Whether learning French, Spanish, German, or ESL, writing is an essential skill. But writing need not be a chore. When put into the context of a story, writing comes alive! Students will be able to mold new vocabulary and grammar into a creation that matches their interests and personality. This year-long project will turn beginning language learners into authors.
In order to write in context, students need to hear a lot of stories. The teacher should read picture books and fairy tales, as well as act out original mini-stories in class. Storytelling needs to be an integral part of language learning throughout the year.
Within the first month of school, students will decide on a character for their story. Individual personalities shine through the choices: a mischievous chipmunk . . . a sweet little mouse . . . a skateboarding daredevil. The children's book that students produce will not be one coherent story. Rather, it will be a collection of writing samples in which students use their character as the subject. Every student will need a composition book for notes and rough drafts.
Any vocabulary topic, verb, or grammatical concept that is in the curriculum can be turned into the subject of a piece of writing. Some examples include:
The possible writing topics go on and on.
Writing can take many forms at the novice-level:
Before writing in the target language, students need to learn the language orally and practice discreet point writing and grammar. Then they are ready to begin the creative writing process:
Pictures are vitally important to a children's book so that new language is reinforced without translation. This is a natural way to acquire language. Students may choose a method of illustration that works best for them: hand drawn pictures or paintings, clip art, photos, or magazine clippings.
At the end of the year, the students make a cover for their masterpiece and bind it together as a book. They can create a book on tape by making a recording of it. Students also enjoy sharing their books with their classmates and with younger students.
Read a story. Write a story. Have fun improving foreign language writing skills.