ELL Program

St. John’s Academy Shawnigan Lake is a growing IB school nestled against Shawnigan Lake on
Canada’s Vancouver Island. It intentionally brings together both local and international boarding
students so that all of our students have an enriching and academically rigorous experience.

As a school we have incorporated the latest educational research into the creation of a truly
21st-century-ready learning community, where innovation and creativity are paramount.
St. John’s Academy Shawnigan Lake uses the International Baccalaureate model of teaching to
lay an academic foundation for all our students so that regardless of their career ambitions, they
have the knowledge and the skills to succeed in life.

English Language Acquisition (ELA)
Students who are recommended to ELA classes will take an English support block in their academic
timetable as a replacement for French (since students already have a second language). ELA classes offer
120 hours of shared support per week. The teacher to student ratio in these classes is at or below 1:8.
English Language Acquisition classes support students for credit-bearing courses and build the
knowledge and skills typical for a foundational understanding of a credit-bearing course. In classes with
multi-grade-level students, the teacher will take a theme-based approach to organize the syllabus,
enabling the teacher to recycle language throughout the themes and to contextualize language, which will help learners at all levels in the classroom.

English Intensive (EI): ADDITIONAL ELL SUPPORT
For students requiring more support, in addition to ELA classes, SJASL offers one-to-one or small group
English Intensive (EI) blocks. Students in these blocks will work to level-up English skills to ensure they
can navigate the academic rigour of SJA classes. ELA classes offer 240 hours of individualized support
per week. EI classes provide concentrated English language tutoring and contextualized support for
credit-bearing courses. Students may be required to take English Intensive blocks if they cannot navigate
grade-level classes at SJASL.