English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D)

English as an Additional Language or Dialect (EAL/D) is offered from Years 7 - 10 to support non-native English speaking students in developing their proficiency in the English language. The course is designed as a pathway to non-pre-tertiary EAL/D in Year 11 and pre-tertiary EAL/D in Year 12 or Language B English in the International Baccalaureate.  There are six hours of EAL/D per week. Three of these follow a set curriculum and the remaining three provide individual support to students in developing their language skills to help them access learning in their other subjects. Students in Year 10 will sit a written and oral examination near the end of the year.

The course focuses on enhancing students’ listening, speaking, reading and writing skills to enable effective communication in academic, social and real-life contexts.  It aims to provide students with the necessary language skills to succeed academically and integrate into an English-speaking environment.  

Course objectives: 

By the end of the course, students will:

Develop Listening Skills:

• Understand and follow spoken English in various settings, such as classroom discussions, conversations and audio recordings.
• Comprehend different accents, speech patterns and varying levels of language complexity.
• Extract key information, main ideas and details from spoken English.

Enhance Speaking Skill:

• Communicate orally with fluency, accuracy and confidence.
• Express ideas, opinions and personal experiences effectively.
• Engage in conversations, discussions, presentations and debates on a range of topics.
• Develop vocabulary and use appropriate grammar structures.

Improve Reading Skills:

• Comprehend a variety of written texts, including articles, short stories, essays and academic materials.
• Identify main ideas, supporting details, and implicit information.
• Apply reading strategies, such as skimming, scanning and inference, to understand and analyse texts.

Develop Writing Skills:

• Produce well-structured paragraphs, essays, reports and summaries.
• Demonstrate understanding of grammar rules, punctuation and sentence structure.
• Express ideas coherently and cohesively, using appropriate vocabulary and register.
• Develop proofreading and editing skills to enhance written work.

Assessment Methods: Assessment in EAL/D may include, but is not limited to the following:

• Listening and reading comprehension exercises
• Speaking tasks including presentations and conversations
• Writing tasks such as essays, reports and summaries
• Vocabulary quizzes and grammar assessments
• Participation in class discussions and group activities