Writing in Second-Language Classrooms

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Writing in second-language classrooms is much the same as writing in first-language classrooms. Students plan what they will write, produce written drafts, and sometimes revise what they have written. The main difference between writing in one’s first language and in one’s second language involves the support that is required. Effective teachers support second-language writing in several ways.

Connections

Writers who easily sustain a line of thinking are able to concentrate on overcoming the word choice, grammar, spelling, and other such challenges a second language presents. One way effective teachers support second-language writers and help sustain their lines of thought is by offering them access to life experience topics that have personal connections.

Topics from life experiences enable writers to focus on expressing themselves. Life experience topics that promote ready connections include student favorites with regard to the following:

foods                                   
books/comics/magazinesclothes                               weekend activitiessports                                 adventuresgames                               pets/animals hobbies/collectionstelevision shows/moviesfriends                            songs/musical groups

Teachers often suggest topics such as one’s preferences for food, entertainment, and clothing, and students go into depth on particular ones. Producing a personal crest that heralds one’s identity and explaining the crest is another common practice that capitalizes on personal connections. Of course, when describing one’s personal background or family history, students should realize they are free to decide how much they will reveal about themselves.

Oral history projects with family or community members are good ways for second-language learners to capitalize on life experiences and personal connections. When students interview parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, and neighbors and business people in their communities, they are connecting the stories of others’ lives with their lives. They can see how past actions might have affected their lives and how conflicts and circumstances from the past might be similar to those of the present. Writing comes into play during oral history projects when students research the times in which people lived, prepare questions, record interviewees’ responses, and write up reports.

Finally, writers who address topics associated with their cultures also have ready access to personal connections. Practically everyone has personal experiences and understandings of distinctive holidays, foods, ways of dress, and pastimes. Addressing such topics allows writers to concentrate on expressing themselves, and it provides opportunities to honor and celebrate differences in culturally diverse classrooms. Teachers who share their interest and respect for others’ cultures model ways that students can do the same.