Westmount C.I.

(905) 882-0277 westmount.ci@yrdsb.ca
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ESL Department

The English as a Second Language Department at Westmount Collegiate offers five courses in split levels to accommodate all levels of learners. ESL at Westmount is a growing department as we host many international students from around the world as well as newcomers to Canada moving into the Westmount community.

English language learners in any grade may be placed in appropriate ESL or ELD courses. Since many ESL and ELD classes include students aged between fourteen and twenty, the topics and activities must be selected to appeal to a wide range of ages and maturity levels. There are five ESL courses and five ELD courses. The courses are designated according to levels of proficiency in English and literacy development, not by grade. All ESL and ELD courses are open courses. 

Students may substitute up to three ESL or ELD courses for compulsory English credit requirements. The remaining English credit shall be chosen from one of the compulsory English courses offered in Grade 12. Additional ESL or ELD credits may be counted as optional credits for diploma purposes. 

The Writing strand has four overall expectations. Students will:

  1. Write in a variety of forms for different purposes and audiences.
  2. Organize ideas coherently in writing.
  3. Use correctly the conventions of written English appropriate for this level, including grammar, usage, spelling, and punctuation.
  4. Use the stages of the writing process.

The Reading strand has three overall expectations. Students will:

  • Read and demonstrate understanding of a variety of texts for different purposes.
  • Use a variety of reading strategies throughout the reading process to extract meaning from texts.
  • Use a variety of strategies to build vocabulary.
  • Locate and extract relevant information from written and graphic texts for a variety of purposes.

The Listening and Speaking strand has three overall expectations. Students will:

  • Demonstrate the ability to understand, interpret, and evaluate spoken English for a variety of purposes.
  • Use speaking skills and strategies to communicate in English for a variety of classroom and social purposes.
  • Use correctly the language structures appropriate for this level to communicate orally in English. 

The Socio-cultural Competence and Media Literacy strand has four overall expectations. Students will:

  1. Use English and non-verbal communication strategies appropriately in a variety of social contexts.
  2. Demonstrate an understanding of the rights and responsibilities of Canadian citizenship, and of the contributions of diverse groups to Canadian society.
  3. Demonstrate knowledge of and adaptation to the Ontario education system.
  4. Demonstrate an understanding of, interpret, and create a variety of media works.