English Profile Class; Grades 6—9 at Edsbergsskolan

I januari är det dags för skolval. All information finns på www.sollentuna.se/skolval.

The importance of the English language on our lives increases constantly. Think, for example, of when we travel abroad on holiday, or when we choose to work, live or even study in a foreign country. Today, a large part of teaching at colleges and universities around the world is held in English. Here in Sweden too, more and more students study literature written in the English language.

Edsbergsskolan’s English Profile Class helps to prepare students for these and other challenges ahead. Our staff, which consists of both English and Swedish speaking teachers, offers you the opportunity to achieve an excellent knowledge of English in an environment that encourages hard work and a positive attitude to learning. After your time in the profile class, you actually become accustomed to speaking English without hesitation.

Teachers in the English Profile classes:

Bilingualism

Our goal with the English Profile class is that students should become as bilingual as possible. After four years at Edsbergsskolan, students should feel so at home with English that they are able to express themselves both orally and in writing, using a correct and richly varied language.

Apart from the ordinary English lessons, English Profile Classes also receive extra lessons in English. During this time there are always two teachers present in class. Students work a lot in project form but also gain valuable knowledge from discussions and debates held in English.

We place a lot of emphasis and effort on developing presentation techniques. Students may sometimes, for example, present their work individually and sometimes in groups; sometimes in the form of theatre, film or Powerpoint presentations and sometimes in the form of texts, graphic images or dialogues.

Even weekly meetings such as “klassråd” and “mentorstid” are sometimes held in English. The idea is to give students experience of communicating in English in as many different situations as possible.

Project Work

One of the cornerstones of the English Profile Class is the focus we place on project work. Projects always involve working “across-the-curriculum”. This means working around a theme that covers a number of different subjects. Imagine, for example, a project based on the theme: Natural Disasters. This would involve learning in areas such as astronomy, science, maths, geography, history, etc — and everything in English!

Project work encourages students to critically evaluate information, to develop their research and presentation skills, and above all, to learn how to learn.

London Trip

A very much appreciated tradition among English profile students is the London trip. Every class at the beginning of the ninth grade gets the opportunity to practice their English on “real” Londoners. During the five day adventure, students have an intensive program which includes sightseeing, visiting museums and historical buildings, and of course, the popular pastime of shopping in one of the world’s biggest and most exciting capital cities.

We can also add that part of the fun is actually working together with classmates to raise money for the trip. Previous experience tells us that students as well as parents quickly become experts in organising activities during grades 6 - 8. This could mean everything from setting up theatre performances and jumble sales (loppmarknader) to baking cakes and selling salami sausages at Christmas time!

Application criteria—English Profile class at Edbergsskolan

Anci Norström and John Dryden are the teachers responsible for all applications to the English Profile Class. Anci teaches English and German and was one of the driving forces behind the introduction of the English Profile back in 1996. John is a native speaker and teaches English to all the English Profile students (grades 6—9).

The following qualities/skills are taken into consideration:

• Genuine interest in the English language and culture
• Motivation to work hard and to reach goals
• Knowledge requirements involve reaching goals according to grade 5 curriculum
• Personal responsibility for school and homework

The above qualities/skills become apparent during the various tests we carry out. For example, listening comprehension, reading comprehension, writing and personal interviews with each student. Test results are analysed and form the basis for discussion during the Advisory meeting with each family.

Edbergsskolan limits the number of students to max 30 per 6 grade class.