical, reflective language users. Students learn to read a wide variety of texts from around the world and learn to write in a wide variety of genres for a wide variety of purposes. The curriculum strives to give students effective thinking skills necessary for textual analysis, the skills needed for articulate and creative expression, and the writing skills needed for fluent written expression of opinions and ideas.
Statement of Philosophy
• Our primary reason for being here is to learn from one another – each individual shares responsibility for learning in the classroom.
• Students must be at the center of learning activities and need to be actively engaged to be learning most effectively.
• Reading, writing, listening, speaking, viewing and presenting are the foundations upon which students’ learning is based, and are best taught in context, integrated with each other, rather than in isolation.
• The best learning happens when we are actively involved in our own education as we construct meaning of texts and the world both individually and collectively.
• Learning is a process, not just a product. Assessment must therefore be authentic, formative, and summative.
• We seek to nurture natural curiosity about texts and the human condition, encourage a love of learning and an appreciation of the complexities of communication.
• This English program will provide the opportunities and skills needed to be life-long learners and thoughtful world citizens.
• We recognize and affirm students’ varying language backgrounds as they develop their proficiency in English language and literature.
Structure of the English Curriculum
We focus on three overriding strands in English:
Oral Communication
• Speaking and Listening
Written Communication
• Reading and Writing
Visual Communication
• Viewing and Presenting
These three strands are organized into four curriculum standards:
Curriculum Standard 1 (Speaking and Listening)
Students will demonstrate the interest and ability to speak and listen purposefully and effectively.
Curriculum Standard 2 (Reading)
Students will demonstrate the interest and ability to read age appropriate materials fluently, with understanding and appreciation.
Curriculum Standard 3 (Writing)
Students will demonstrate the interest and ability to write effectively for a variety of purposes and audiences.
Curriculum Standard 4 (Viewing and Presenting)
Students will demonstrate the interest and ability to view and present information critically and effectively.
Oral Communication (Speaking and Listening):
The ability to communicate effectively and to listen attentively and openly to others, are invaluable life skills. Students will develop their inquiry and communication skills in cooperative class discussions and other oral activities.
Teachers will encourage students to use language fluently and effectively, and will develop an appreciation of global and cultural differences in oral communication styles. Oral communication activities and assessments will reflect a wide variety of purposes, audiences and contexts in which oral communication is used. Students will be aware of and adjust their use of tone, questioning, vocal range, expression of feelings and content according to audience and purpose. Students will develop their discussion and formal speaking skills in all grade levels.
Learning how to listen for explicit and implicit messages, how to paraphrase what one has heard, how to question to drive inquiry, and how to accurately interpret and evaluate what one has heard are all critical skills that students will develop. In addition, students will develop the ability to listen to the experiences of others with empathy and an open mind.
Written Communication (Reading and Writing):
Students will develop appropriate reading strategies, and teachers will actively promote enjoyment and love of reading for a variety of purposes and audiences. We encourage students to see reading as a window to the world beyond themselves.
Writing instruction at BIS focuses heavily on all stages of the writing process, including prewriting, drafting, editing, and publishing. We value and teach the process involved in constructing and creating a variety of texts, and encourage our students to revise, redraft and rework their writing at all stages. Skills of spelling and grammar are taught in context, and are developed through the students’ engagement with the writing process. Students also develop an appreciation of a wide variety of writing styles depending upon audience and purpose.
Visual Communication (Viewing and Presenting):
Visual communication ranges from our awareness of body language, to a variety of visual aids used with oral presentations, to theater performance and various media texts. We will approach visual communication with both an aesthetic and critical focus, using both creative and analytical methods. Students will both create and analyze visual images, in order to become fluent, perceptive creators and readers of various visual texts for different audiences and purposes.
Presentation skills involve integrating many of the above skills in an effective manner in a style that is dependent upon audience and purpose. These skills include using one’s body and voice effectively in front of others, appreciating nuances of communication, considering how we present ourselves to others at any given time, and using technology to enhance the content we wish to deliver.
English Teaching and Learning Methodology
The teaching and learning methodology at BIS focuses on being engaging, integrated, supportive and active. Teachers are expected to use a wide variety of methods of instruction, including multimedia, in order to make learning experiences relevant and meaningful for the students, and to encourage a love of language and learning.
Individual requirements do vary from grade to grade; however, some general beliefs and practices underscore all teaching and learning in all English classes:
¬ Students will learn to work independently and in cooperative groups
¬ Students will regularly reflect on their learning as an integral part of their life long educational journey
¬ Students will use writing as a way of thinking and reflecting, and will make personal journal responses to literature and other texts
¬ Students will develop a portfolio each year, reflecting their writing and work
¬ Students will set personal learning goals, use effective learning strategies and self assess their work.
¬ Students will select and read books independently for enjoyment
Teachers are expected to provide a broad range of activities and tasks that provide a balanced program, incorporating all four curricular standards, in a language rich environment. Teachers will strive to create supportive, emotionally-safe environments in which students can take risks and express themselves in a variety of ways. In addition, teachers are encouraged to make use of “teachable moments” and to be responsive to student needs and interests in the classroom.
Language learning extends into all subject areas; therefore teachers will make meaningful interdisciplinary connections to other subjects and the world around us, as we explore language and literature in our classrooms. The process of learning will be as valued as the final products produced. The emphasis in classes will be on students constructing their own meanings and supporting their interpretations with evidence from the texts they are studying
Teachers will also work to provide many opportunities for students to take active responsibility for their learning, and to be active members of classroom activities. Methods used for engaging students should be flexible, responsive to student needs, and should reflect a commitment to providing meaningful contexts for all learning activities.
Teachers make sure that students clearly understand the learning goals and how the teachers will evaluate their learning. They ensure that the learning goals and assessments are meaningful and worth learning, and finally, will communicate to all students that they believe they can successfully learn and meet the evaluative expectations.
Finally, teaching and learning methodology must maintain an emphasis and priority on developing student skills as opposed to emphasizing or prioritizing the coverage of content. Teachers need to prioritize developing students’ time management skills, research and inquiry skills, writing skills, discussion skills, presentation skills, teamwork and cooperative skills, study skills and critical thinking skills at all grade levels. Skills acquisition is critical, and teachers at BIS are expected to prioritize selecting key content areas for developing deep understanding over trying to do everything.
English Assessment Practices
We recognize the importance of ongoing, authentic assessments and continual adjustments on the parts of both teachers and students in order to engage in successful learning.
Diagnostic Assessments:
These are used to precede instruction to identify students’ prior knowledge, common misconceptions, and learning style preferences. They also assist and guide teacher planning and guide differentiated instruction, and since they serve diagnostic purposes, teachers do not usually grade the results.
Diagnostic assessments provide teachers with greater insights into
• what to teach, by providing valuable information about skill gaps
• how to teach, by providing information about learning styles and personalities which may help group formations.
• how to connect the content to student interests and talents.
For example: pre-reading activities to activate background knowledge, discussions
Formative Assessments:
These are interwoven in daily work and used to provide specific feedback to teachers and students for the purpose of guiding teaching to improve learning. They may be formal, informal, graded or ungraded. By providing specific, criteria-based feedback, students can adjust their leaning and hone their skills.
For example: feedback on writing drafts before the final summative assessment of that piece of writing.
Summative assessments:
These assessments summarize what the students have learned at the end of instructional segments and are evaluative in nature.
They should be clear to students at the start of each unit, because they provide meaningful learning goals for students. They frame relevant performance goals and clarify the targeted benchmarks and standards. These assessments define the evidence that will be used to determine whether or not the students have learned the content benchmarks and standards.
These performance assessment tasks should ideally provide realistic, authentic contexts for assessment that enable students to apply their learning thoughtfully and flexibly.
For example: a multimedia presentation on an author
Self and Peer Assessment:
These assessments encourage students to take ownership and responsibility for their learning. Students will practice being self-reflective, and learn how to give and receive effective, constructive feedback.
For example: rubrics developed by students, self-reflective journaling or discussions, peer editing.
Beliefs and practices that underscore English Assessment tasks:
• Teachers will show students marking criteria and, where appropriate, multiple models and examples, in advance.
• Authentic assessments are typically open-ended and do not yield a single correct answer or solution process.
• Products and performances should be based on explicitly defined performance criteria, often presented in rubric form.
• Students learn more effectively when they are actively involved in self assessments of their own work using rubrics and explicit, clear criteria.
• Teachers will offer appropriate choices for demonstrating knowledge, concepts, attitudes, skills and understanding, which focus on collecting appropriate evidence of learning on the basis of goals and benchmarks, rather than a “cool” menu of options.
• All kinds of learning require feedback based on formative assessments, and therefore, assessment practices must provide feedback to students early, and often.
• Feedback must be timely, specific, understandable to the student, and formed to allow self adjustment on the student’s behalf.
• As students work to achieve clearly defined learning goals, and produce evidence of their achievement, they need to know that teachers will not penalize them for either lack of knowledge at the beginning of the course or their initial attempts at skill mastery.
• Teachers will allow new evidence to replace old evidence and will convey the message to students that they are concerned about their successful learning, not merely on their grades. Therefore, teachers will provide students with multiple opportunities to demonstrate their learning.
• Teacher assessments will cater to different needs of students, such as through independent reading programs and using literature circles, and will be developmentally appropriate.