Teaching Argument Writing to ELLs

"How in the world are we supposed to apply the Common Core writing standards to teaching English language learners?" The authors propose a tentative answer to a question that has been troubling educators of late. Educators, they suggest, need to keep in mind three crucial elements: Students should (1) begin by reading more informational text; (2) prepare themselves for writing arguments by analyzing evidence in the texts they read; and (3) use the structure, vocabulary, and style in their writing that best suits their purpose, topic, and audience. The authors show what this looks like with English language learners at three different levels of proficiency. Beginner ELLs learn problem/solution writing by analyzing a clip from a movie; intermediate ELLs learn about evidence and claims through comparing their neighborhood with a wealthy one nearby; and advanced ELLs learn how to write an argument through using graphic organizers and sentence frames.