TR&W Issue 20

www.teachwire.net | 63 and provide visuals, key vocabulary lists and punctuation guidance. Before the children begin their own compositions, show them examples of a completed piece of writing, to model expectations and structure. You can then help them to approach their writing task confidently by breaking it down into more manageable chunks, e.g. brainstorm > plan > draft > edit. During-writing strategies Paired or group writing activities will allow pupils to use their more fluent peers as models for language development as they plan, draft and edit their writing. Remember too that translation software can help if a child is struggling to find the words they need. Provide writing frames such as substitution tables, graphic organisers and sentence starters. These will help EAL learners develop their ideas in a coherent way. A substitution table presents words and phrases in a table format, with different columns for each part of a sentence, e.g. subject, verb, object, article, adjective (see Table 1.). This helps break down complex sentence structures into more manageable chunks. The children can then create grammatically correct and meaningful sentences more easily, to use when speaking or writing. I’ve used substitution tables successfully in my EAL interventions and I have created many more to support class differentiation. I do urge you to try them out – you can create your own using Learning Village’s sentence analyser tool ( learningvillage.net ) . The benefits of substitution tables Clear sentence structures: Mixing and matching the words from the different columns to create grammatically correct sentences reinforces the correct use of grammar and syntax in a controlled way. Simple choices: Pupils choose from limited options of vocabulary and language structures, which reduces the stress of thinking about grammar and word order. This provides more freedom for learners to focus on content and meaning and reduces grammatical errors. Vocabulary and grammar improvement: The children can experiment with new words within existing grammar structures, which gives them more confidence in their writing. Sentence variety: A substitution table allows learners to use different combinations of words and phrases to create sentences with a varied structure and length. It encourages pupils to move beyond basic sentence structures. Customisation: Substitution tables can be customised according to children’s abilities and needs, and EAL learners of different proficiency levels will have the appropriate scaffolded support for writing. Easy feedback: Teachers can spot grammatical errors quickly and correct them accordingly. This immediate feedback helps prevent common grammatical and context errors. Post-writing strategies Make sure you give immediate feedback on writing, and provide time for reflection, self- evaluation and response. For example, ask the children to consider what they did well, and what three things they could do to improve their writing in terms of grammar, word choice and content. Peer review and feedback is also useful – provide structured checklists to ensure that responses are useful and respectful. Finally, celebrate pupils’ progress by getting them to share their work with a wider audience. This could be in your school newsletter, or – for children who are confident speakers – as a live or pre- recorded talk. T E ACH I NG T E CHN I QUE S Iva Miteva is an EAL specialist with Learning Village (learning village.net ). She has taught multilingual learners for 18 years and has led the EAL provision in many schools as head of EAL.