esl essay teaching

Graphic Organizers/Pre-Writing Ideasand Essay Writing Resources for teachersBrainstorm worksheet: cluster diagram (PDF)Essay outline worksheet (PDF)Outline worksheet for an academic paragraph (PDF)Holt Rinehart and Winston samples: Graphic Organizers (one of the most  useful resources  on the Net for encouraging critical thinking foracademic essays)More Graphical Organizers for Essays Essay Writing Outlines Essay outline guide & worksheet (PDF)General Essay Outline (PDF)Blank Essay Outline(word doc)OUP Explorations 1 workbook sample- pre-writing strategies.quickwriting, cluster diagrams etc. (PDF)Comparison/contrast outline (pdf)Cause/Effect Outline (pdf)Finding & writing the main idea in paragraphsWriting the main idea for medical topics with picture cues (PDF)Write the main idea for groups of words (word)Write the common subject for each group of words (or write a good title for each list ).Read the short paragraphs and select the main ideaFinding, underlining and writing the main ideaSentence writing exercisesParallel structure worksheet (PDF)Mark the correct parallel sentence a or b (PDF)Read the following example sentences and revise any that do not use parallel structure PDF) Faulty Parallelism: correct the faulty parallelism in the following sentences.(PDF) Topic,support sentences, attention getters for essay and paragraph writingUsing pictures to teach attention getters (PDF)Attention getters worksheet (PDF)Writing essay topic sentences (PDF)Topic sentences worksheet (PDF)Writing different kinds of essay support sentences (PDF)Write support sentences (PDF)Writing main ideas practice- with picture cues (PDF)Topic, support and concluding  sentences xercises for paragraph writing:  (PDF)Exercises for topic sentences (PDF)Writing support sentences for an opinion paragraphabout television with pictures (PDF)Writing topic sentences and  detail sentenceslesson.
Teaching ESL students to write essays can be frustrating for both teachers and students. Students need to be able to write more than a sentence or two, and the additional effort necessary for writing an essay can lead to a lot of unclear and confusing sentences. Those same sentences can give teachers a headache when correcting the writing exercises. Luckily, there’s a secret to dramatically improving the clarity in ESL essays. The problems of clarity can almost always be traced back to one element: the thesis statement. If students aren’t taught to write a coherent thesis statement, the rest of their essays will remain unclear. So below we’ll look at four simple ways to impressively improve clarity in your students’ writing – just by focusing on the thesis statement. But before we get there, let’s consider the ins and outs of a thesis statement, plus some common problems you’ll encounter in ESL writing exercises. What Is a Thesis Statement? To improve clarity in ESL writing exercises, you must first teach students what a thesis statement is. Students who do not understand what it is will not be able to effectively follow any instruction on improving that all-important sentence in their essays. Because most ESL teachers now instruct students how to write five-paragraph essays, the thesis statement is easier to identify and write. In such essays, the thesis statement can be formulaic; students answer the essay question and provide three reasons/points of discussion related to the topic in a parallel construction. Example: People should learn a foreign language because it improves career prospects, develops creative thinking and decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s. Once the students have their answer to the question, they can see that this sentence is directly related to their three body paragraphs. Teachers should explain that the students can write their topic sentences.
Preparation Make one copy of the Outline Handout for each student. Make one copy of the Introduction Handout for each student. Make one copy of the Conclusion Handout for each student. Procedure Write the Outline Give each student the Outline Handout. Show students the basic format of an outline and the example from the Handout. Ask students to write an outline about their topic. This activity is best after completing Brainstorming ESL Essay Writing Topics. Write the Introduction Give each student the Introduction Handout. Read the Handout together as a class. Ask students to identify the “three basic tasks” in the example. Then, ask students to write the introductory paragraph about their topic. Write the Conclusion Give each student the Conclusion Handout. Read the Handout together as a class. Ask students to identify the “three basic tasks” in the example. Then, ask students to write the conclusion paragraph about their topic. Put it all together! Ask students to look at their outline. All sections have now been completed. Ask students to put it all together and write their essay. Notes: Take time to complete each of these steps. Introduce one Handout per lesson and allow plenty of time for students to complete the tasks. Outline Introduction Conclusion Like This Lesson?.
Being a teacher, you perfectly understand what skills your students should get in order to become successful. Their college life is impossible to imagine without paper work, and that is why it is very important for them to know how to write an essay, an assignment, a dissertation, a composition, etc. So, your task as a teacher is to tell them how to write an essay write and be able to express their thoughts clearly. How to do that? What aspects to pay attention to in order your students could become the best essay writers? Here you are welcome to find some tips concerning the most important essay aspects to tell your students about. Step by step, you will make it much easier for them to understand the principles of essay writing and their importance for their future practice. Discover the Basic Principles of an Essay Topic It is obvious, that the very first thing your students should think of before writing an essay is its topic. Remember, that an essay is not only about writing skills, but it demonstrates the ability of your students to research as well. So, you task is to teach them to research. That is why try to reject the chosen topics if they are too easy for a student, and you see that it will not take much time to write such a essay. An essay is not an essay without any research. Explain your students, that it is always better for them to choose a topic they understand well and have an opportunity to make a research on. Good research capability is important for every student to get, that is why do not forget practicing different research tactics with them: tell in details about the methods they can use to find all the information needed, how to use this info wisely, and what are the best ways to distinguish the important facts. Purpose Informative and well-styles essays are impossible to write without a purpose. An essay can not be just a piece of writing.
Many other sites online contain resources you may find useful in completing your essay. Those listed below are just a few that offer pertinent advice and information. Writing Resources The Big Essay--Help with the college application essay. The Color Code System--This is a set of materials you can purchase and download to help you write better essays. Creative Writing Resources on Lifetips.com--Resources to help with creative writing. Easy Essay--Tool for planning your essay points. eslwriting.org--Teaching ESL students how to become better writers. Essay Punch--Online tutorial that walks the user through the steps of writing an essay. Explore Writing--How to write almost anything. Four Paragraph Essay--An example with explanation. How to Write an Essay--Includes examples of good and bad writing. How to Write an Essay--A logical approach. InkProvoking--A new creative writing prompt every day. Language Foundry--Creative writing advice. MGuidelines for Presentation of Papers--Focusing on literary essays (essays about a book or other piece of literature), it includes tips on using quotations and citing sources, as well as information about comparison/contrast essays. The Nuts and Bolts of College Writing--Detailed and comprehensive guide to college writing. Paradigm On-Line Writing Assistant--In addition to general writing tips, it includes guidelines for several specific types of essays such as exploratory essays and argumentative essays. Paragraph Pal--Interactive help for grammar and writing. Paragraph Punch--Online tutorial that walks the user through the steps of writing a paragraph. Purdue University On-Line Writing Lab--Use the Handouts section to find information on writing. Structure of the Five-Paragraph Essay--A colorful and organized guide. WordCalc--Counts the words. Wordstorm--a visual brainstorming tool to help with getting started. Write It Now--Download.