Whitby Upper School English as an Additional Language (EAL) Program

Welcome to Whitby's EAL Program

Whitby's EAL Program is designed for students who are acquiring English as an additional language to their mother tongue. The goal of the program is to prepare students to become academically proficient in English and successful in their mainstream classes. EAL students receive specialized instruction in English language acquisition from a qualified EAL instructor.

Upper School EAL Program Structure

Upper school EAL students in phases 1-4 will attend the IBMYP English Language Acquisition classes, in place of IBMYP English Language and Literature. These classes will strengthen and build on students’ existing language skills across the domains of language acquisition: reading, writing, oral language, and viewing language.

The EAL teacher also works with subject group teachers of EAL students to provide language development support for EAL students.

Upper School Program and Reporting Procedures

Phase 3-6 students will receive marks in all IB Middle Years Program (MYP) subject areas.

Phase 1-2 students may receive ‘EAL’ support noted on their reports, in place of a number mark, in subject areas where a student’s English language proficiency inhibits his/her ability to meet task and assessment aims. This may apply to one or more criteria in each subject area.

Unit Sample

IBMYP English Language Acquisition Course

Sample Units:

UNIT: What’s Your ID?

Key Concept: Culture
Related Concepts: Point of View and Empathy
Explorations: Identity Formation

UNIT: Hidden Truths

Key Concept: Connections
Related Concepts: Function and Message
Explorations: Social Histories

UNIT: My Environmental Footprint

Key Concept: Communication
Related Concepts: Audience and word choice
Explorations: Human impact on the environment

Skills and Knowledge:

What is culture?
Defining and understanding empathy
Comparing and contrasting
Presentation skills
Reflection on how we make decisions or choices based on our cultural backgrounds
Reading, writing, listening, speaking and viewing in English
Identifying basic facts
Drawing conclusions
Making connections with text
Point of View: characters and our own
Organization for writing and the writing process
Figurative Language
Persuasive techniques
Story elements
Main idea of a story or non-fiction text
Environmental concerns and issues
Research skills
Evaluating sources/bias
Applying persuasive techniques and language

MYP Language Acquisition Criteria

Criterion A: Comprehending Spoken and Visual Text
Criterion B: Comprehending Written and Visual Text
Criterion C: Communicating in response to spoken, and/or written and/or visual text
Criterion D: Using language in spoken and written form.

Mother Tongue Program

Mother Tongue Development

We believe that maintaining and developing language skills of our learners, whose mother tongue is other than English, is vital. Developing a child’s mother tongue can accelerate the acquisition of English and increase academic achievement across the curriculum.

Whitby works with ABC Languages, a local language agency, to assist with the provision of mother tongue class, when possible. ABC Languages works with parents to find teachers for the Mother Tongue Program. Classes are offered during WECCP and Co-Curricular time with fees varying by the number of sections offered and students enrolled in the program.

Parents may contact Nicolette Dekens at ABC Languages: nicolette@abclang.com to inquire about options for enrolling students in the program. For Upper School students studying in the English as an Additional Language program, Mother Tongue courses may be required to satisfy MYP requirements.

Mother Tongue Resources

Whitby’s library includes a collection of of books that represents the mother tongue languages of our international community. We encourage families to maintain mother tongue development by keep books and materials in you mother tongue at home, as well. Students are welcome to bring in books in their mother tongue for independent reading time in the Lower and Upper Schools.

Transitioning Information

Supporting Your Child Through This Transition

Here are some ways you can help support your child through this transition:

Provide a language-rich environment at home
Continue to develop your child’s first/home language by reading to your child, sharing books, telling stories
Talk with your child in your first language about routines, vocabulary, topics and other activities done or going on at school. (Having a strong and developing first language will help your child to acquire English)
Enroll your child in a Mother Tongue Program to continue to develop your child’s first language.
Join after school sports clubs or Electives at school.
Visit our School Library and the World Language Book section to find books in your home language.

Transition Period

When arriving please expect varied transitions depending on your child’s age, language proficiency and unique personality. During this time, here are some behaviors you may observe:

Many children who are at an early stage in their learning of English go through a 'silent period' when they first enter a new school or an unfamiliar setting. This can last for up to six months or longer. This is not a 'passive' stage. During this time, the child will be watching, actively listening, and exploring their environment to understand new experiences and to develop new meanings.
Children may begin to use non-verbal gestures to communicate.
There will be an adjustment period to learning the culture and expectations of a school.