ELL ELL Reading and Writing Skills 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is 'transfer' in the context of ELL literacy development?
- Moving an ELL student to a new school
- The use of skills, knowledge, or strategies from one language to support learning in another (Correct answer)
- Translating a text word-for-word
- Transferring test scores between districts
Correct answer: The use of skills, knowledge, or strategies from one language to support learning in another
Linguistic transfer occurs when ELLs apply phonological, syntactic, or literacy skills developed in their home language to the task of learning to read and write in English.
Question 2: How does contrastive analysis support ELL writing instruction?
- By requiring ELLs to write essays contrasting two topics
- By identifying structural differences between the home language and English to anticipate and address errors (Correct answer)
- By grading writing on a comparative curve
- By comparing ELL writing to native speaker norms punitively
Correct answer: By identifying structural differences between the home language and English to anticipate and address errors
Contrastive analysis helps teachers anticipate systematic errors ELLs may make by comparing the grammatical structures of their home language with English, informing targeted writing instruction.
Question 3: What is the 'writing process' approach and how does it benefit ELL writers?
- Writing one draft quickly and submitting it
- A recursive process of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing that supports gradual language development (Correct answer)
- Only correcting surface errors in final drafts
- Having ELLs copy model texts without modification
Correct answer: A recursive process of prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing that supports gradual language development
The writing process approach allows ELL students to develop ideas iteratively, with revision focused on meaning first and editing focused on language form later, reducing anxiety and building writing competence.
Question 4: Which reading level grouping strategy is considered most equitable for ELL students in mainstream classrooms?
- Permanent ability-based reading groups
- Flexible grouping that changes based on purpose, task, and progress (Correct answer)
- Grouping ELLs separately from all native speakers always
- Grouping only by English proficiency level
Correct answer: Flexible grouping that changes based on purpose, task, and progress
Flexible grouping allows ELL students to work with diverse peers in varied configurations based on academic tasks, preventing the stigma and limited input of permanent low-ability groups.
Question 5: What is an 'anchor text' in ELL reading instruction?
- A text that is too difficult for ELLs
- A complex, high-quality text that serves as the focus for deep reading, discussion, and language study (Correct answer)
- A text written at the lowest reading level
- A digital text with hyperlinks
Correct answer: A complex, high-quality text that serves as the focus for deep reading, discussion, and language study
An anchor text is a rich, complex text that ELLs return to multiple times across a unit, building familiarity, vocabulary, and deep comprehension through repeated engagement.
Question 6: What does 'error correction' research suggest is most effective for ELL writing development?
- Correcting every grammatical error in every draft
- Selective feedback on high-priority errors that align with current instructional focus (Correct answer)
- Never correcting errors to preserve student confidence
- Correcting only spelling errors
Correct answer: Selective feedback on high-priority errors that align with current instructional focus
Research by Truscott and others suggests that selective, focused feedback on specific error types aligned with current instruction is more effective than correcting every error in ELL writing.
ELL ELL Reading and Writing Skills 2
What is 'transfer' in the context of ELL literacy development?