Welcome!

Hello and welcome to my pet project!

I have been an ESL/ESOL teacher of writing for many years and, like many of you, I frequently use the web for help with research, lesson planning, and integrating technology in the classroom. Often, my colleagues and I share our latest "web-find" with each other for help in making our classes more productive or effective.

This blog is an opportunity to have many of our favorite resources listed in one place. My hope is that you will feel free to send me your favorite links so that we can build a comprehensive resource base for all of us. You can do so by clicking on "comment" below this post, or send me an email at gailoconnell@hotmail.com. I look forward to your comments, suggestions, and input.

Happy Surfing!

Gail O'Connell

Teaching ESL Students to Write

Teaching Writing (General)

First is an article by Eric Digest to help improve ESL Learners Writing Skills:
Eric Digest
Helping Students Write Better in All Courses
The Hood Children's Literacy Project: Should ESL Students Learn to Write in English?
This is an introductory article by Daniel Jarvis about The Process Writing Method.
Finally is an insightful article by Lindsay Steenbergen titled ESL Learners in the Writing Classroom.
This is a gem of a page! It is full of resources and articles for Writing teachers by Dartmouth College: Materials for Faculty.

Teaching Revision

Emphasizing the Right Thing at the Right Time
Teaching Revision as a Concept
The Peer Revising Strategy

Teaching Editing and Proofreading Skills

Writing across the Curriculum Teaching Students to Revise, Edit and Proofread

Great Writing Sites Focused on The Writing Process

The Writing Process
Basic Tips for ESL Students: Writing for an American Academic Audience
The Owl at Purdue Starting the Writing Process

Pre-Writing Strategies
University of Kansas Writing Center
Graphic Organizers
Pre-writing Strategies by Highline College
The Owl Pre-writing Strategies

Outlining
Getting Started Outlining
Formal Three Part Outline

Drafting
Writing a First Draft by Discovering Ideas Handbook
How to write the First Draft of a longer, more complicated paper
Seven Steps To Your Second Draft by Christopher Meeks

Revising
Global and Local Perspectives
Steps on Revising a Paper

Editing and Proofreading
The University of North Carolina : Proofreading
The Owl: Finding Common Errors
The University of Minnesota, Center for Writing. Twelve Commmon Errors: An Editing Checklist

Helping Students Avoid Plagiarism

If your students are doing research or using other sources in their writing, no doubt you have had to deal with plagiarism. In some cultures it is perfectly acceptable to plagiarize and many students do not understand the importance placed on the issue in some schools.

Following are some links that might help.

TO SHARE WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES...

This PDF download is an article for teachers of ESL students by Katheryn E. MacDonald called "Academic plagiarism rule and ESL learning–Mutually exclusive concepts?"

This site is from the University of Melbourne that explains different types of Plagiarism and 36 strategies that educators can take to prevent it.

"Teaching students from diverse backgrounds" is the title of a Web-page from Monash University and The University of Melbourne that asks you to respond to hypothetical situations of plagiarism by students from China, India and East Africa. Compare your response with what this site suggests.

How to turn websites that offer "free essays" to students into a teaching resource called "Plagiarism on the Web" by Bruce H. Leland


TO SHARE WITH YOUR STUDENTS...

Interactive Sites

This is an interactive test site by Indiana University Bloomington that allows readers to read through examples and see if they can recognize different examples of plagiarism. The site is very well organized. Follow the links on the right hand side to navigate the site.
Quiz on Using Quotation Marks

How to Summarize, Paraphrase and Quote properly

The Owl: Quoting Paraphrasing and Summarizing
Paraphrasing Steps and Examples for English Language Learners
LEO: Literacy Education Online, Process for Writing a Summary
LEO: Using Quotations

Citations

Online! Citation styles: Index
Landmarks, Son of Citations Machine
Modern Language Association MLA Style
American Psychological Asociation APA Style

Using Journals

An article for teachers about using Journals as a tool in the classroom. Perspectives on Journal Writing for the ESL/EFL Classroom
Daily Writing Prompts with free downloads from TheTeachersCorner.net
Learn how to use the web as tool in "Weblogs for Use with ESL Classes" by Aaron Patric Campbell

K-12 Resources For Writing Teachers

KINDERGARTEN

Resources, Lesson Plans and Activities by Sue Roseman
Writers Workshop Introduction, Kindergarten
Guideline For Teaching Handwriting in Kindergarten by Nellie Edge and kindergarten colleagues
Teaching Writing: Preschool, Kindergarten and First Grade by iCHED International Children's Education

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

41 content based ESL lesson plans for beginning through intermediate students by Everything ESL
Kids join together to build a story block by block at Writer's Blocks
A reading and writing adventure with many online activities at Reading Is Fundamental

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Writing about Literature in Grade 5 Literature Circles Website by Mr. S. Elsie
Holt Writing Resources, Interactive Writer's Models
Ideas For Teaching Writing at Kim's Corner for Teacher Talk

HIGH SCHOOL

30 Ideas For Teaching Writing, by the National Writing Project

GENERAL K-12

6+1 Traits of Writing

THe K-12 ESL Resource from Judy Haynes everythingESL.net
PBS Teachers
Scholastic