Grade 2 ELA Teacher

The Elementary School classes in SMIC Chinese Track cover grades one to five.  SMIC students have a higher level of English proficiency than most Chinese schools.  Students are taught all their classes in Chinese except for two classes each day in English.  Starting in 2015, we piloted a new English Language Arts program that we are continuing to develop and so SMIC Chinese Track has two English programs, with the older Oral English focused English program being slowly phased out. In the past, the Oral English program was a joint endeavour with one English class conducted by an expat teacher while one grammar and writing focused class was taught by a local English teacher.

The ELA program, has a different approach that typical Oral English classes.  Students in our ELA program are often preparing to go abroad.  With this focus in mind, both English classes are taught by the native English teacher and are based on American curriculums.  Teachers are expected to cover all competencies, reading, writing, speaking and listening, and use a variety of methods to enhance learning.

A teacher who would be a good fit for this position should be flexible, have an energetic personality, love for children, and good classroom management skills. Teachers will be responsible for lesson planning, daily homework assignments, quarterly mid-term and final exams, parental communications, and so on. Curriculum is provided and there are many supplementary resources and colleagues available to assist our staff.

Purpose

• Facilitate intensive academic vocabulary development
• Teach students about the structure and content of the English language, including proper grammar, spelling, and sentence structure
• Develop a culture of reading through stories/ articles
• Help students interpret a variety of texts including literature, poetry, history, and science
• Develop students’ literary analysis skills
• Equip students to learn through collaboration

Duties

• Teach 20 periods a week from Monday to Friday
• Create lesson plans and modify throughout the year. Utilize various curriculum resources in planning
• Observe and evaluate student's performance through varied assessments
• Grade papers, tests and homework in a timely manner
• Maintain grade books, especially online
• Create a positive educational climate and manage student behavior in the classroom
• Communicate clearly in and out of the classroom with students and parents
• Attend staff meetings and professional development sessions
• Learn through observations of self and of peers
• Participate in school wide events such as the Charity Fundraiser, Sports Day, student recruitment, etc.
• Take an active role in required meetings (departmental; grade level; committees, faculty; etc.)
• Assist with additional duties as assigned
• Promote our school values of Excellence, Honor, Community and Joy
• Demonstrate strong positive commitment toward school improvement
• Demonstrate commitment to integrated education at the elementary level including innovations and best practices
• Develop and follow the established elementary language arts’ curriculum including designing units to support it
• Knowledgeable about ELA teaching style and how primary level classroom instruction integrates into it
• Comfortable working in a school that integrates western style educational philosophies
• Comfortable with computers for school related purposes including data management, email, and MS Office programs
• Fluent in both oral and written English at a professional standard
• Desire to actively engage in professional development opportunities as provided by the school or through individual initiative
• Flexible in adapting to a multi-cultural environment with school community members of many nationalities