1Curriculum
An American curriculum for Grades 1–6: reading, writing, speaking and listening, taught by international and Taiwanese teachers as one team.
Yu-Jen English Program
English Program
Real communication, solid foundations
Since 2002, children in Grades 1–6 learn in English for half of every school day, with an American curriculum taught by international and Taiwanese teachers together.
Since 2002, Yu-Jen Catholic Elementary School in Taichung has taught half of every school day in English, from Grade 1 to Grade 6. Our ESL program follows an American curriculum and is taught by a team of international and Taiwanese English teachers, building real, confident English on strong foundations. Thousands of children have come through the program, and nearly 900 are learning in it today.
Our approach
We teach children to communicate in English for real: to talk about a story, explain an idea, present a project and answer questions with confidence. Speaking is part of every lesson, and it always has a purpose.
That confidence rests on an explicit foundation. We teach grammar far more directly than most American curricula, and every grammar goal is paired with speaking practice, so new structures move quickly from the page into everyday use. Reading is always taught alongside writing, and phonics is built step by step through Grade 2.
Our teachers
Every class has two teachers who work as a team. A Taiwanese English teacher is the homeroom teacher, and an international teacher is the class's Literacy Advisor. Each looks after two cohorts in the same grade, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, so they come to know every child well.
Specialists add to the day. PBL specialists lead hands-on STEM and STEAM projects, and Taiwanese specialists teach English through arts, crafts and PE. Our international teachers come from the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
At a glance
| Since 2002 | more than 20 years of ESL teaching |
| Half the day | taught in English, Grades 1–6 |
| Nearly 900 | students in the program today |
| About 23 | students per cohort, six cohorts per grade |
| Over 50 | teachers: over 20 international teachers and just over 20 Taiwanese English teachers |
Milestones
We measure progress with Cambridge English Qualifications, aligned with the CEFR.
| Grade | Milestone |
|---|---|
| Grade 2 | Every student passes Cambridge A1 Movers, and many go on to A2 Flyers the same year. |
| Grade 4 | Every student has passed A2 Flyers. |
| Grade 6 | Students work toward A2 Key (KET) and B1 Preliminary (PET), and some take advanced GEPT and TOEIC tests. |
Our graduates go on to Taichung's leading middle schools. Viator High School is our sister school, and we have a strategic alliance with Stella Matutina Girls' High School, MingDao High School and Washington High School.
Explore the English Program
- Curriculum: what children learn, and how we teach it.
- English Tests: the Cambridge pathway, from Grade 2 to Grade 6.
- Contests and Honors: storytelling, reading, singing, spelling and readers theater.
- International and Activities: summer camps, TV Station and our sister schools.
- For Parents: calendars, reports and how to reach us.
- Teach With Us: join our team of international and Taiwanese teachers.
About Yu-Jen
Yu-Jen was founded in 1967 by Belgian Catholic priests and is run today by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For almost 60 years, the school has paired character education with high academic standards. Today Yu-Jen has almost completed its transition to a fully bilingual school, on a modern campus in north Taichung.
Explore
2Contests and Honors
Reading, storytelling, spelling and choral singing contests give every child a stage, and our students win prizes across Taichung.
3English Tests
The Cambridge pathway from Grade 2 to Grade 6: Movers in Grade 2, Flyers by Grade 4, and Key and Preliminary in Grade 6.
4International and Activities
English-only summer camps, the student-run TV Station, and sister schools in the US, New Zealand, South Korea and China.
5For Parents
This semester's English calendars, progress reports, parent-teacher conferences, learning at home and how to reach us.
6Teach With Us
We are hiring international English teachers to join the international and Taiwanese team in Yu-Jen's English Program.
English Program