How we can help with diverse struggling writers.

 

Helping Diverse Readers and Writers

As teachers, it can be difficult for us to understand how we can help our ELL students. Although, with understanding our students backgrounds and having support for our students, we can help them succeed. 

The most important thing to start off with when it comes to helping ELL students are making sure we understand their backgrounds and prior knowledge. Many students where English is not their first language, learn different types of phonics and phonemic awareness activities than those who english is their first language. 

Vocabulary is another huge subject when helping students write. Those who are ELL learners will experience difficulties with comprehension skills when they are unaware of certain words. This is where word recognition is a huge aspect in helping ELL students. In order for them to become successful in writing, we must help them decode words and help them identify the different parts of words. 

When ELL students take their test for schooling, teachers must be aware of the delay in receiving the test. Not all of the test scores will be accurate to the time difference.

Get help from other sources! Collaborating with a team can be highly effective and will also help with the process of making accommodations to the curriculum when helping ELL students learn how to write. 

Walker-Dalhouse, D., Risko, V. J., Lathrop, K., & Porter, S. (2010). Helping diverse struggling readers through reflective teaching and coaching. The Reading Teacher, 64(1), 70–72. https://doi.org/10.1598/rt.64.1.11