At our school, English constitutes a major part of our school life from Kindergarten to Grade 8. A high quality English learning, which is one of the main objectives of our school, is enriched with the licensed native English speaking teachers who come from prestigious schools in Europe and North America and their unique cultural backgrounds. Our foreign teachers help our students learn about and respect different cultures and model what it means to be a global citizen.
The goal of our English program is to enable our students to use this language effectively in speech, listening, writing and reading. The students are exposed to oral, print, and other media texts in different genres that stimulate their ideas, imagination, and feelings and extend their view of the world by using English. While comprehending and responding to age and level appropriate texts using critical thinking and effective oral and written communication skills, they realize that reading enriches and broadens their life experience, including one’s personal and social understanding and responsibilities. They learn about and respect other cultures and viewpoints that differ from their own.
English clubs such as JMUN (Junior Model United Nations) and WSC (World Scholar’s Cup) also give our students the opportunity to learn about, discuss, and problem-solve global issues with their peers all around the world, understand and appreciate different points of view, and gain international perspectives. Through these club activities, they not only learn to take action through discussion and collaboration to help build a better and peaceful world but also refine their language by using it in purposeful and meaningful situations. As they do some of these activities with the help of technology, they understand that technology is a tool to facilitate language learning and communication.
Click here for the details of the English Program.
OBJECTIVES:
Our English curriculum is unique to our school and is adapted from US Common Core English Language Arts and Common European Framewok (CEFR). Our program is not limited to traditional literacy instruction. It includes digital literacy, media literacy, and global literacy components as well.
The journey of language-learning that the students embark on with the acquisition of basic knowledge and skills in the kindergarten and elementary school, progresses to conducting inquiry and research projects, taking part in drama performances and debates, giving oral presentations, literary analysis, creative and academic writing in middle school. The atmosphere that is created to support the use of English is enriched with creative in and out of class activities, presentations and performances, which in turn provides a non-threatening environment for the use of a new language.
We try to encourage a growth mindset in English language learning. Students are encouraged to learn from their mistakes, not to fear them. Formative assessment tools, portfolios, self and peer evaluation forms are used so that students can evaluate their progress in English, reflect on their weaknesses and strengths, set goals for their next step in the learning process, and be in charge of their learning.
Students are encouraged to take international exams such as Cambridge ESOL for external assessment.
ACTIVITIES:
To learn a language is to learn a culture...Starting from early ages, SEV students learn the customs and traditions of the countries where English is the official language. This allows the language to be learned in a context naturally. Students celebrate important days such as Halloween, Valentine’s Day, Christmas and Easter by participating in various activities.
At SEV we believe that reading is a very important element of language acquisition. Therefore, reading is given high priority at SEV. Our SEV English Library program fosters a passion for reading through various activities that our students love taking part in. Our library teacher and staff make both SEV Elementary School library and the Middle School library a major attraction for our students.
End-of-year performances are important events that allow our students to showcase their language skills to their parents. Taking part in the musicals and plays and performing in front of an audience also helps develop the students’ self-confidence. Most importantly, the students learn new concepts and words and practice skills such as following English instructions, pronouncing words correctly, poise and gestures.