Supporting English Language Learners in your Classroom

Our classrooms in the LKDSBS are welcoming more and more students whose home language isn’t English. These students bring a wealth of experience and knowledge with them, but they also mean we must learn and adapt to support these students in our classrooms.  

English Learners are typically thought to be students coming from non-English speaking countries but the reality is that the largest number of students in the LKDSB are Canadian-born.  Another surprise for many teachers is we have students who may speak a dialect of English and they also need extra support while they are transitioning to school in Ontario.  

Students learning English join our classrooms with their age group peers regardless of their level of English proficiency.  It takes 5-7 years to become fluent in a second language and our students are learning the Ontario curriculum at the same time they are learning English.  In the early stages of English learning, our students need scaffolds and support to help them learn the structures and vocabulary of English.  They are able to have accommodations and modifications to the language of subjects without needing an IEP because these supports will fade as their language proficiency increases.  

A great document to help you support students and families is the Many Roots Many Voices document which has practical strategies for welcoming students and families into your school and classroom.  

Many times we aren’t sure how to support new English learners in our classrooms but there is a tool to help teachers understand and track how students are acquiring English.  It also helps teachers see what their students should be able to do in English as they acquire language.  This document is called “STEP” or “Steps to English Proficiency” and it is a continuum of language learning.  

STEP or Steps to English Proficiency isn’t a “program”, “rubric” or “plan” for ELs.  Our students are learning English while they learn their grade level curriculum, so think of it instead as a lens to look at the language skills your student has and to plan on how they will participate in the classroom as they move through the STEPS.   

STEP Overview Video:

The STEP documents for the LKDSB are located on the Portal “Quick Links” under “ELL - English Language Learners” and are clickable PDFs that you can download for each of your EL students.  

Download the STEP Continuua for your student here: https://portal.lkdsb.net/BoardDepartments/prog-elem/esl/SitePages/Home.aspx#/=

Click on the links below to see a quick overview of each of the 3 parts of STEP. 

STEP Oral Ongoing Assessment:

STEP Reading Ongoing Assessment:

STEP Writing Ongoing Assessment:

For more information about STEP please visit: STEP Steps to English Proficiency User Guide