English learners – Written language strategies that work

Many of our English learners have scores between a 3.3-4.8 proficiency level on ACCESS testing and we sometimes assume that these El’s have a good grasp on written language however, this myth couldn’t be further from fact. English learners need support in language even upon their exit for English language program services. As content teachers, there are research based ways that we can offer English learners written language support and help them to grow as writers.

1. Write and write often – Plan purposeful written language lessons. This may be as simple as making a jot list about topics to write about in the future or a list of favorite foods. Getting that keyboard moving or that writing pen flowing is the first step. Often educators teach writing to Els last but jumping into writing quickly and learning reading and written language skills together is paramount.
2. Utilize a Writing Partner – Admittedly, I had inadvertedly missed out on implementing this strategy in my classroom but Peer Writing Partners is a powerful strategy. Students get language support from their peers and can draw upon each others strengths to produce writing pieces. Pairing this with your writer’s workshop can be even more powerful.
3. Technology – Utilizing tech components to help Els develop their writing skills can be very powerful. Students have access to a plethora of programs, apps, and websites to help translate, investigate and build content knowledge about a topic/skill. By integrating tech tools into students’ production of writing pieces, students with language deficits can be empowered to use written language and strengthen writing language skills. Graphic storying telling can bring words to life and for Els expressing themselves with a graphic tool as well as written English language is empowering. Storyboard That!, Powtoon, and many more useful tools can be found here: https://www.schrockguide.net/online-tools.html
4. Graphic Novels – I wasn’t a fan of graphic novels for a long time however recently I have discovered the power of these magical little books (lol) and the English learner. Graphics throughout the book and the story sentence structure (and even more complex sentence structure in some novels) help to build strong literacy skills for English learners. Visuals help with reading comprehension as well!
5. Picture Books/Mentor Texts – Middle and High school students can benefit from looking at picture books for craft and structure especially English learners in these grade bands. Giving students examples of how their writing can grow can be a meaningful tool. Excerpts from books that students analyze and discover writing crafts from helps build background knowledge for students.

Teaching writing can be refreshed and updated with these suggestions especially for English learners in the mid/upper level language proficiency bands.