9 Ways to Scaffold the Writing Process in the WL Classroom

Scaffolding the writing process improves student writing and significantly decreases the use of internet translators.  Below are nine ways that I have scaffolded the writing process in my French class.  Note that I did not use the steps at the same time and often provided support to students in small groups based on their readiness.  I believe that it's easier to edit than to create -  I hope this post will give you some ideas that will work for you and your students.

Pre-writing.  All of these tasks are designed to give students a "head start" for their essay writing, whether it be from a rough draft or useful expressions for the written or presentational task.

• Gallery walk:  Students write down vocabulary and expressions in various poster categories while walking around with a marker.   
• List-group-label:  Ask students to list as many expressions as they can think of across a broad topic such as "cars."  Then they group and label those expressions. This is a great way to get a vocabulary list that crosses units of study.
• Venn diagram:  Use this graphic organizer to help students use verbs with three different subject pronouns - I, We, and They.
• Quick writes:  The class before, ask students to "write" about the topic without books or notes for about ten minutes. This gives them a great jumping off point and helps you, the teacher, to gain some data about their current level of performance.  This quick write can be a rough draft.

During writing

Writing process:  When students are working on drafts of presentational tasks, follow this simple writing process:
1.  7 minutes without books or notes
2.  4 minutes with books, notes or partners
I find that dictionaries and partners can sometimes impede the writing process.  This blend of alone time and collaboration time helps students be more productive and meets the needs of a variety of learning styles (quiet versus noisy environment, works better alone or works better with collaboration).  

After writing

• Peer feedback:  Create a quantitative worksheet that mirrors the rubric for peers to provide feedback against the rubric.  I've found that having students fill in a worksheet (as opposed to just the rubric) leads to more specific feedback.
• Goal setting:  After reading peer feedback, ask students to write a quantitative goal for their rewrite.  (Example:  I will add 50 more words; I will add three more sentences to express my opinions about biodiversity.)  I have found that adding a student goal for rewrite makes the second draft significantly better.  
• Quick teacher highlight:  Instead of poring over first drafts for hours, as a teacher, I like to review the peer feedback and then add a quick highlight of areas I think need improvement.  (My highlights may connect to project focus, such as expressing opinions.)

After final draft

Reflection:  Students reflect on whether they have met their goals or not and what actions they will change for future projects.  It is powerful for students to keep and review these reflections in the same place, such as a Linguafolio.

I would love to read your feedback on these ideas or to hear how you scaffold the writing process in your own classroom.  

Beginner's Guide to Padlet

Although I've posted about Padlet before, I couldn't resist sharing materials I recently created for a presentation.  (Interested in a screencast about Padlet?  Check this out, created by my friend Jennifer Plourde.)

What is Padlet?  http://padlet.com/ is a website that allows users to build a wall that can be written on with “sticky notes.”  Users can post to the wall, adding words, links, pictures, or documents. Each wall has a unique URL that can be customized to be easier to find or to remember.

Want to write on a Padlet?  Add a post here!  To post, just double click anywhere on the page.  The top part of the note is  for your name, and the bottom part is for the answer to the question. 

Check out my last post about Padlet, which includes ideas for classroom use.

1.  Making an account

2.    Complete your profile.  Please note that user names need to be fewer than 15 characters. 

3.  The Dashboard

4.  Making a wall:  Create the Padlet

5.  Modify Your Wall (Part 1)

6.  Modify Your Wall (Part 2); Click “modify wall” or the gear to see the menus below

7.  Modify Your Wall (Part 3):  Privacy

8.  Some Considerations

• What is the purpose of the wall?  For a warm-up in the computer lab for example, you will not want to moderate posts, and can set appropriate expectations for posting.
• Do you want to password protect the wall?
• Do you want to link the page to your school website so that students can have easier access to the page?
• What sorts of projects could students create using padlet? 
• Do you want to embed a padlet on your web page?
• Do students know how to make accent marks for posting?
• Documents become pictures, so this is a great way to share documents but does not work well for document storage.
• Some walls from padlet website:  http://padlet.com/wall/vjuctipuqp, http://padlet.com/wall/PadCal

Five Solutions for Online Translators in the World Language Classroom

As a French teacher, I hated and loved internet translators. 

HATED: 

• Essays written in a native language, copied into translators, and turned in
• The past subjunctive used in level 1
• That in the past fifteen years, translators have improved

LOVED:

• The accessibility and availability of this tool 

How I both worked with and avoided translators:

1.  In-class drafts.  Almost all first drafts of essays were completed in class, in a "quick write" form.  This no-pressure first draft gave students the confidence to use the language and take risks.  Students would write for ten minutes in complete silence; after ten minutes, I would give the entire class five minutes to ask questions to peers and to me.  Repeat cycle.  After peer editing and a quick proofread from me, the prof, students would write the final draft at home. When grading, I would require students to turn in all drafts.

2.  Uncheatable homework.  Instead of the typical worksheets, I gave a variety of choices for homework that was largely optional. When students completed assignments at home, they were based on interest and choice, and without the pressure of "zeros," homework was rarely copied or completed with online translators.

3.  Teaching dictionary skills.  I found that one of the reasons students would use internet translators was because they wanted to say something but didn't know how to say it.  I spent a lot of time teaching students HOW to use the dictionary, which requires a series of steps. I would also teach students how to use an online dictionary such as www.wordreference.com  An assignment I created is below. 

4.  Setting appropriate expectations with students about writing.  Another reason students would use translators was because they were frustrated by their smaller knowledge of the target language as compared to their native language.  With writing assignments, I gave very clear expectations that students would only use words they knew, and would give bonus points for using a certain number of new things; this rewarded students for trying to find new expressions while also relieving the stress of trying to write in the same way in two different languages. 

5.  Translator analyses.  Finally, in level 1, I gave an assignment for students to compare internet translators.  This was based on an activity by Deborah Blaz, and allowed us to discuss when and how to use translators and WHY they fail.  This activity is also below. 

How have you handled the use of internet translators in your own classroom? 

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Teaching Dictionary Skills

 

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Translator Analyses