69传媒

Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers鈥 questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

English Learners Opinion

Teachers Share Their Best Lessons for Intermediate English Learners

By Larry Ferlazzo 鈥 July 15, 2024 5 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

滨鈥檝别 previously published a series on teachers鈥 favorite lessons for ELL newcomers.

Now, it鈥檚 time to do the same for intermediate ELLs.

Writing Sentences

Maria Cruz teaches English for speakers of other languages at Oakton High School in Fairfax County, Va.:

Teachers who have given a writing assessment to an English-language learner and been confronted with a stream-of-consciousness narrative may feel perplexed about how to begin introducing sentence structure into the learner鈥檚 writing toolbox. To those teachers, I offer that the from the University of Kansas can be a path to success for such students.

This strategy offers explicit instruction for four English sentence structures that provide a framework for students to demonstrate language proficiency on any academic writing task. It begins with a low-cognitive load: a simple subject + verb sentence that kick starts motivational investment and as students work their way up to producing long, compound-complex sentences.

Which students can benefit from this strategy?

The Sentence Writing Strategy was not developed specifically for English-language learners, and any writer who struggles with written composition would benefit from these explicit, graduated lessons. 69传媒 must be able to categorize nouns and verbs, so this strategy is best for high-beginner or intermediate ELLs (WIDA 2.5 and up). If a student relies heavily on a translator/dictionary or struggles to express herself in a conversation, she might not be ready for this level of grammar analysis.

How does it work?

When beginning this series of lessons, the teacher should focus on the assets the English learner brings with her鈥攖he volume and complexity of vocabulary and the flow of ideas she used to express herself in her initial writing assessment provide a foundation of knowledge that should be recognized and honored. To ensure the students do not become overwhelmed with grammar, the Sentence Writing Strategy uses a series of short lessons that can be divided into daily 15-minute increments.

Each of the four sentence- structure units begins with a deductive model where the class analyzes sentences that follow a particular grammar pattern. The teacher models his thinking aloud and uses questioning to elicit students鈥 observations.

69传媒 complete a series of increasingly challenging exercises that remove scaffolds in each step; their work is evaluated and results are immediately provided to them. 69传媒 then have an opportunity to repeat the practice until mastery is achieved. At the end of each unit, students can produce independent writing that shows a command of logical progression and sentence variety.

Why is this strategy particularly helpful for ELLs?

The incremental, repetitive design of the lessons means that a student does not expend effort deciphering what their teacher is asking them to do. After the first lesson, they understand the process and can dive into the writing and self-analysis with minimal direct instruction. For students who avoid writing or are unused to the expectations of academic writing in U.S. schools, learning the Sentence Writing Strategy is an invaluable experience to create agency in their own literacy skills. The confidence they build through this strategy is an invaluable asset.

Once an English-language learner can see her own growth from stream-of-consciousness writing to elegant sentences, she is more likely to embrace further challenges the teacher presents throughout the course. She is more willing to lean into because she has evidence of her own writing development. The teacher can leverage that self-efficacy to increase the rigor of academic writing expectations as the course progresses.

With this strategy under their belts, English learners can move forward boldly to master other challenging English grammar such as rules for using commas, correlative conjunctions, and verb-tense mastery. The Sentence Writing Strategy is the gateway ELLs need to see and believe in their own language development and academic growth.

thesentencewriting

Persuasive Writing


Teresa Amodeo is an ESL/language-acquisition program coordinator for District 302 in Illinois. She has a master鈥檚 in literacy, with endorsements in ESL, middle school (language arts concentration):

For intermediate English learners, I think one of my best lessons took place when completing a writing unit. We had worked on persuasive writing for a few weeks. We began with identifying parts of a persuasive piece, defining persuasion, read and dissecting persuasive texts, and then creating our own persuasive texts given a personal experience.

The students reflected on an event in their life鈥攚hether it was school-related, family-related, vacation, visits to fairs, parks鈥攁nd framed their experience in a persuasive-writing piece with multiple pieces of evidence solidifying their side, through reflection and use of previously taught vocabulary.

Then the lessons transitioned to guiding them through the revision process in completing this persuasive piece. Essentially, it was fine tuning their vocabulary and grammar-convention skills. I utilized grammar- or language-convention checklists to fine tune their writing and reflective questions to journal and guide or outline their writing.

My second favorite lesson would have been 鈥渃hat stations鈥 during a lesson on community issues and current events. We discussed and shared current events and 鈥渉ot topics鈥 as a whole group over the course of a few days to have them begin making connections to real-world events and strengthen or bridging language skills .

We then moved to center-based activities, where I had scenarios set up along the classroom and had groups of students rotating to each one and discussing the given issue, identifying the problem, sharing their opinion on it, and creating a plan of action. This particular lesson with its activities was effective in strengthening communication skills in various situations.

wediscussed

Thanks to Maria and Teresa for contributing their thoughts!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it鈥檚 selected or if you鈥檇 prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on X formerly known as Twitter at .

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via . And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 12 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list here.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

English Learners Explainer Undocumented 69传媒 Have the Right to a Free Education. This Is Why
A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling protected undocumented students' access to free public education. Some lawmakers seek to overturn it.
8 min read
69传媒 at Valencia Newcomer School wait to change classes Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Phoenix. Children from around the world are learning the English skills and American classroom customs they need to succeed at so-called newcomer schools. Valencia Newcomer School in Phoenix is among a handful of such public schools in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping some of the thousands of children who arrive in the country annually.
69传媒 at Valencia Newcomer School wait to change classes Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in Phoenix. Children from around the world are learning the English skills and American classroom customs they need to succeed at so-called newcomer schools. Under a 1982 Supreme Court precedent, public schools can't charge tuition to children who are new arrivals in the United States.
Ross D. Franklin/AP
English Learners English Learners With Disabilities: The Rules 69传媒 Have to Follow
69传媒 can't force English learners with disabilities to choose between special ed. and language instruction鈥攁nd other tips from OCR.
4 min read
Photo of teacher and blind student using braille slate.
E+
English Learners Q&A A Teacher Makes the Case for Using AI With English Learners
Sarah Said teaches her high school English learners how to responsibly use AI tools for language learning.
4 min read
Image of the concept of AI integrated into the classroom.
Stephanie Shafer for Education Week
English Learners No, the Arrival of English Learners Doesn't Hurt Other 69传媒, a Study Finds
A new study reviewed any spillover effects of the growing immigrant student population in Delaware.
5 min read
GettyImages 1402013281
iStock/Getty