In- Class Writing Exercises - The Writing Center. If you find yourself wishing your students would write more thoughtful papers or think more deeply about the issues in your course, this handout may help you. At the Writing Center, we work one- on- one with thousands of student writers and find that giving them targeted writing tasks or exercises encourages them to problem- solve, generate, and communicate more fully on the page. You’ll find targeted exercises here and ways to adapt them for use in your course or with particular students.
ESL games for ESL teachers in elementary schools. Updated monthly. Available in Japanese and English. There is even a Genki English CD available.
- None of these activities have been made by Mr. Ferlazzo. All these links will take you to websites created by companies.
- For more in-depth information, classroom demonstrations, and "coaching" of new and/or experienced teachers, Dr. CARMEN SANCHEZ SADEK offers: Training VIDEOS on the.
Writing requires making choices. We can help students most by teaching them how to see and make choices when working with ideas. We can introduce students to a process of generating and sorting ideas by teaching them how to use exercises to build ideas. With an understanding of how to discover and arrange ideas, they will have more success in getting their ideas onto the page in clear prose. Through critical thinking exercises, students move from a vague or felt sense about course material to a place where they can make explicit the choices about how words represent their ideas and how they might best arrange them. While some students may not recognize some of these activities as “writing,” they may see that doing this work will help them do the thinking that leads to easier, stronger papers. Exercises. Brainstorming.
In order to write a paper for a class, students need ways to move from the received knowledge of the course material to some separate, more synthesized or analyzed understanding of the course material. For some students this begins to happen internally or through what we call “thinking,” unvoiced mulling, sorting, comparing, speculating, applying, etc. This thinking is often furthered through class discussion and some students automatically, internally move from these initial sortings of ideas into complex, logical interpretations of material at this point. But, for more students, their thinking will remain an unorganized, vague set of ideas referring to the subject. Many will have trouble moving beyond this vague sense or simple reaction toward ideas that are more processed, complex, or what we often call “deep.” We can foster that move to a deeper understanding by providing opportunities to externalize and fix their ideas on paper so that they may both see their ideas and then begin to see the relationships between them. The following activities will help students both generate and clarify initial responses to course material: Free- writing Find a clock, watch, or timer to help you keep track of time.
Choose a topic, idea, question you would like to consider. It can be a specific detail or a broad concept- whatever you are interested in exploring at the moment. Write (on paper or on a computer) for 7- 1.
If you get stuck and don’t know what to say next, write “I’m stuck and don’t know what to say next…” or try asking yourself “what else?” until another idea comes to you. Do not concern yourself with spelling, grammar, or punctuation. Your goal is to generate as much as you can about the topic in a short period of time and to get used to the feeling of articulating ideas on the page.
It’s ok if it’s messy or makes sense only to you. You can repeat this exercise several times, using the same or a variety of topics connecting to your subject.
Read what you have written to see if you have discovered anything about your subject or found a line of questioning you’d like to pursue. Clustering/Webbing Find a clock, watch, or timer to help you keep track of time. Put a word you’d like to explore in the center of a piece of paper and put a circle around it. As fast as you can, free- associate or jot down anywhere on the page as many words as you can think of associated with your center word.
If you get stuck, go back to the center word and launch again. Speed is important and quantity is your goal. Don’t discount any word or phrase that comes to you, just put it down on the page. Jot words for between 5- 1.
When you are finished you will have a page filled with seemingly random words. Read around on the page and see if you have discovered anything or can see connections between any ideas.
Listing On a piece of paper list all the ideas you can think of connected to subjects you are considering exploring. Consider any idea or observation as valid and worthy of listing. List quickly and then set your list aside for a few minutes. Come back and read your list and do the exercise again. Cubing This technique helps you look at your subject from six different points of view (imagine the 6 sides of a cube and you get the idea). Take your topic or idea and 1) describe it, 2) compare it, 3) associate it with something else you know, 4) analyze it (meaning break it into parts), 5) apply it to a situation you are familiar with, 6) argue for or against it.
Write at a paragraph, page, or more about each of the six points of view on your subject. Journalistic questions Write these questions down the left hand margin of a piece of paper: Who? What? Where? When? How? And Why? Think about your topic in terms of each question. What? So What? Now what?
To begin to explore an idea first ask yourself, “What do I want to explore?” and write about that topic for a page or more. Then read what you have written and ask “So what?” of the ideas expressed so far.
Again, write for a page or more. Finally ask yourself, “Now what?” to begin to think about what else you might consider or where you might go next with an idea. Defining terms Although this suggestion is simple and may seem obvious, it is often overlooked.
Write definitions for key terms or concepts in your own words. Find others’ articulations of the terms in your course readings, the dictionary, or through conversations and compare the definitions to your own. Seek input from your instructor if you can’t get a working definition of a term for yourself.
Summarizing positions Sometimes it’s helpful to simply describe what you know as a way to solidify your own understanding of something before you try to analyze or synthesize new ideas. You can summarize readings by individual articles or you can combine what you think are like perspectives into a summary of a position. Try to be brief in your description of the readings.
Write a paragraph or up to a page describing a reading or a position. Metaphor writing Metaphors or similes are comparisons sometimes using the words “like” or “as.” For example, “writing is like swimming” or the “sky is as blue as map water” or “the keyboard wrinkled with ideas.” When you create a metaphor, you put one idea in terms of another and thereby create a new vision of the original idea. Sometimes it may be easier to create a metaphor or simile may help you understand your view of an idea before you can put it fully into sentences or paragraphs. Write a metaphor or simile and then explain to someone why your metaphor works or what it means to you. Applying ideas to personal circumstance or known situations Sometimes ideas come clearest when you can put them in a frame that is meaningful to you. Take a concept from your reading assignments and apply it so a situation in your own life or to a current event with which you are familiar. You may not end up using this application in your final draft, but applying it to something you know will help you to understand it better and prepare you to analyze the idea as your instructor directs.
Organizing. Once students have something on the page to work with, they can begin the decision- making process crucial to developing a coherent idea or argument. At this point, students will choose which ideas most appeal to them, which ideas seem to fit together, which ideas need to be set aside, and which ideas need further exploration.
The following activities will help students make decisions as they shape ideas: Drawing diagrams Sometimes it helps to look for the shape your ideas seem to be taking as you develop them. Jot down your main ideas on the page and then see if you can connect them in some way. Do they form a square?
A circle? An umbrella with spokes coming down? A pyramid? Does one idea seem to sit on a shelf above another idea? Would equal signs, greater or less signs help you express the relationships you see between your idea? Can you make a flow chart depicting the relationships between your ideas? Making charts or piles Try sorting your ideas into separate piles.
CAELA: ESL Resources. One of the purposes of the Center for Adult English Language Acquisition (CAELA) is to provide useful information for states, programs, and practitioners who work with adult immigrants learning English as a second language (ESL). The following set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) was developed to respond to questions and concerns about adult English language learners and adult ESL education. Last updated 0. 8/2. What are factors to consider when planning for, setting up, and evaluating a workplace program for immigrant workers?(FAQ#2.
FAQ. What is English as a second language (ESL)? How many adults in the United States are studying English? How many more adults would like to enroll in ESL programs? From what countries do immigrants come?
Where do adult English language learners live? What languages do adult immigrants speak? What are the characteristics of adults learning English in the United States? How do adult English language learners differ from adult basic education (ABE) learners? What instructional practices best meet the needs of adult English language learners?
What types of ESL programs are available for adults? How long does it take to an adult to learn English? How can I find out more about teaching English as a second language? How can I find out what ESL programs are in my geographic area? What does the research say about how to teach reading to adults learning English as a second language? How can I incorporate technology in my instructional practice? How can I identify adult English language learners who might have learning disabilities?
How can I integrate language skill development with civics content in the adult ESL classroom? What do beginning adult ESL teachers, tutors, and volunteers need to know? What instructional practices best meet the needs of literacy- level adult English language learners? What are factors to consider when planning for, setting up, and evaluating a workplace program for immigrant workers?
NEW For more FAQs on adult English language learners and adult ESL instruction, see the Frequently Asked Questions in the Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners. What is English as a second language (ESL)? Adult ESL, or English as a second language, is the term used to describe English language instruction for adults who are nonnative speakers of English.
Adult English for speakers of other languages, or adult ESOL, is alternately used in various parts of the United States.) Adult ESL is used to describe various types of instructional services for adults who do not speak English. See question ten below for some examples. One way of looking at adult ESL is through some of the related definitions set forward in Title II Adult and Family Literacy Act, section 2. Workforce Investment Act (1. With these, we can see some of the criteria (for adult education, limited English proficient individuals, and English literacy programs) that guide definition of federally funded adult ESL services and the individuals eligible for them. According to the act: The term "adult education" means services or instruction below the postsecondary level for individuals who have attained 1.
English language. The term "individual of limited English proficiency" means an adult or out- of- school youth who has limited ability in speaking, reading, writing, or understanding the English language, and- . English, orwho lives in a family or community environment where a language other than English is the dominant language. The term "English literacy program" indicates a program of instruction designed to help individuals of limited English proficiency achieve competence in the English language. Unlike general adult education, adult ESL instruction targets English language and literacy proficiency needs rather than broader educational needs. Instruction may be offered to highly educated, credentialed learners, those who are not who are not educated or literate in their native languages, and to all English language learners who fall between the two.
How many adults are studying English in the US? Almost half of the adults in federally funded adult education programs are learning English. In 2. 00. 4- 2. 00.
U. S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education (OVAE) Enrollment and Participation in the State- Administered Adult Education Program. Of these, 4. 4. 3% were enrolled in ESL programs, 3. ABE (adult basic education) programs, and 1. ASE programs (adult secondary education for 1. K- 1. 2 school system).
University and college students, as well as the many adults served in programs not receiving federal funding, are not included in this number. For more information about the learners in federally funded adult education programs, see Enrollment and Participation in the the State- Administered Adult Education Program on the OVAE website. How many more adults would like to enroll in ESL programs?
Waiting lists for class space attest to the overwhelming demand for ESL instruction. Some immigrants who want to learn English may have to wait for months or years to get into ESL classes. In large cities across the country, ESL programs frequently have waiting lists for classroom space.
Some rural areas have no available classes. The exact number of adults on waiting lists is hard to establish, because no national system exists for keeping track.
Some programs have even stopped keeping such lists, because the wait has become so long. To download a copy of the report, Waiting Times for Adult ESL Classes and the Impact on English Learners (June 2.
Dr. James Thomas Tucker, National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO) Education Fund, click here. To download a copy of the report, Lost in Translation (November 2.
Tara Colton and published by the Center for an Urban Future and the Scuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, click here. This report discusses issues in providing English language instruction in New York State.
For an article from NCLEnotes about ESL waiting lists click here. A June 1. 99. 7 statistical brief published by the National Center for Education Statistics about the 1. National Household Education Survey, reports that nearly 3 million adults expressed interest in ESL classes but were not participating for a variety of reasons. More generally in adult education, a survey by the National Council of State Directors of Adult Education (NCSDAE), Adult Student Waiting List Survey (updated January 2. To read the survey report click here. To view the survey data click here.
References. 4. From what countries do adult immigrants come? The foreign- born population in the United States comes from all over the world. The largest group of immigrants comes from Mexico and other Latin American countries. In 2. 00. 0, more than one- quarter of the foreign- born population came from Mexico, and over half from Latin America generally.
The next largest group comes from countries in Asia. The third largest group comes from Africa. Others come from Europe. For more information on immigration to the United States, see The New Neighbors: A User's Guide to Data on Immigrants in U. S. Communities published in 2. Randolph Capps, Jeffrey S.
Passel, Dan Perez- Lopez, and Michael E. Fix. In November 2. U. S. Census Bureau compiled demographic information by state in America Speaks: A Demographic Profile of Foreign- Language Speakers for the United States: 2.
More information is also available from the U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Table 1. Persons Obtaining Legal Permit Resident Status by Broad Class or Admission and Region and Country of Birth: Fiscal Year 2. Further information may be found from the DHS immigration statistics webpage.
Where do adult English language learners live? Most foreign- born residents live in six states - - California, Florida, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, and Texas - - states that have experience establishing and maintaining programs for adult English language learners. Other states have experienced recent and rapid growth in their immigrant populations. The following states had an increase of more than 1. North Carolina 2. Georgia 2. 33% Nevada 2.
Arkansas 1. 96% Utah 1. Tennessee 1. 69% Nebraska 1. Colorado 1. 60% Arizona 1. Kentucky 1. 35% For more information about immigration trends, see "Adult Non- Native English Speakers in the United States" in the Practitioner Toolkit: Working with Adult English Language Learners and The Dispersal of Immigrants in the 1.