1AIS Mission
Our mission is to develop confident lifelong learners who are;● multilingual,● inquiring,● open-minded and● respectful of all cultures.
Through balanced reflection, and risk taking, our learners will be able to communicate, develop
knowledge and pass on positive principles for the benefit of both themselves and others.

AIS Vision
Our vision is to help shape the future for a better world by using leading educational practices tonurture internationally minded learners who show caring, respect, and compassion through theiractions.

Introduction
This document describes our philosophy and practice on language learning and how theseprinciples influence our planning and teaching of language.
● It provides the school with a framework that will promote consistency in approach
between grade levels and subjects.
● It provides parents with information about our principles and practices and assists them inunderstanding our curriculum.
● It will assist teachers in the planning, presenting and evaluation stages of teaching.
● It will serve as a guide for teachers to reflect on their language practice and to guide
professional development and appraisal.

Language Philosophy
At Abroad International School we believe language plays an essential role in all learning areas.
Werecognize that language development is an ongoing process. Students learn language, about
language, through language and therefore, we acknowledge that all teachers are language
teachers. Language is reinforced in multiple ways, including technically, practically, and as amedium of instruction. Language is the true transdisciplinary medium by which students andteachers make connections across the curriculum. Although English is the main language ofinstruction, systems are in place to encourage the support and development of all otherlanguages
used by students.

2Guiding Principles● Language learning at AIS-Okayama will reflect International Baccalaureate PYP Language
Scope and Sequence learning outcomes.
● All members of the school community are learners of language.
● Language development programs are developed using constructivist theories.
● Teachers assist students to scaffold their learning and to work within the students’ “Zoneof Proximal Development.”● Teachers take background knowledge and previous learning experiences intoconsideration when planning their lessons.
● Teachers provide comprehensible input and present language through meaningful tasks.
● Teachers provide age-appropriate scaffolding strategies such as visual aids, graphicorganizers, demonstrations, dramatizations, and small-structured groups.
● Teachers guide learners to extend their language by combining high expectations(complexity and abstraction of concepts, increased density of low frequency and technicalvocabulary, sophisticated grammatical constructions) with learner-centered practices in acontextualized learning environment.
● Teachers promote a school environment that welcomes diversity of cultures andperspectives.
● Teachers collaborate with parents to achieve shared goals.
● Teachers encourage usage of inclusive language.

Language Profile
As of April 2017, the AIS student body consists of 72 students. The nationalities represented in
the Abroad International School-Okayama are as follows: Japanese, Turkish, Jordanian andMyanmarese. The linguistic backgrounds in the school community are as follows: Japanese,Turkish,Arabic and Myanmarese.

Mother Tongue
The mother tongue describes the language most frequently spoken at home, but there may be
more than one language a child uses comfortably at home. We believe mother tongue support
iscrucial for affirming identity and emotional stability of students. In our classroom library, we try tooffer fiction and nonfiction books in the languages represented in our school community. We
also welcome our parents to support the provision of mother tongue by providing opportunities
throughout the academic year whenever we have chance.
Mother tongue languages are used to facilitate the development of an additional language.
Language resources are provided whenever possible for mother tongue languages represented
atAIS-Okayama.
3

Language Development Plan
● PYP Language outcomes guide instruction and assessment of student language
development.
● Aspects of language development are incorporated into AIS-Okayama PYP collaborativeplanning.
● Language learning is structured to assist students to experience success so differentiatedlearning strategies are applied, when needed.
● An interactive class structure is facilitated by teachers. Activities and tasks are designed togive a wide range of communication forms.
● A variety of hard/soft copy of books, references, resources, and materials are available forclassroom use according to the language abilities of the students.
● The EAL teacher collaborates with classroom teachers to help learners who need extra
guidance and support in English.
● Activities are designed at various levels to meet all students’ needs.
● Success criteria and language learning outcomes are designed according to the overalllevel of the target learner body.
● Self and peer assessment is encouraged through the use of rubrics and one-on-one
conferences.
● Students are encouraged to get involved in designing assessment criteria for their work.
● The summative task and type/amount of support given are differentiated according to thestudents’ language ability and academic background.
● Various grouping strategies are utilized to cater to different abilities and learning styles.
● Students are placed in pull out EAL classes that will suit their language needs during somelanguage classes.
● Students can move to full-time mainstream classes once their language abilities develop.
● Dynamic language grouping (based on students’ abilities) is used within the classroom inorder to develop specific aspects of language and to meet the requirements andexpectations of a given task.
● Additional support for EAL learners is provided through in-class support.

EAL Support
Since the language of instruction is English, the objective of the support programme is to enable
the inclusion of EAL (English as an Additional Language) students in the mainstream classes.
AIS-Okayama works with the EAL teacher in cooperation with the homeroom teachers to enable
theEAL students’ transition into the mainstream class. This support is continued until the student
has
the skills and knowledge needed to access the regular curriculum.

4Entry Criteria○ An assessment (AIS-Okayama Assessment Kit) and an interview is conducted by therespective homeroom teacher before and/or after the application process○ After collecting the data and feedback from the homeroom teacher, theadministration, the EAL specialist and the homeroom teacher decide what type of
EAL Support is appropriate for the student.
○ If the student is within the Level 1 or 2 benchmark(K-Alberta Education), (s)he will
participate in pull out EAL support.
○ The EAL specialist will have ongoing communication with the homeroom teacher
so that they can discuss and facilitate the progress of EAL learners.
○ If the student is within Level 3 or above, (s)he will receive in-class EAL
differentiation and support from the homeroom teacher as necessary. (Example
pre-teaching technical vocabulary, providing visual aid to help organize yourthoughts etc. We believe most strategies to help EAL learners are part of goodteaching practices and benefit everyone, not just EAL learners.)
Exit Criteria○ If a student who is receiving pull-out EAL support starts to move towards theLevel 3 benchmark(Alberta Education, Canada), (s)he will join the mainstream
classroom setting full time. There the homeroom teacher will differentiate thelearning environment according to the student's language proficiency until (s)hecan fully participate in the mainstream classroom without that support.
BenchmarkESL Benchmark, Reading A-ZResources○ AIS-Okayama Assessment Kit Reading A-Z benchmarks○ Students are allowed to pick leveled books from Reading A to Z website according to theirlevel and the class book case.
○ Teaching materials that are relevant to the current unit of inquiry and provided bythe homeroom teachers.
Planning○ The EAL specialist use the PYP planner and AIS-Okayama weekly planner template forplanning.

5Language for Successful Communication● Language development activities provide opportunities for critical thinking.
● Students reflect on their language ability according to the set criteria through self
assessment.
● Teachers encourage the development of critical thinking skills such as debating, active
listening and thoughtful writing.
● Teachers provide opportunities for students to develop an understanding of concepts
through discussion and daily ongoing communication.
● The social language of AIS-Okayama is English, which is inclusive and understood by all
members of the school community.
● Even though, the written communication amongst the school community is mostly inEnglish, we provide Japanese translation when it is necessary.
● Teachers organize various events and special days to promote an understanding ofdifferent cultures and languages.
● Students are actively involved in selecting their own books according to their level during
guided reading time.
● Students are encouraged to use online reading programs to develop reading skills at theirown pace.
● AIS-Okayama holds memberships in book clubs for school community to purchase books inEnglish.
● Students are given opportunities to visit the library during class times.

Classroom Library● The AIS-Okayama Classroom Library supports the learning environment and enriches thevarious
languages represented in our classroom community.
● The AIS-Okayama Classroom Library is designed to meet the study and research needs of
bothindividuals and groups.
● A wide range of materials (language games, references, online resources, etc.) are available
mainly in English.
● The teachers and teacher assistants will look for opportunities to increase the amount ofresources in additional languages represented in our school community.
● The teachers and the teacher assistants will provide support for students to find books, online
teaching resources, and other materials.
● The teachers will strive to increase awareness and appreciation of a wide variety of languages
around the world through creating mother tongue language displays.
● Print materials including fiction and non-fiction books, Reading A to Z series, EAL support
books, dictionaries, and reference books are available.

6ReviewThis AIS-Okayama language policy is reviewed every two years by coordinators, administrators,
school board, teachers, students, and parents.

References
Making the PYP happen, 2009
Learning in a language other than mother tongue in IB programmes, 2008
Guidelines for developing a language policy, 2008
Towards a continuum of international education
Programme standards and practices, 2011
IB PYP Language Scope and Sequence, 20097