Creating an Effective Writing Program for ELLs

10 Practical Strategies for Teachers

1. Encourage ELLs to use their first languages in their writing, such as for brainstorming and first drafts.

This helps ELLs with the content and organization of their ideas for their writing. Consider dual

language books and other identity texts for students to not only develop both their L1 and L2, but to be

able to share their identity and who they are with others.

2. Create a word wall for new terms and phrases, and consider including visuals and translations.

Constantly update the word wall with vocabulary that will reoccur in lessons, and allow students to add

to the wall themselves. Remind students to refer to it and to use it as a tool to guide their writing and

speaking.

3. Scaffold information and new vocabulary so students can build on their prior knowledge to grasp new

material. Do think-alouds and model how to use new words. Use new words repeatedly and in different

contexts so that students can get a good grasp on how to use these words. Use graphic organizers like

the Frayer model for learning new vocabulary and T-charts and mind maps for brainstorming.

4. With younger students, use songs to teach English language rules. They are a fun way for students to

remember and practice conventions.

5. Encourage cooperative writing, such as writing paragraphs in small groups. Working in small groups

allows students to interact with each other using the appropriate academic language, and it also

supports cooperative learning. Afterwards, the whole class can come together to share their sentences

for you to write down on the board or chart paper. When writing, you can include mistakes so that the

students can detect and correct them together as a whole class.

6. Provide students with tasks they can invest in, like writing autobiographies, or writing about topics that

interest them.

7. Co-create rubrics with your students so that they can identify the expectations for different types of

writing. Provide exemplars for them to grade and to provide feedback with their reasoning.

8. Incorporate Writing-to-Learn strategies, such as admit slips, think-write-pair-share, quick writes, and

journal writing for short, daily writing tasks that give students the confidence to write. This writing is

never graded and allows students to get their thoughts and questions down on paper, without the

pressure of correct conventions. These strategies allow you to assess the students thinking and

understanding, which will guide you in the next steps for planning.

9. Give students regular feedback about their thinking and learning from their short writing tasks. When

assessing longer pieces of writing, focus on the content and meaning of the writing and only correct

mistakes that impede communication.

10. Have each student keep a writing portfolio and to select pieces of work to include in it. They can use

the portfolio to reflect on their writing and learning progress. Students should be able to see their

growth when the portfolio is added to throughout the school year.