#11 Teach English Writing Fluency

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timed repeated writing

Teach English Writing Fluency

Main Idea

Writing fluency is an important skill that students can develop with frequent practice. ESL students, especially new writers, sometimes hesitate to write for a variety of reasons including lack of practice and fear of errors, among others. Like any skill, the teaching of writing needs to be approached from a variety of angles. This activity – sometimes called Power Writing – takes on one specific objective: developing the ability to produce more output through structured practice involving repeated, timed writing tasks that focus on quantity rather than quality.

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#12 See Multiple Perspectives

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Teaching Writing – Perspectives

Main Idea

This lesson teaches ESL students a new thinking skill. It shows students how to look at an idea, issue or object from many perspectives. Knowing how to appreciate something from a different angle helps students become better writers and thinkers.

Teach English Writing with Six Thinking Hats

This lesson is based on the Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono. There are six hats. Each hat represents a different way of looking at something:

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#13 Teaching Writing – Fix Run On Sentences

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Teaching Writing – Fix Run On Sentences

Main Idea

Run on sentences, a common problem in first drafts, are easy to fix with two possible solutions. Once English students learn the meaning of run on sentence they will be able to find and repair those errors by themselves. Therefore, studying run on sentences helps ESL students develop the skills they need to become independent English writers.

What is a Run On Sentence?

A run on sentence happens when two independent clauses have not been joined in the right way. What’s an independent clause?

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#14 Teaching Writing – Avoid Choppy Sentences

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Teaching Writing – Avoid Choppy Sentences

Main Idea

ESL students can improve their writing style by learning how to notice and fix choppy sentences with combined clauses that create smooth text with an elegant flow.

Choppy Sentences

Grammatically, there is nothing wrong with choppy sentences. Stylistically, they read poorly. Choppy sentences are commonly written by young children and older students who did not learn how to combine sentences with conjunctions. Here are some examples:

  • Choppy:  I like dogs. Dogs make good pets. Dogs are friendly and loyal.
  • Better:  I like dogs because they are friendly and loyal. That’s why they make good pets.

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