English as an Additional Language

Supporting Students’ Transition to an English Language Environment

At the FIS we are very lucky to have such a multilingual student community! We are proud of what all our students bring to the learning environment, including our English language learners! The language of instruction at the FIS is English. Students in the English as an Additional Language (EAL) Program at the FIS are provided the best possible environment for them to integrate into the community, develop their English language skills and help them to achieve academic success.

EAL Program at the FIS

From Early Years 5 to Grade 12, the FIS has an EAL Program which provides both small-group English language instruction and in-class support in content classes to EAL students until they are ready to fully access the curriculum and produce and comprehend English at a proficient level.

Our EAL Program is levelled and provides instruction for beginners, intermediate and advanced students. Language teaching is linked to other areas of the curriculum through theme-based topics and/or content work from the mainstream classroom. We consider it important that the language objectives are taught through the content, so that EAL students have about the same background knowledge, skills, strategies and concepts as their peers in the mainstream classroom.

What Does EAL Support Look Like?

In-Class Support

EAL teachers accompany EAL students into the mainstream classroom to assist them with the content work and extend their academic language. This service may also include provision differentiated classwork and assessments, as well as team or co-teaching situations with the mainstream teachers.

EAL Small-Group Instruction

EAL teachers provide language instruction in the EAL classroom, as well as content-area support. Content-area support will include pre-teaching and re-enforcing of vocabulary and concepts taught in the mainstream class.

Academic English Support

EAL teachers support students to develop their academic English skills by supporting them with content-area tasks and general academic language work. This class is taken as an elective, recommended by the EAL department.

IB MYP English Language Acquisition

For students in Grades 6 to 10, we offer the opportunity to take English Language Acquisition classes at Phases 1 to 5. Once students reach the required level, they transition to MYP English Language and Literature.

IBDP English B

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

Other Services

Teacher Education

The EAL department works with teachers to support them in adapting their teaching to meet the needs of English language learners.

Parent Education

The EAL department works with parents to support them in supporting their child’s learning and English language acquisition at home.