Virtual School/Equalities Learning
English as an Additional Language
Strategies for supporting EAL learners’ writing
What is it?
Cloze
A specialised form
of gap filling
How do you use it?
A text is prepared with one type
of word omitted. It is a useful
method of learning subject
vocabulary. Combine with a
word bank of the missing words
Selective cloze
(Paired work)
This is a good activity to use on
a smart board
Prepare a piece of writing with
every 7th or 8th word deleted
(For beginner learners do not
make so many deletions and
work in a three). Children work
together to find suitable
replacements for the words
which have been missed out.
Dictogloss
This is a listening and writing
activity. Choose a short text on
a familiar topic that the class
have just learned. Read the text
aloud whilst the learners just
listen. Then repeat reading
twice and allow the learners to
write notes. Next, pupils work in
pairs and then fours to try to
reconstruct the original text.
A supported and
collaborative dictation
Sentence starters
.
Writing Frames
Why is it useful?
Supports learners in looking
at either semantic patterns
or sentence structures.
Useful to reinforce the use
of a and the with nouns or
when children miss is out of
sentences.
Helpful for teachers to
assess learners’
comprehension of more
complex texts. If they
cannot get about 80% of
missing words correct, they
are not likely to be
understanding content fully.
The discussion aspect
helps learners learn
meanings of new words.
Learners hear a model text
on a familiar topic. They
collaborate to reconstruct
complex sentences and
scaffold each other’s
learning.
Prepare a topic-specific list
of key sentence patterns for
children to use in their writing.
An extended version
of this, covering a complete
text, would be a writing frame
This is best for beginner
and developing EAL
learners who are unsure of
how to organise or start
writing.
Writing frames are really good
for providing a scaffold for
writing in different genres. The
frame provides key connectives
and linking phrases to show
how the writing should be
structured and organised and
can be combined with a word
bank.
Emerging EAL learners are
supported to link together
short simple sentences into
more complex sentences
and paragraphs and
develop more
independence.
Key visuals are a type of
graphic organiser. They are
used to show the underlying
structure of the text. For
example, a flow chart signifies a
sequential text, a two way table
can illustrate for and against or
differences e.g. a village in
Pakistan and the local town.
Homes in Victorian times
compared to a modern home.
They are also useful for taking
notes when listening to teacher
talk or watching a DVD
The use of visual organisers
help EAL
learners see the underlying
structure
of forms of writing
Teacher provides model
sentences with various choices
in a tabular form.
Learners generate their own
sentence following the set
patterns
shoes
is
green.
The dress
are blue.
coat
brown.
trousers
purple.
This technique enables EAL
pupils to focus on form and
write accurate sentences
whilst also having some
vocabulary and content
choice
Information
Transfer activities
This is a generic technique
involving moving information
from one format to another
such as text to diagram
These activities are good
for EAL learners who are
familiar with key concepts,
but just need to learn the
‘labels’ in a new language
True and false
statement and
correcting untrue
Statements.
(collaborative
learning activity)
A number of statements about
a topic are presented. Children
have to decide whether they
are true or false or whether they
agree or disagree with them
They then discuss and correct
the wrong statements.
Combine with speaking frames
for scaffolding oral rehearsal
before the children write.
This activity requires talk
and higher order thinking
skills.
I think this is wrong
because…
I disagree with this
because.
Key Visuals
*see information
sheet on graphic
organisers
Substitution tables
*The Racing to
English resource CD by
Gordon Ward has good
examples of this form
of scaffolding which
can also be used for
scaffolding speaking
Compiled from information from the NALDIC website (National Association for
Language Development in the Curriculum), Hampshire LA guidance for newly arrived
EAL children and DfES Excellence and Enjoyment. Learning and Teaching for
Bilingual Children in the Primary Years.