6–8 Years Old (Primary)

Bassel is an eight-year-old student who speaks Arabic as his first language. In terms of his cultural background, Bassel speaks proudly about the holidays his family celebrates – paying special tribute to ‘Eid-al-Fitr’. He mentions the sweets and cake that is consumed on this day. Bassel’s family includes his mom and dad, and his brothers of which he is the 5th and youngest. There is no mention in the video about his previous schooling, but his linguistic background includes both written and spoken Arabic and English. Bassel notes that he uses these two languages interchangeably depending on the activity he is engages in (playing, running, etc.). He seems to be an active child as he loves to play soccer and his favourite subject in school is gym. He has many professional ambitions and mentions wanting to finish school and become a doctor and a policeman when he grows up. His teacher has made the classroom a safe space for him and he mentions this as he explains his extremely detailed drawing of the classroom.

Basel's transcript 

Shazzy is a precocious seven-year-old who is curious about different languages and cultures. Shazzy knows Bangla, English, Hindi, Urdu and a little Korean. According to Shazzy, knowing Bangla has helped him understand Hindi and Urdu. He only attempts to speak Korean with his Korean friend at school to make him feel comfortable. However, at home he speaks Bengali with his family. His favorite activities are reading, playing the piano and preparing presenting book reports for his mother who works abroad and is away from home sometimes. Snazzy is currently a huge fan of The Alien Next Door book series. He is absolutely fascinated with stories about aliens. 

Shazzy's transcript

Abood is a six-year-old boy who speaks Arabic. He moved to Canada with his family from Syria. He explains that he does not know when he came to Canada, but remembers being four years old when he was in Syria. Abood does not have any relatives in Canada, and he lives at home with his mother, father and four brothers. When talking about his family, he seems to get very excited and energetic  which could mean that he has a very close relationship with his family members.  Abood's interests include soccer, being with his friends and drawing. Abood speaks Arabic at home and English at school with his teachers and friends. Abood often uses images to tell the story of things he has seen such as doctors, teachers, and animals in his community. As seen in the video, Abood uses images to make sense of his life before coming to Canada, as well as his transition into his school community and residence. Abood  also expresses his interest in playing and being with his friends in the classroom. He explains that he plays with a boy at the park who is “fun”, and that he plays with his friends at school and speaks English with them. Throughout the video, Abood shares various drawings that he has done and gives very detailed descriptions of them in Arabic and then in English. Overall, Abood appears to be a happy, confident and well-adjusted child. 

Sameer is a seven-year-old learner who speaks English and Arabic, but there is no information on which languages are present at home, and what at level they are being spoken. Sameer speaks Arabic as his first language, and he is learning English in school. In terms of his life outside of school, Sameer mentions that he has a car and lives in a building. Sameer also states that he likes both soccer and games. The video briefly shows a clip of Sameer’s drawing of a watermelon and a soccer ball, both which he claims to enjoy. Though he does not mention in the video that he likes drawing, it is notable that the drawings are very good for a student of his age, and may be a hobby of his.

Amelia is a six year-old learner from Korea. She lives with her parents, younger sister, and younger brother. She also has two grandmothers and two grandfathers. Amelia attends a French Immersion program, and she enjoys it very much. She has friends at school who speak many languages. In addition to English, French and Mandarin which she learns in school, Amelia has learned some Korean and Bengali from her friends. Amelia enjoys drawing and playing with food toys in school.

Rana is seven years old. Rana is the middle child, she has an older brother and younger brother. Rana lives with her two brothers, mother, father and grandmother. She also has an aunt who lives in Canada. Rana has a friend whom she met in the building where she lives and she describes her friend as being funny, happy and smart.  Rana likes school because she can learn English - which also happens to be her favourite subject. However, Rana does not enjoy gym especially because she does not like basketball. For her, the hardest part of being in school in Canada is making friends and the easiest part is having the opportunity to participate in activities. Rana aspires to be a teacher when she finishes school. She speaks both Arabic and English. In fact, Rana prays, thinks, speaks in Arabic. Rana is also learning how to speak and write in English. In her daily life, Rana communicates in both Arabic and English and she offers the example of speaking to her friends and doctor in both languages. As she describes the most important events on her timeline, she emphasizes how she played with toys as a young child, began school at three years old, made friends at four years old, met her aunt at five years old, arrived in Canada when she was six years old and learned to swim when she was seven years old.