Working with ESL Writers Betsy Craig PhD Writing amp ESL Specialist b etsycraigfurmanedu What to Expect from ESL Students May lack critical thinking skills deference to authority May lack academic specializedLatinate vocabulary ID: 768775
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Working with ESL Writers Betsy Craig, PhD Writing & ESL Specialist b etsy.craig@furman.edu
What to Expect from ESL StudentsMay lack critical thinking skills (deference to authority) May lack academic (specialized/Latinate) vocabulary May want to be called on to participate in class discussions May not leave the classroom before the teacher May repeat certain grammatical errors (fossilization) May overgeneralize (based on anecdotal experience) May display a strong, absolute stance (lack of hedging) May lack ability to evaluate good sources/websites May need low-stakes environments to participate (groups) May have no understanding of information ownership May have difficulty understanding oral instructions
Top Grammar MistakesNative Speakers Verb tense consistency ESL Students Agreement: pronoun/antecedent Function words: art, prep, pronouns Agreement: subject/verb S/V agreement (3 rd singular -s) Punctuation: comma, run-on, frag Punctuation: clause vs. phrase Possessive apostrophe Word forms (inflection/derivational) Capital letters Verb tense: present, past, future Dangling modifier Verb aspect: simple, perf, progressive Missing word Voice: active vs. passive Vague pronoun reference Helping verbs: modals & be, have, do Quotation integration Faulty parallelism Spelling Wrong word (transliteration ) Wrong word (informal register)
Chinglish Most frequent academic vocabulary errors: W ord Forms NOUN NUMBER - s VERB 3PS - s PREP + V- ing (gerund) ‘BE’ + V- en (passive voice) ‘TO’ + V (infinitive) MODAL + V ‘HAVE’ + V (perfect aspect) Verb Tense Consistency
What to DoConduct early in-class writing assessments (1st day of class) Speak slowly, at a good volume, and near ELLs R eferral to me in CAS for editing assistance Referral to WML Peer Consultants for brainstorm, org, revision Referral to Reference Librarians for research assistance Use direct, coded grammar error feedback Do explicit, in-class textual analysis (teach noticing of discourse functions and grammatical structures in academic readings) Provide examples of good AND bad writing in your content area At each new assignment, make explicit what they are NOT to do: Use essay-selling websites Copy and paste from a website Get help from friends
Scaffold the Writing ProcessPreview high-frequency, content-area vocabulary Determine type of essay/assignment Brainstorm: Focus on topic, then thesis as moving target Organize/Outline: Focus on logical development/support Practice summarizing & citation styles in class 1 st Draft with in-text citations: Focus on clarity & structure Edit for grammar problems Require individual consultations (Be specific) 2 nd Draft with error correction & further development Peer review & more instructor input Revise, revise, revise 3 rd Draft for a final grade
20-minute Writing WorkshopsTopic vs. Title vs. ThesisEvaluating websitesParaphrasing/SummarizingDistinguishing fact from opinion Organizing subtopics Parsing an academic reading Achieving cohesion with pronouns/conjunctions Hedging (tempering stance) Structuring argumentative writing Academic vocabulary (morphology)
Averting PlagiarismDo early and frequent in-class writing diagnostics Give short writing assignments due every week Model accurate, responsible citation behavior Discourage Wikipedia usage, except for original references Demonstrate how easy it is for instructors to check the web for plagiarism Remind students that you will be checking for plagiarism with Turnitin Show students websites that sell essays as inappropriate for use in research Ask a research librarian to model good search behavior on the website Do in-class exercises on paraphrasing and summary writing Review academic honesty policy and the violation process Assure students that their own writing is good enough Report every instance of substantiated, intentional plagiarism
ACCOMMODATIONSAsk ELLs to sit in the front of the classroom Provide simple directions both orally and in writing Pair students to check work, notes, and understanding (Do not provide a note-taker!) Write key points on the board Allow tape recordings of lectures Make your thinking processes explicit Break long lessons into shorter activities Allow English-English dictionaries on exams Model reference-consulting behavior Allow extra time for in-class writing Give frequent quizzes Praise students for in-class participation
Reading InstructionGive some attention to academic vocabularyAssign some lighter, yet academic, readings in your discipline Show students how to preview an academic reading Show students how to read an academic text Point out what you regard as (in)effective writing Encourage reading for pleasure
WORD CLOUDbetsy.craig@furman.edu
Linguistic Characteristics of Academic ProseNo contractions Third-person pronouns Latinate (formal) vocabulary (long words) Nominal density (mostly plural) Nominalizations: - tion , - ity High frequency of noun cohorts: art, prep, pron , adj Simple, present tense verb phrasesNon-lexical verbs: be, have, doReporting verbs: states, contends, claims, explains, etc.Passive voice (esp. sciences: reasons for use)Cohesive devices: prepositional phrases, conj, pronHedging: perhaps, may be, could, etc.P repositional phrases used for signaling