using sequenced research papers and contextualized prompts with second language writers
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USING SEQUENCED RESEARCH PAPERS AND CONTEXTUALIZED PROMPTS WITH SECOND LANGUAGE WRITERS
Beyond “Just Writing Out the Facts”:
EXPRESSIVE VS. ACADEMIC WRITING Students often don’t see research as
connected to their own thoughts or experiences: “A research paper is just writing out the
facts. It's not really what you think about it all those deep thoughts, is just writing out the facts.”~Ling Wei
FALSE DICHTOMY The purpose of this presentation is to
show how these types of writing can compliment each other and help second language (L2) writers overcome the challenges associated with each type of writing.
OVERVIEW To do this, I will
A). Present L2 scholarship on the debates between expressive and academic writing.
B). Share findings from my research with multilingual writers that indicate the benefits of connecting expressive and academic writing.
C). Suggest ways to design assignments that blend these types of writing
WHAT IS EXPRESSIVE WRITING John (1995, p. 159):
Focus on voice, identity, personal interests, meaning making.
Limited number of genres (e.g. personal essay, literary texts)
CRITIQUES Christie (1993)
-Are “cruelly unfair” to language minority students
Academic writing is critical for success in school and beyond.
L2 writers are less familiar than their NES peers with the language, culture, audience, and genres used within academic writing.
Academic conventions need to be made explicit to L2 writers.
IMPORTANCE OF EXPRESSIVE WRITING FOR L2 WRITERS
Severino, Gilchrist, & Rainey (2010): Benefits of expressive writing for L2
writers: Increase agency Negotiate a sense of self that encompasses
multiple identities
FINDINGS FROM MY RESEARCH Worked with four adolescent L2 writers
in a summer college preparatory program
Their experiences with writing confirm the importance of both expressive and academic writing opportunities.
DATA COLLECTION Four Interviews Observations in English classes
College Admissions Essay for Common Application
Compare/Contrast College Research Paper Artifact collection
Student writing samples Assignment sheets
LING WEI Native Language Background
L1: Cantonese (also Mandarin) Moved to US in 7th Grade (Currently a Senior) Studied English in China (age 10) Tested out of ESL in 9th grade
Resources Interests in track and science Abilities in lab reports and research papers
Challenges Creative/Personal Writing Vocabulary Grammar
MARIE Native Language Background
L1: French and Khran Came to the US in 3rd grade Started learning English in refugee camp in Ghana at age 5
Strengths Interest in music/songwriting Imagery Rhythm Word choice/code switching
Challenges Selecting appropriate details Engagement with academic writing
JARED Native Language Background
L1: Spanish Moved from Peru at age 6
Strengths Interests in sports, music/songwriting Sensory detail Tone Rhythm
Challenges Timed Writing Elaboration Invention
GABRIELLA Native Language Background
L1: Spanish Moved to US from Dominican Republic in 6th Grade Mix of ELL and mainstream classes
Strengths School yearbook staff Strong Voice
Challenges Vocabulary/Grammar (in both Spanish and English)
SEQUENCED WRITING ASSIGNMENTS Leki (1991/1992) Develops authorial expertise (p. 19):
“avoids atomism implied by asking students to repeatedly gear up for different topics”
“seeks instead to link together all writing assignments
TOPIC SELECTION Students choose topics that meet these
criteria: Sustain interest Connect to personal experience
5 LINKED ASSIGNMENTS 1). Current Knowledge
What they already know about the topic and their personal involvement
2). Summaries Synthesize the summaries of three sources in an essay format
3). Survey Survey at least 20 people about the topic and report the
results 4). Interview
Interview an expert on the topic and write up the results 5).Final report
Combine findings from steps 1-4 into coherent report
BENEFITS TO STUDENTS IN MY STUDY
Ling Wei and Gabriella Allow them to develop a richer vocabulary and
syntactic repertoire for writing about their own experiences by seeing how others write about similar topics
Marie Increase engagement with research
Jared Overcome writers block by building on prior
knowledge and supplying plenty of content for writing
CONTEXTUALIZED WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Ortmeier-Hooper, 2013 Let’s get CRAFTy
Context/purpose Role Audience Form Topic
STRENGHTS AND STRETCHES Entering/Incoming
What Students already know Bridging
What students need to know to succeed in school
Advancing What students need to know to succeed in
real world contexts and their future roles
RANGE OF DIFFICULTYBeginning AdvancedFormSingle Step/Familiar Multi Step/Unfamiliar-Journal entry -Research paper
AudienceSmall/Immediate Large/Distant- Friend - General
Public
PurposeSingular/Low Stake Multiple/High Stake-Learn about topic -Inform/persuade
BRIDGING AND ADVANCING Address a new context/topic through
familiar Role, Audience, and Form Context: Use research for evaluation and
persuasion Role: Son/daughter Audience: Parent Form: Letter Topic: College Selection
BRIDGING AND ADVANCING Learn new forms with familiar
topics/audiences/roles Context: Persuasion Role: Student Audience: Principal Form: Compare/Contrast essay Topic: Dress code
ACTIVITY Design a CRAFT prompt for second
language writers with whom you have or currently are working.
STUDENTS DIRECT THEIR CRAFT Literacy Scavenger Hunt (Ortmeir-Hooper,
2013): Students and teachers bring in writing samples Small-group then whole class-discussion on
Context Role Audience Form Topic
Create a master list to display in classroom
PERSONAL WRITING CRAFT Influenced by Atwell’s (1998) Writing
Territories:Strengths in the CRAFT of Writing
Stretches in the CRAFT of Writing
Context:Role:Audience:Form:Topic
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