Lesson Plans for ELL Writers
Lesson Plans for ELL Writers
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Have you ever wondered how to make lesson plans for writing that are ELL friendly, engaging, and fun? You have come to the right place! It can be hard to get students to be engaged in writing. Not all students will enjoy writing. However, if writing is more engaging and lets students express themselves, they are more likely to enjoy it. Additionally, some students prefer to learn one way over another. For example, some students prefer visuals, while others prefer auditorial or kinesthetic activities.
Here is a list of creative writing activities for ELL students!
1. Visual aid-based writing
As mentioned above, some students prefer to write/ learn from pictures or visuals. One way to have students write creatively and based on images is to have a bag or pile of images to start. Each student will draw 2 to 3 pictures without looking, then they will write a story based on the pictures they chose. (Haynes, 2010). This allows students to have choice in their writing with originality. There is no strict prompt with this assignment; students have the flexibility to write about whatever they want, as long as it involves the pictures they have. This is a great lesson for ELL students because it allows them to work in both their native and the English language. Moreover, they do not have to worry about misunderstanding the directions of the assignment since there is so much flexibility and freedom with it. Lastly, it allows ELL students to maintain their current writing level and challenge them to think.
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2. Writing through the use of electronics
In this century, technology has a big impact on our everyday life. Students see technology as a reward, whether it is reading a book online, playing math related games, etc. (Li, 2016) Students would enjoy writing more if electronics are incorporated. Furthermore, technology is an aid for our ELL students. For students who may not be fluent or comfortable with the English language, technology would allow them to use spellcheck to become familiar with spelling as well as grammatical mistakes they could be making. Writing online could happen in a multitude of ways. For one, students could just type on a word document. They could also play grammatical games or games based on writing foundation. Lastly, some students may prefer to learn online because they can see and hear what is being displayed.
3. Hands on Activities
Finally, another lesson idea would be to incorporate writing with hands on activities. This could be done in many ways. One idea is to have the class create a story and each student comes up to the board and adds something. This allows all students to collaborate together and having their voices heard. Additionally, this caters towards all learning preferences students have. Another lesson idea that involves the whole class is to have a bag with words cut out (enough for each student to draw a word). Each student randomly draws a word and has to create a sentence with the word. This activity is flexible because it works with all learning levels and students will not be excluded. You can add a prompt that the students should follow or make it a free write.
These are just a few ideas of lesson plans that are ELL friendly! These can be adapted and is just a rough list of ideas. :)
Sources:
Richards, J., & Lassonde, C. A. (Eds.). (2012). Strategic writing mini-lessons for all students, grades 4–8. SAGE Publications.
Haynes, J., & Zacarian, D. (2010). Teaching english language learners across the content areas. Association for Supervision & Curriculum Development.
Li, N. (Ed.). (2016). Teaching ells across content areas: Issues and strategies. Information Age Publishing, Incorporated.
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