Teaching Writing to English Language Learners in the Elementary Classroom: Research-based Approaches and Techniques

This book focuses on research-informed approaches and techniques for teaching writing to elementary English Language Learners (ELLs). The book highlights strategies for enriching writing literacy education for elementary ELLs. With contributions from prominent scholars in the field of elementary ELL writing from around the world, the chapters in this book focus on a wide range of topics, including curriculum design, metalanguage and translanguaging, integrating playfulness into a genre-based approach to writing instruction, metacognitive instruction, teaching the genre of school, identity texts, multimodal writing, using mentor texts, teaching science writing, and interrogating raciolinguistic ideologies in assessment practices. Together they highlight both the challenges and possibilities of writing instruction for elementary ELLs in diverse educational contexts.

This is a foundational text for students in TESOL programs focusing on writing instruction for ELLs, as well as for pre- and in-service teachers who want to upgrade their teaching abilities and knowledge bases.

Subrata Bhowmik is an associate professor of teaching in language and literacy in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. He studies multilingual writing in K–12 contexts and sociocultural approaches to second language education. Subrata has been part of Werklund’s teacher education program since 2012 and is actively involved in teaching various teacher education courses, including those in the EAL specialization. He also coordinates Werklund’s graduate certificate program in TEAL.

Marcia Kim is a Learning Specialist with the Academic Success Centre at the University of Alberta. She also teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary.