PROGRAMS

Bilingualism / English

At NBBS we believe that English should be viewed as a tool for communication, learning and enjoyment. We do our best to create a positive, stress-free ESL-type environment, where students have many opportunities and often have need to use English contextually throughout the day and throughout the school, both in class and in daily school life.

The first opportunity for students is in English classes which are conducted 100% in English, void of any first language explanations or translation. We start our English Program with a communicative and whole language approach, focusing on listening and speaking skills with an emphasis on communication and functional English. Overall, the English Program progresses to involve all strands of language with emphasis on reading fluency and reading comprehension and a  growing chance to practice writing skills.

Secondly, Art, and Sport classes, which are also conducted 100% in English, are a powerful tool to reinforce our philosophy because English is used as a “tool” to access sport,  games and activities and are not viewed by students as studying a subject. This is a powerful motivator for language acquisition!

Additionally, English serves as a support language in various subjects at various times. For example, while a science concept would be introduced in first language, there may be additional materials in English, videos in English or teachers may choose to do an experiment bilingually or in English, exclusively.