An Introduction to EAL

In-House

Students of the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Department are provided with the best possible environment so they can integrate within the community, improve their English language skills, and achieve academic success at the FIS.

The department spans grade levels EY5 through to Grade 12. The program is introduced for beginners in EY5, then from Grade 1 and upwards, there is instructional support for beginners, intermediate and advanced students.

“The EAL support at the FIS can take various forms, from in-class support to small-group instruction,” Head of EAL, Sabine Lang, explains. While in-class support entails accompanying students into the mainstream classroom to assist them with the content work and extend their academic language, small-group instruction includes content-area support with pre-teaching and reinforcing of vocabulary and concepts taught in the mainstream class.

Ms. Lang shares an example: “Secondary EAL students can receive English subject support instead of an Exploratory subject. In this class they bring materials from other MYP subjects, and the EAL teacher supports the students with the work and tasks for these classes. This time is also used to address individual students’ English language learning needs with regard to grammar and writing skills, or understanding of texts that they need to read for their MYP subjects.”

In grades 9 – 12 we additionally offer Academic English Support to EAL students. Similar to English subject support, this provides students with continued assistance in content-area tasks and general academic language work.

For students in Grades 6 to 10, the aim of the MYP English Language Acquisition classes is for students to get to Phase 4 or 5 from Phase 1. Once the students reach the required level, they transition to MYP English A Language and Literature.

For students in Grades 11 and 12, English as a Language B (language acquisition) course is offered as part of the externally assessed IB DP program.

At any grade level, once the students are able to exit the EAL program, all their teachers continue to help the students with ongoing development of their English language skills.

We are proud of the multilingual FIS environment, comprising many nationalities, cultures, and languages backgrounds. We currently have almost 270 students in the EAL program, and the goal is to provide a conducive learning environment so the students can integrate into the curriculum and the community in the best way.

If you would like to know more about the EAL program at the FIS, you can reach out to , HoD EAL, Student Support Coordinator/External Liaisons.

Next Post
Trophies for FIS Varsity Football Teams
Previous Post
Mini Service Projects