One of the biggest hindrances that ESL students face is not difficulty in learning the new language itself, but in overcoming the tediousness of learning a new language.
To help overcome the monotony that most students associate with a new language, create an ESL lesson plan for writing that is interactive and exciting.
Teaching objectives
Start by identifying the goals that you want the writing lesson activity to get the students to know. For example, you can have clear and effective communication as a goal in your writing activity.
This can then be measured by the correct use of words, correct use of tenses in verbs, and correct formatting of articles into letters and other communiqués. The teaching goals and objectives should be the guiding principle in your entire lesson plan.
Examples
Next, identify the samples of effective written communications that you want your ESL students to learn. Examples are the best way to teach students, since the examples will give them an idea of what to follow.
If your goal is to teach the ESL students to communicate effectively, you can provide the class with samples of well written letters.
Make sure that the letters are formatted properly as well, so that you will also be able to teach the students how to format a letter.
Practice activities
Next, create some practice activities that will prepare the students for the lesson. Samples of practice activities are sampled writing tasks and vocabulary lessons.
The sample writing tasks are especially useful if the students are also relearning the English alphabet. Giving the ESL students a few new words each day is a good way of expanding their vocabulary without overwhelming them with too many words all at one time.
During the practice activities, you should also introduce the topic and follow it up with a short discussion with the class.
Projects
Once the students know the writing lessons and have had the preparation for the lesson, it is time to put the lessons into action.
The best way to do this is by allowing the students to engage in projects that are in line with the lesson. The students can start writing sample letters using the words that they have learned, the format that they have seen, and the techniques you have taught them.
To make the writing activities more interactive, make the students writer letters to each other.
You can even have a letter writing exercise where the students get to write to their favorite celebrity or personality, just to make the students more excited and passionate about the task.
Feedback
After your writing activity, follow up with some feedback and assessment. You can do this by checking the student’s work yourself, or by allowing the students to assess and critique each other’s work.
If your class still has the time, return the papers to the students and allow them to revise their work based on the comments that their work has garnered.
Teaching English as a second language is easier if you can create a writing lesson plan that is engaging and exciting for the students. These steps should help you do this.