How can a sixth-grade teacher best involve beginning-level ELLs in writing activities during a lesson?

Providing a set of sentence stems containing commonly used phrases is the best way to involve beginning-level English Language Learners (ELLs) in writing activities. Sentence stems serve as a scaffold that helps these students structure their thoughts and express ideas in English by offering a framework they can build upon. This is particularly effective for ELLs who may have limited vocabulary or struggle with syntax, as it allows them to focus on content without being overwhelmed by language complexities.

By using sentence stems, the teacher can guide students in producing sentences more confidently, which boosts their participation in writing activities. This approach not only aids in language acquisition but also increases their writing fluency, making the learning process more engaging and less intimidating for students who are still mastering English.

In contrast, providing complete essays may overwhelm students who are just beginning to grasp the language, as it doesn't give them the necessary support to create their own work. Additionally, while student-led discussions can promote speaking skills, they might not directly engage students in writing activities as effectively as providing sentence stems would. Open-ended writing prompts, although beneficial for encouraging creativity, can be challenging for beginning ELLs who may struggle to generate ideas or articulate them in English without a structured starting point like sentence stems.