Hello Ranchlands School Community!
As an ELL (English Language Learning) teacher at Ranchlands School, it is a pleasure to work with students from all parts of the world with many backgrounds. Our ELL students speak another language in addition to English and many times, speak two or even three languages!
It takes about 1-2 years to become conversational in English and at least 5-7 years to develop academic language. This is just an average and for some students it may vary. While a student is learning English, it is very important to continue to speak one's home language. Research has shown that the stronger an ELL student is in their home language, the more beneficial it will be when learning an additional language such as English.
The CBE has an excellent guide for families on ways in which to keep the home language alive. Here is the link:
https://portal.cbe.ab.ca/staffinsite/teaching/inclusive/ell/Documents/keep-home-language-alive.pdf
Did you know a person who speaks many languages is called a polyglot! 😀
