Checklists for Teaching Writing in Low-Level ESOL Classes
Teacher’s Checklist
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PRE-WRITE ü |
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a. Have students practiced the language necessary to complete the writing task? |
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b. Have students thought/talked about what they are going to write? |
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WRITE ü |
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c. Is there a model of the format? (letter, paragraph, sentences) |
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d. Is there model language students can refer while writing? |
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REVISE and EDIT ü |
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e. Do students review their writing by reading it aloud – alone or together? |
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f. Do students use a checklist to review their writing? |
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g. Does the teacher check if the writing task is complete? |
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h. Does the teacher give feedback on content? |
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i. Does the teacher give feedback on language? |
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j. Do students correct their writing? |
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Key to Teacher’s Checklist
PRE-WRITE
a. Students need practice with the target vocabulary and grammar before they can control it in writing. The easiest way to ensure this is to do writing as the culminating activity for any language learning lesson (i.e. grammar, vocabulary, listening/speaking).
b. Low-level students need time to develop their responses before they write. Talk things out first as a class or in pairs.
WRITE
c. Present a model. Check student comprehension of the model. Ask students to identify features in the format (i.e. title, indentation, double spaces,). Ask comprehension questions to confirm student comprehension of content too.
d. To become independent writers, students need to know how to use reference material (in this case, the model language). If they are using newvocabulary, have them locate their vocabulary list. If they are using a particular grammar structure, have them locate the corresponding grammar chart.
REVISE and EDIT
e. Revising is essential to the writing process. Make sure students have a review routine such as reading their writing aloud to themselves and then a partner.
f. Focus the editing process. You can supply an editing checklist, or students can keep a running checklist of the types of errors they make. See the example below.
Show students how to use an editing checklist. Present an incorrect model and go through the checklist to find the errors.
g. Writers can always say more. Read student writing and orally ask (or write questions) to get them to flesh out their writing. With training, students can also do this questions-asking as they read their writing aloud to one another in pairs (see e above).
h. Writing is meaningful. Write a personal comment or orally give a personal response (i.e. That sounds like a fun! or You have a big family!).
i. Give focused feedback but don’t do all the work. Circle the errors and let students figure them out. If you indicate the number of each type of error in the editing checklist, students can understand the nature of their errors (see example below).
I do not code errors on the page (i.e. indicate sp. for spelling error and wc for word choice) because low-level students get so easily overwhelmed by too many markings and too much print on a page.
j. Correcting writing is a step in the writing process. Have students work individually or in pairs to correct their writing and then hand in their final draft.
Student’s Checklist
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Check for: |
Student |
Teacher |
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Periods |
ü |
ü |
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Capital letters |
ü |
3* |
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Spelling |
ü |
2* |
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1 subject + 1 verb |
ü |
ü |
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* You can indicate the number of each type of error in the students writing, so they can understand where they need to focus their efforts.
Informing Practice with Research: Brain Science and Learning
We have recently learned a lot about how memory works. These research findings can inform our teaching in many wonderful ways.
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The research says : |
In your classroom: |
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When we begin by asking questions, we are more likely to remember the answers. |
ü Ask questions throughout a lesson, not just at the end. ü Make sure you are not the only one asking questions. Students need practice asking questions. |
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When we connect new information to what we already know, we remember it better. |
ü Ask students what they know about a topic and what they want to learn about the topic before you present the new lesson. ü At the end of the lesson, have students pause briefly to summarize what they learned. |
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It takes several encounters with new information to commit it to long term memory.
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ü Recycle, recycle, and recycle again. ü Make sure students get between 5 and 10 opportunities to work with new information before you expect mastery. ü Pause often so student can review material and identify the salient points. |
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The more modalities we use in learning, the more reliable our memory is. Fire those neurons until they wire. |
ü Use all modalities as you recycle material: Make sure students attend to the new language aurally, orally, in print, in different contexts, in controlled practice and in self-expression. |
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The more we think about something, the more likely we are to remember it. |
ü Give your students time to process new information. ü Have students reconstruct what they learned by retelling or writing what they remember. |
Semester Start Up: Time to Study!
Many of our adult learners haven’t developed effective study habits, and yet, we know a student’s ability to study largely determines his or her educational success. So how do we get our students to develop effective study habits?
The Class Conversation
Start by asking students about their study habits. You may be surprised by their answers. I often find out that students don’t study at all outside of class.
· What do you study?
· Where do you study?
· When do you study? How long do you study? How often do you study?
Incorporate Effective Study Techniques in Your Class
Over the course of the first few weeks, address these study essentials in class.
Know Your Resources
Class is the best place for our students to learn how to use their study resources. Take some time to engage students in the following activities:
· Using flashcards
· Maintaining a vocabulary list
· Locating and using the audio scripts and answer keys
· Cueing and playing audio segments
· Reviewing class notes
I do. We do. You do.
Often students don’t understand their homework assignments. Spend a few minutes on the assignment. Model it and then do one or two items together before they leave class to do it on their own.
Get Organized
Make sure every student has a study kit - otherwise known as a book bag. Reusable grocery bags (99 cents) are great for carrying a textbook, note-book, translator, flashcards, pencils, and erasers: everything a student needs to seize the moment and study.
Timing is Everything
Acknowledge the extraordinary demands of your students’ lives. They may never secure an uninterrupted hour to sit and study. Remind them:
· Frequency is more important than duration.
· Study every day.
· 20 minutes a day is better than two hours once a week.
Location! Location!
Not everyone needs quiet to study, but everyone needs good lighting, a study kit, and a little protection from interruption. Ask students to identify places they can be free from interruption for 20 minutes. Maybe it is in the classroom before class, or in a break room after the shift ends, or on a bus on the way to work; or in a parked car.
Love Your Brain
There are three essentials to a functioning mind: water, glucose, and blood flow.
· The 3-Minute Stretch: In the middle of class, take 3 minutes for everyone to stretch and move a bit. When students settle back into their chairs they usually notice how much more alert they feel.
· Drink water and encourage students to bring water to class.
· Provide snacks now and then. Point out which what kinds of snacks help the brain (complex carbs and nuts).
The Multilevel Teacher: Creating a Common Classroom Experience
As educators, we know how to differentiate instruction one student at a time, but how do we differentiate instruction for a whole classroom of students at once? And how do we maintain cohesion in a classroom with so many moving parts?
A Common Classroom Experience
In our digital age, the classroom presents a unique opportunity for students to learn together and develop face-to-face social communication skills. For this reason, I strive to use common materials , but I differentiate the tasks I give the students.
We start each activity as a class, we break out into groups, and then we return to the class to debrief and summarize. The class is the beginning and end of every learning activity.
Grouping Students by Level
One way to manage break out groups in a multi-level classroom is by sorting students by level. In this arrangement, students work with others at a similar level.
Multilevel Tips for Low-Level Groups
· Keep the numbers down. Keep low-level groups small. Communication and collaboration is always easier when fewer people are involved.
· Provide model language. Make sure students have the language they need to complete the assignment. Often that means writing some key phrases on the board or getting students to locate a reference page in their book.
· Limit the assignment. Limit the number of items the group needs to complete. When groups return to the whole class debriefing, make sure you call on this group early, so they can contribute the work they were able to complete.
Multilevel Tips for High Level Groups
· Grow the group. The more people in a group, the more challenging the communication and collaboration.
· Step away from model language. Encourage students to work independently from the model language. If the model is on the board, encourage the students to turn their seats away from it. If the model is in the book, encourage them to keep it closed as much as possible.
· Assign an additional task. These tasks should be familiar learning routines to students, so you don’t need to interrupt for long to explain the next step. Some additional activities are:
o After a role play: Students write their dialogue out and read it aloud, making language adjustments as needed. Or students record their role play (with voice note on their cell phones), transcribe their speech, and identify errors. Students submit their writing to you at the end of class.
o After a reading activity: Students identify key words in the text, or students write additional comprehension questions. They write their additional information/questions on the board for the whole class debriefing.
o After a discussion activity: Students write their responses, and then review their written work by reading their responses aloud to group members. Students submit their writing to you at the end of class.
More of My Posts about Multilevel Teaching
Differentiating Instruction in a Multi-level Classroom http://wp.me/pMYto-14
Multilevel Dictation Handout http://wp.me/pMYto-8z
Conversation Cards: A Warm-up Activity http://wp.me/pMYto-8d
Mixing It Up! http://wp.me/pMYto-3w
Building Better Learners: The Teacher’s Worksheet http://wp.me/pMYto-a8
Activating that Meta-Muscle: Activities for Noticing Errors
I recently received this query:
“I know self-monitoring by students is important for [confronting fossilized errors], but–aside from “Correct the Errors” activities, I can’t find any tips on how to promote self-monitoring. “ – J. Weiss
Indeed, recent research in Adult ESOL Literacy confirms what many of us have suspected. Literacy seems to enhance students’ meta-cognitive ability and, conversely, lack of literacy seems to reduce self-monitoring cognition. This means that people with little education are less likely to attend to the form and accuracy of their expression, despite our exhortations to produce the language correctly. Our feedback on language form is not on their cognitive map.
So how do we teachers of Adult ESOL low-literacy learners get students to strengthen their language skills? I suggest two approaches:
· Strengthen that meta-cognition muscle by explicitly instructing students in self-monitoring routines.
· Give meaningful feedback.
Current Posts on Self-monitoring Activities: (more will come)
Brain Research and Effective Learning — Activities for Improving Memory.
Pause and Reflect: A Simple Way in Increase Student Learning
Goal Setting: Purposeful Learning
http://teachertwoteacher.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/goal-setting-puposeful-learning/
Giving Meaningful Feedback
· Explicitly teach words that are necessary for correction. (For example: consonant-vowel, subject-verb-complement, punctuation-period-question mark, syllables-letters-words etc.)
Use these words to characterize student errors. For example: Where is the vowel in this word? What is the subject? Do you need a period or a question mark?
· Provide writing surfaces on which it is easy to erase (black boards or erasable boards), so students can correct their work multiple times and still have a nice looking product.
· Have students point to words as they read their writing aloud to a partner so they notice any omissions or repetitions in their writing.
· Get students to attend to the error by comparing their error to your model. For example:
Student: I no work on Sunday.
Teacher: You say: I no work on Sunday. (Using fingers to identify each word) I say: I don’t work on Sunday. (Using fingers to identify each word) Which word is different?
Student: (writes the word) Wenesday
Teacher: (Writes the word Wednesday) What’s different? How many letters are there? Which letter is silent?
· Use physical and visual feedback for pronunciation errors.
See examples on my blog post: Let’s Get Physical: Teaching Pronunciation:
http://teachertwoteacher.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/lets-get-physical-teaching-pronunciation/
· Accept that some errors will not change, because everyone understands what the student means despite its inaccurate form.
Building Better Learners: The Teacher’s Worksheet
These are questions to consider as you plan your class for the next academic year. Any of these questions would serve as an interesting staff development conversation.
Setting Goals
· What are my students’ goals in coming to English class?
· How do I find out about their goals?
· How do I model goal setting in class?
Charting Progress
· How do my students know they are making progress? What feedback do I give them? (notes, tests, stars?)
· What opportunities do I give students to assess their own learning? (checklists, logs, brief reflections on what been studied, self-testing, self-recording?)
Developing Organization Skills
· How do I help my students develop better organizational skills? Do I check their notebooks? Do I talk about where papers should be stored? Do we decide which papers are most important and where to place them?
· Do I have class systems for when students papers? (folders, bins, labels)
· Do I have a class system for returning papers to students?
Developing Strong Study Habits
· · Do I model in class how to do homework assignments?
· What systems do my students use to record homework assignments?
· What materials do my students use to study outside of class?
· What do I know about my students’ study time outside of class? How often do they study? Where? With whom?
Developing Study Skills
· Which learning and memorizing strategies do I teach in class?
· How often does the class review material? What review routines do I model in class? (recalling material, using flashcards, writing questions?)
· Do my students understand they best learn? Do they undertsnad the different ways people can learn? ( visual, kinesthetic, auditory, and/or aural learning)
Self-correction Routines
· Do I model in class how to use an answer key responsibly?
· In class do students practice reading their written work aloud in order to hear for small errors or missing words?
· Do students know how to record and playback their voices on their phones? Do they use this device to practice pronunciation?
Independent Study Resources
· Do my students know about public libraries? Do they all have library cards?
· Do my students have access to the Internet (computers or smart phones)? Do they have email accounts? Do they study English materials online?
· Do I talk to students about parts of their textbook they can study on their own?
· Do I talk to students about independent learning resources at our school (a lending library? a computer lab?) Do students understand which materials are best for independent study?
Fun Vocabulary Review Game –and a Brain Game, too
Yesterday, in our last class of the semester, we played a really fun and simple vocabulary game. It was a great hit for the students and all the other staff who came by to join the laughter.
1. Assign a topic you studied in class and provide a list of beginning letters. Here are a couple of examples:
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Furniture |
Parts of the Body |
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d_____________ b_____________ c_____________ *ch___________ r______________ l_____________ t_____________ |
*th____________ n_____________ s_____________ e_____________ m____________ b_____________ *sh____________
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2. For two minutes, students work individually to write words that fit the category AND begin with the assigned letters.
3. Then students share their words. This is a good moment to answer any spelling questions. Remember there are many possible answers. The variety in responses is half the fun.
4. Play again with a new category.
* Note: If words in this category start with a digraph, I supply the digraph- ch, wh, qu, th, sh-not just the single first letter.
The Brain Science
This activity tickles the brain. Our brains store word information in two different ways: by meaning and by sound. Getting the brain to locate both aspects of a word at the same instant is a fun challenge.
Eight Great Reading Fluency Activities
According to the National Reading Panel, the four components of reading are: comprehension, vocabulary, fluency and alphabetics. As ESOL teachers we know how to teach vocabulary and comprehension, but fluency and alphabetics are terra incognita. So here, I introduce four classics and four more contemporary activities that focus on specific skill development in reading fluency.
Please note: All fluency activities occur after students have read the text silently and demonstrated their comprehension.
The Classics:
1. Read Along with a Teacher or a Recording
What: Students read along silently as they listen to the teacher or a recording of the text.
Why: Models fluency, expressive intonation and phrasing, and accurate pronunciation.
2. Echo reading
What: The teacher reads a phrase or sentence aloud and students repeat, imitating phrasing and intonation. To better hear their own voices, students can plug one ear.
Why: Models accurate phrasing, intonation, and fluency.
3. Choral reading
What: The teacher and students read together in unison.
Why: Provides support for weaker readers AND the whole class benefits from re-reading the text.
4. Paired Reading
What: In pairs, students take turns reading and re-reading the same passage to each other.
Why: Provides fluency practice in a supportive partnership.
Fluency Activities for More Focused Skill Development:
5. Mismatch Read Aloud
What: This approach was developed by reading expert Thomas Stitch. The teacher supplies students with a printed text and reads it aloud, occasionally substituting a different word for a word students see. Students circle the mismatched words. Note: The teacher substitutes words close in meaning, for example: pink for red, or location for place.
Why: Encourages fluency AND accurate decoding.
6. Timed Reading
What: Students read the same text from the beginning in short bursts (1-3 minutes). Students mark how far they get each time. With multiple re-readings, students get further and further along in the text.
Why: Encourages rapid reading, forces repetitive reading, builds automaticity in word recognition, and strengthens students’ confidence.
7. Recorded Reading
What: Students record themselves reading a text. They listen to themselves and record again until they are satisfied with their delivery.
Extension: The teacher listens to the student’s recording and marks errors in the printed text. The teacher records a model of the marked words or phrases so that the student can listen and record again.
Why: Encourages repetitive reading, builds accuracy, and requires students to self-assess.
8. Performance reading
What: In small groups, students prepare a performance of a poem, skit, story, or article. Students divide the text up into sections and practice reading their parts aloud to each other. Then students perform for the class.
Why: Provides a natural motivation for re-reading and lively expression.
What to Do with a Word List
At TESOL International in Philadelphia, I gave a brief presentation on how to get students to learn words on word lists.
Here is a summary:
Students make FLASHCARDS.
vOn one side of the card students print the word.
vOn the other side of the card, they provide
o a definition -drawing, translation, dictionary definition, or personal example.
o a pronunciation note –with transliteration, IPA, or their own symbols.
Students USE the flashcards in class activities.
vStudents sort the words by:
o part of speech
o number of syllables
o intonation patterns
o alphabetical order
o any category of meaning
vStudents take turns picking up a card and asking:
o How do you say this word?
o What does it mean?
o How do you spell it?
vStudents pick up a word card and then generate meaning with the word by:
o writing the word in a sentence
o drawing a scene in which the word is used (emergency: a hospital)
o saying the word in a role-play
Students review the word cards ON THEIR OWN to:
o practice spelling.
o practice pronunciation.
o remember definitions.
The Multisensory Checklist for Teaching Language
Here is a list I wrote to remind myself of the many modalities I can use in my class.
Instructions: Just think back to your last week or two of teaching and check the boxes off. (To maximize this exercise, do it at regular intervals for several weeks.) Don’t expect to check all the boxes. This is a self-observation tool. The aim to help you become aware of the modalities you favor and the ones you avoid. The real work is in trying to switch things up and use one of the un-checked modalities on this list.
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Did the students . . . |
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1. look at illustrations or photographs? |
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2. look at charts, graphs, or maps? |
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3. read silently? |
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4. read along as they listen to someone read aloud? |
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5. read aloud to others? |
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6. write in their notebooks? |
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7. write on the board? |
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8. trace words with their fingers? |
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9. practice pronunciation chorally? |
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10. practice pronunciation chorally with one ear plugged? |
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11. practice pronunciation individually? |
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12. use gestures, symbols, or physical feedback to correct their pronunciation? (see Sarah’s blog “Let’s Get Physical: Teaching Pronunciation” |
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13. use movement or music to improve their intonation? |
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14. study with flashcards? |
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15. make their own flashcards? |
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16. highlight or underline words in a text? |
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17. write a vocabulary list? |
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18. listen to the audio? |
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19. listen to another student speaking English? |
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20. listen for specific features: stress, syllables, sounds, rhymes? |
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21. work in small groups? |
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22. work individually? |
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23. work as a whole class on one question or assignment? |
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24. work on a computer? |
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25. use a dictionary or translating device? |
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26. use a cell phone to show pictures? |
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27. change seats? |
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28. stand up in front of a group or the class? |
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29. mime the meaning of a word or phrase? |
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30. listen to relaxing music while doing individual work? |
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31. listen to the words in a song? |
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Are there other modalities you use in your classroom that I didn’t list? Please share your ideas!
Other related posts: http://wp.me/pMYto-2V
