Unit 4: Writing Strategies for MLLs.
This unit will be one lesson, with all of the strategies compiled here. At the end, you will reflect on your own instruction based on what you have learned here.
When considering writing strategies for MLLs, I am going to be focusing on the various steps of the writing process before delving in deeper to specific activity ideas. Beginning with the prewriting stage:
- Talk about what the students will be writing: this helps students organize their thoughts and ideas before beginning the actual writing process. This can also help to activate prior knowledge.
- Create a list of words that students should use: this can help to guide student writing, as well as improve their vocabulary skills.
- Use graphic organizers: help students organize their thoughts in writing before the final assignment.
- Model writing from the teacher: think aloud as you write to model certain ideas and ways to write about the assigned topic.
For the drafting stage:
- Use journals as drafting tools: these are much more relaxed for students to write in, provides them with a place to gather their thoughts.
- Provide writing prompts for free-write time: when they are not working on an assignment, providing prompts can help students to focus on a specific topic, instead of spending time thinking about what to write.
- Sentence and paragraph frames can benefit MLLs: these guide students in the right direction, as well as give them ideas for ways to phrase their thoughts and ideas in the future.
For the revising and editing stages:
- Peer review can be beneficial when implemented correctly: it was mentioned in Unit 2 that peer review can induce more anxiety for MLLs. However, if it is done properly, it can be beneficial for both sides. Consider incorporating ideas such as anonymous feedback, glows and grows, and positive-thinking language.
- Use technology in the final writing stages: using spell-check, word prediction, and other tools provided on many writing applications can help to alleviate some of the anxiety that comes with submitting a final paper.
Some ideas of activities and/or lessons to improve writing skills in MLLs:
- Present information to the students in whatever way you deem best for your students, then have the students explain and/or describe what you told them about back to you. Write down what they tell you on the board. Go back and compare the ideas shared by you versus the ideas shared by them.
- Throughout a unit, the teacher collects random sentences from different assignments completed by different students. At a point in the unit, the teacher can hold a “sentence auction.” This is when the students get to bid on the best sentences. There should be a mix of sentences included; from well-written to grammatical mistakes. The sentences should, of course, be anonymous, and should not shame students in any way. This is a fun, easy activity to help students recognize small errors they may make while writing.
- One way that will almost always help MLLs develop confidence and skills in their writing is a quick write. Tell students they may write about whatever they want (provide ideas if deemed helpful), but their pencil must be moving for however long you decide. Keep it quick, so they do not get too overwhelmed, but also give them enough time to form their ideas. Tell them not to worry about spelling, grammar, etc. for the time being and just focus on getting their ideas out.
There are many ways to support writing skills for MLLs; this is a non-exhaustive list, however it provides lots of useful ideas to consider implementing into your own classroom. Similar to our last unit, to check your understanding, I encourage you to look over any lesson plans that you have planned in the coming days, weeks, or months and consider places to implement MLL supports for writing activities. If you currently do not teach MLLs, please answer the following questions on another document or piece of paper:
- Why is it important to talk about what they will be writing about?
- How can graphic organizers help MLLs with their writing?
- Why is it important for the teacher to model while writing?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of peer editing?
Please also take a moment to look at the Jamboard here: Reading and Writing Strategies Jamboard to share your ideas of what you have done or seen in your own experience.
Once you have completed everything, move on to Unit 5: Incorporating Home Language into Instruction.