Every ESL student needs to focus on writing and reading, as well as conversation. But often, filling in pages in their workbooks or copying sentences from the board are boring and non-stimulating.
However, there are ways to get students excited about writing in English. Here are a few writing activities for ESL teachers to use in the classroom.
Word Salad: Learn to Make Sentences in English
This activity is great because it feels like a game, and can be tailored to take a short or long amount of class time.
To begin, each student should have blank paper or notecards, a pencil, and scissors. The teacher can divide the board into parts of speech (noun, verb, adjective, adverb, etc). The more advanced the class, the more parts included (pronouns, prepositions, etc). The students name and classify words (book, run, heavy) and write them on their paper while the teacher writes them on the board.
When the students have several words in each category, have them cut the paper into slips, one word per slip. When they finish, they "toss" the word salad on their desk, mixing up all the words. Afterwards, they see how many correct sentences they can form with the words on their desk. When they find a sentence, they write it in their notebooks.
For a shorter activity, the teacher can prepare slips of paper with words and give them to the students to toss. (Programs like Excel are great for printing grids.) To make this activity even more like a game, the teacher can set a timer and challenge the students to see who can create the most sentences within the time limit. Remember, the sentence only counts if the student writes it in their notebook!
Slap! Writing Game for ESL Students
For this activity, students only need their notebook or paper and a pencil. This game works best when students have been studying new phrases, and the teacher wants to drill them.
Perhaps the students have just been introduced to the verb tense present perfect. The teacher will secretly choose a few sentences using this tense and write a scrambled version on the board. For example: "read have books I three week this." When the teacher finishes writing, the students write the correct sentence ("I have read three books this week") in their notebooks, then slap their hands on the desk to indicate they are finished.
Competition is a big motivator, but the teacher must remind the students that neatness counts, and illegible sentences cannot win! This game is a great way to let students have fun while filling their notebooks with sentences in English.
Scribble It: ESL Students Write First and Correct Later
Sometimes the stress of trying to write perfectly is what makes students reluctant to write. This activity encourages them to relax and get their pencil moving, without worrying about grammar.
Give each student a notecard, and write a topic on the board. Some examples might be favorite food/movies/books, birthday presents, or vacations. Tell the students to take a few minutes and write their feelings about the topic on the notecard. If they can't express the thought in a complete sentence, encourage them to just write words or phrases instead.
When they finish, collect the notecards and shuffle them. (Making this game anonymous will help students feel more comfortable writing what they know.) Read each notecard aloud, stopping to have the class discuss any mistakes that were made, and how to say the thoughts correctly. Write them on the board, and have the students copy them in their notebooks.
More Help Teaching ESL
For more free activities and ESL classroom ideas, try these articles:
Free Activities for ESL Teachers
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