Writing
QUOTE: "The only way to help students improve their writing is to read what they write and talk to them about their writing." - Juli Kendall
Why significant:
Writing is one of the principal means by which ELLs self-reflect and display their knowledge and competence across academic subjects.
ELLs face additional challenge of learning to write before they are proficient speakers of English
Characteristics of ELL writers:
begin with intact home language and a developing knowledge of spoken and written English as a second language
are simultaneously acquiring language and composing skills
may or may not be familiar with the Roman alphabet and may thus still be learning English conventions
may produce sentence-level errors influenced by their home language or languages
may not have the same topic/schematic knowledge as non-ELL writers because of their home country educational experience
may have litter or no experience with peer response
may have little or no experience using outside sources, paraphrasing, and quoting
What we know:
The writing development process for ELLs is similar to the process for proficient English speakers
ELLs' ability to express themselves in written English is highly dependent on their level of oral English proficiency
Students with literacy skills in their home language can transfer many of these skills to English writing.
English oral language skills have little impact on English word-level writing skills
English oral language skills have a strong impact on English text-level writing skills
Age and prior knowledge affect ELLs' writing ability in English
Relationship between Reading and Writing
Researchers have found a strong relationship between ELLs' reading ability and their writing ability in English
Stronger reading skills correlate with stronger writing skills, more confidence in writing leads to higher quality/faster development
Teacher role: provide ample opportunities to enable ELLs to write different kinds of texts for different purposes. Intergrate reading and writing instruction across content areas
Six Stages in Early English Language Learner Writing
- Scribble writing & drawing
- Strings of letters
- Letters representing whole words or thoughts
- Stylized sentences
- Emerging standardized writing
- Standarized writing
Alternative approaches to traditional spelling tests (Box 9.1, Wright, 240)
Use formative assessments to identify the words, or types of words, students want and need to learn to spell
Provide word study mini-lessons throughout the week with each group based on their word lists
Test each group of students based on their own list of words
Invented Spelling: ELLs include words & approximate their spelling using their knowledge of sound-symbol correspondence
Common Core Standards -> increased attention and focus on Evidence-Based Writing
Writing that features evidence that is grounded in texts the students have read, rather than in their personal views and experiences
Critics - concern over de-emphasis of personal narratives, creative writing, disinterest in student "voice"
My experience as a SS teacher: Evidence-based writing is 90% of the assigned writing we complete in class. Reading this made me consider alternative ways to develop skills within the content area through alternative formats
Writing to, with, and by English Language Learners
Modeled Writing: teacher produced text to demonstrate the writing process - effective for teaching new vocabulary in an authentic context
Shared Writing: students produce a text with the teacher. Teacher still in control as the scribe, but prompts students to dictate the text and make decisions about content, vocabulary, conventions, grammar, and style.
Interactive Writing: students and compost the text together, however, student now share "the pen"
Journals: effective way to build independent writing practice for ELLs to develop skills. Time can vary from 10 to 30 minutes, topic can be assigned or build in student choice. General rule - journal writing not to be corrected (?)
Writer's Workshop: teaching process of writing through a collaborative approach
Prewriting
Drafting
Revising
Editing
Publishing
Scaffolds for Independent Writing:
Word Walls
Thematic Word Charts
Personal Word Books
Dictionaries
"Ask three, then me"
Mini-lessons
Collins Writing Program
- Capture ideas - students write one draft to get a minimum number of ideas down on paper
- Respond correctly: Students write one draft to demonstrate understanding
- Edit for focus correction areas - up to three targeted skills (ex. Topic sentence, conclusion, supporting details)
- Peer Editing
- Publish - evaluated for content and form
Utilizing Technology to develop/facilitating writing instruction:
Word processing technologies
use of online message boards
key pals (E-mail and instant messaging)
Multimedia presentations
Blogs, Tweets, and Wikis
Digital Storytelling
Assessing Writing:
Standardized High-stakes writing exams
Classroom-based writing assessment
Holistic scoring - teacher makes judgement about the piece of writing as a whole
Analytic Scoring - use of a rubric and helps teachers focus on different aspects of writing
Primary trait scoring vs. multi-trait scoring - how much should be considered "point(s) of emphasis) - know the level/purpose of the assignment
Portfolio Assessment: can include journal entries, early drafts, and published writing from Writer's Workshop, samples from students' writing in different genres and content areas