Welcome to 2020 EAL/D Learning

Welcome back to our EAL/D blog everyone!

2020 started off to a shaky start with the effects of the covid-19 virus but we are now back on track with our learning and a strong swing into the year.

Our English as an Additional Language or Dialect, (EAL/D) students, have been making very good progress in learning their new words. These words are taken from their reading, spelling and phonics. In EAL/D classes we review these words by sounding them out, focussing on ‘tricky’ spellings, practise saying what the words mean and practise creating sentences using the words.

To really understand a word, the students need to be able to use it properly in a variety of sentences. The older students need to know some other meanings a word may have, or know other situations the word is used in.

Please take the time to look through and practise the words from your child’s year level by clicking on their year level tab.

 Mrs Lynn Pillay will be taking the EAL/D classes while I am on Long Service Leave from Monday 15/06/2020. I know I leave the students in Mrs Pillay’s very capable hands. I love working with your children and will miss their enthusiasm and talks about their knowledge of words. I return in September at the start of Term 4.

Keep safe and have fun learning! 

Ms Thomson

Welcome Back for Term Two.

Hi everyone, just before the holidays I thought it would be a good idea to update some new words to revise over the school break.

Take a look at the Year Level Tabs, to find words to practice for a few minutes each day so you will be ready to start afresh next term.

Keep safe and enjoy your holidays.

Ms Thomson

11/04/2019 Week 10 Term One

Weeks 5 to 10, Term One, 2019.

Great to see you're checking back to the WGPS EALD Blog!

This term has seen some changes to the original plan of working with EALD students from Years 1 to 6. 

From Week 5 to Week 10 this term, my focus has been to increase support to our Year 3 and 5 EALD students, in preparation for NAPLAN testing. I will renew work with the EALD students from other years, after NAPLAN testng.

 I have been working with EALD students from Years 3 to 5 to reinforce learning of the unknown vocabulary (or words), that they encounter in texts read in class.

As well as the change of focus onto our Year 3 and 5 students, we have an extra staff member employed to work with EALD students in kindy and pre-primary. I am really pleased that Divya Janarthanan, our new EALD Assistant, is working with these students and I'm sure everyone would join me in welcoming Divya to Wattle Grove PS. Divya is working with Kindy and Pre-primary students to consolidate their use of everyday Australian words. 

In Term 2, Divya will start teaching our EALD kindy students words for items found inside and outside the classroom.

When working with older students, how do we know if they know a word? There are useful descriptions that signal four levels of word knowledge that I like to use with these students. 

1. I never saw or heard the word before.
2. I've heard the word, but I don't know what it means.
3. I recognize the word when it is talked about or used.
4. I know the word well, can spell it, say what it means (even some different meanings) and can use the word correctly in different sentences. 

Please check the Year 3 and 5 tabs at the top of this page for students' weekly or fortnightly words, definitions and sentences covered this term.

• Welcome to the first WGPS EALD Blog!
• 
  
  I will be adding information regularly about what students are learning in EALD classes, so I hope you will keep checking back regularly, as well, for updates.
  
  
  I am a specialist EAL/D teacher and I work with students who have a language background other than English. Some students I work with were born in Australia and some were born overseas.
    
  EALD is an initialism which stands for English as an Additional Language and /or Dialect. (If you’re wondering what initialism is: (noun) an abbreviation consisting of initial letters pronounced separately (e.g. BBC))
  
  
  For the first few weeks of school, I have been busy completing a census of the EAL/D students. This encompasses students from kindy to year 6 who attend WGPS and have a language background other than English. I must assess a student’s English ability in speaking, listening to information and instructions, reading, viewing and writing. These assessments help me to find out whether a student would benefit from some support and more practice to learn Standard Australian English (SAE) words in common use, idiomatic expressions, and the academic language which is used in the classroom.
  
  
  At WGPS and throughout Western Australia, students who have a language background other than English (LBOTE) are assessed on their use and understanding of SAE using the Western Australian Progress Maps. At our school, EAL/D students on the census receive both a Progress Map report and a WA curriculum report in English in semesters one and two.
  
  
  The census has taken a few weeks to complete as our school has had a number of newly enrolled students. It is important that the information truly reflects a student’s circumstances, as the eligible students attract funding for the school. This funding is used by the principal to cater for the needs of our students.
  
  
  The second important task that has taken a great deal of my time is to set up a timetable so I can help teachers in classrooms where there are eligible EAL/D students.
  
  
  The school has decided, following some vocabulary testing, that there is a need to focus on building students’ knowledge and understanding of words or vocabulary they encounter in class. These words may come from spelling lists, phonic words, class books the students are reading, sight words and their writing. In focusing on growing the vocabulary of our EALD students, our aim is to assist students to quickly know the meaning of these words, spell them correctly and be able to use these target words in a sentence. This will definitely assist students’ comprehension.
  
  
  In EALD classes, students will be involved in talking about word meanings, viewing and drawing pictures to show meanings, using the words in sentences, spelling words correctly, playing card games and drama.
  
  
  Please open the year level tabs to find out the target words for the week (or fortnight in some classes), for your child’s year level.
  
  
  I am really pleased to be able to keep you informed of what is happening in the EALD programme at WGPS.
  
  
  Please follow the link to find translations for many parent information leaflets. These leaflets provide you with some great reading about topics that will benefit your child.
  
  
  Click here to view information documents.
  
  
  I leave you with this quote:
  
  
  “The limits of my language mean the limits of my world.” 
  Ludwig Wittgenstein (Philosopher, 1889-1951)
  
  
  Warm regards,
  Glenda Thomson
  EAL/D Specialist Teacher
  Wattle Grove Primary School