Developing Writing Skills in a Mixed-Language Classroom

Tetyana Bidna

Brainstorming

What did you feel when I talked to you in a foreign language?

How many of you have ESOL students in your classroom?

How do they feel when they are supposed to perform as well as native speakers?

Agenda

notion of language proficiency; nature of a FL acquisition:

native language vs. foreign language; developing writing skills; teaching vocabulary.

A person’s proficiency in a language refers to the degree to which that person is able to use the language. In education language is used in two dimensions:

• social;• academic

(Cummins)

Cummins’ Iceberg

social

acade-

mic

Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills: Speaking and Listening

Cognitive/Academic Language Proficiency: Speaking, Listening, Writing and Reading

The skills that allow a student to understand and/or speak English do not automatically transfer to writing.

Writing is an output activity. When ELLs are producing it, they are accessing their knowledge of words, syntax (word order), and morphology (word forms). They are also “testing” how words go together through trial and error. Writing needs to be practiced so that it becomes automatic.

Susan Lenski and Frances Verbruggen ”Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8”.

Effective writing depends on being able to use low-level writing skills, such as letter

production and the use of function words, automatically. When that is the case, writers are able to devote more cognitive capacity to

expressing ideas and feelings.

Lesaux, Koda, Siegal, & Shanahan, 2006.

Writing Process

Pre-writing; Drafting; Revising/editing.

Pre-writing

Pre-writing is essential for the writer whose first language is not English. Especially at the lower levels of proficiency, students have a limited lexicon and therefore often have difficulty expressing their ideas. Therefore, teachers or other students may need to assist second language students to generate vocabulary and grammatical structures relevant to the topic. Models and samples are often helpful.

Pre-writing

Brainstorming — the teacher may need to provide some guidance by asking questions to elicit vocabulary and structures associated with the selected topic

Word banks generated by the students or as assigned by the teacher Drawing and sketching — enable students to illustrate ideas for

which they do not have the language Discussion with native English-speaking peers or with the teacher Note-taking (often with the use of charts) Graphic organizers for eliciting, organizing and developing

background knowledge Dictations — give learners some alternative models for addressing a

writing task Researching and gather data by viewing videos, reading, talking,

interviewing, and searching reference books or internet

Presentation of Vocabulary

Meaning: to create the context, to convey the meaning, to elicit/to provide the word + CCQs;

Pronunciation: model and drill chorally and individually;

Form: written form; Controlled practice; Freer practice.

Strategies

pictures/labels; substitution drills; flashcards/games; matching; definitions; antonyms/synonyms; description; personal vocabulary lists; word families; translation

Test-Teach-Test

Test: you try to figure out what students know and do not know and encourage peer teaching and learning;

Teach: you actually teach the vocabulary; Test: check the level of acquisition.

4 – Corners Vocabulary

enables students to contextualize word by creating a chart with an illustration; a sentence that includes the word; a definition of the word; the actual vocabulary word.

Dr. María Torres, Ilona Olancin ”Vocabulary Building Strategies to use When Working with ELL Students”

4 – Corners Vocabulary

1. Illustration 2. Sentence

3. Definition 4. Vocabulary Word

Drafting

At the drafting stage students write their ideas down using some of the notes, language, and structures generated during the pre-writing activities. Second language students especially need to be aware that their first draft does not have to be perfect and that the purpose of this activity is to get words on paper. Spelling will often not be accurate and there may be many grammatical errors. Some students may also insert words in their native language.

Drafting

Using notes taken during pre-writing activities — provides students with a starting point and a skeleton of ideas; especially useful for second language learners whose ideas are restricted by their limited vocabulary

Sentence completions — may address the different ways to begin or end a paragraph or a story or may focus on vocabulary needed to describe or narrate a story

Journal writing — allows students to take risks and experiment with language; it can provide a starting point for a longer writing assignment

Revising/editing

Second language learners will also need assistance during the revising/editing stage from teachers and from other students. Changes in writing will need to address word usage and clarification of ideas, as well as grammatical accuracy, punctuation, spelling and capitalization. It is important to remember that second language students may have difficulty recognizing their own errors or the errors of their peers. A self-assessment checklist may help them monitor their own writing. However, care should be taken with peer editing groups. In addition, it is important that correction be done in a comfortable environment.

Revising/editing

Peer or group reviews of mixed ELLs and native English speakers

Language expansion and sentence combining activities — enable students to move beyond subject/verb/object format by encouraging students to combine two or three different statements in various ways to make their sentences more complex

Rearranging words within sentences Using dictionaries, including personal dictionaries, and

other resource materials such as grammar books and textbooks

“It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.”

Albert Einstein 

Works Cited

Frances Hoch Writing and English as a Second Language . – Learn NC. K-12 Teaching and Learning from the UNC School of Education. – http://www.learnnc.org/lp/pages/672

Judie Haynes Tips for Teaching ELLs to Write. – http://www.everythingesl.net/inservices/tips_teaching_ells_write_10803.php

María Torres, Ilona Olancin ”Vocabulary Building Strategies to use When Working with ELL Students”. – . http://www.collier.k12.fl.us/ell/docs/tutortrain/SIOP%20Vocabulary%20Strategies%20to%20Use%20when%20Working%20with%20ELL%20students..pdf

Strategies for ESL Teachers Tennessee ESL Resource Guide - http://suu.edu/ed/fso/resources/tennesee-esl-resource-center-strategies-for-esl-teachers.pdf

Susan Lenski, Frances Verbruggen ”Writing Instruction and Assessment for English Language Learners K-8”, 2010.

Teaching Writing. Writing@CSU http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/esl/writing.cfm