Stairway to English | Secondary 4

The Stairway to English project was launched in February 2008 after having quite a few meetings with Didactical Material Production Manager at Tardivel Collection, Mr. Simon Julien,  who asked us to create individualized English learning materials for secondary school students with learning difficulties. Indeed, there were many requests from teachers in several schools who were already using the Tardivel Collection mathematics and French educational bundles.

Who Are We?

We are three experienced teachers who worked espacially with learning difficulties children in individualized learning mode. We are currently teaching at Louis-Jobin School in Saint-Raymond and Donnacona Secondary School in Donnacona, which are a part of the Centre de services scolaire de Portneuf. Tardivel Collection belongs to this Centre de services scolaire (CSS).

After considerable success for over 10 years, the second edition of Stairway to English is now making a start. We hope that you will like it as much as the first one. 

The Collection's Format

Writing our educational material made us deepen our reflection about the three great aims of Quebec Education Program:

• The structuring of identity,
• The development of the power of action,
• The construction of a vision of the world.

Our material is based on the Broad Areas of Learning :

• Health and Well-Being
• Personnal and Creer Planning
• Citeizenship and Community Life
• Media Literacy
• Environmental Awareness and Consumer Rights and Responsibilities

This educational bundle is intended for a clientele with learning difficulties. We have focused on the following cross-curricular competencies: to adopt effective work methods and to communicate approprietly.

Yearly Planning

Stairway to English includes four books (per school year), each divided in 3 units. Each unit is based onone of the three English program competencies:

• Reinvesting the understanding of texts
• Writing and producing texts
• Interacting orally.

Eventhough our material is entended mostly for students who are evolving through an individualized learning mode, it could also be used as base material by a teacher in a "regular" class. In addition, the teacher could easily supplement the material with group activities related to the many themes in each book.

Beacause the four books are based on the same template, the students are on familiar ground and can easily find their way around from book to book. As students progress in their learning, they become more and more competent and, in the process, develop greater autonomy.

We have incorporated, in each book, many "Notes" areas that can be used by both teachers and students: for example, students can write mnemonics to help memorize vocabulary or grammar rules, and teachers can write notes to help the students understand exercises or provide additional examples for questions asked.