Diana’s ELL Writing Practice
This free website was created by Diana Mulcahy, a writing teacher from Minneapolis Adult Education. It was launched in January of 2018, is regularly updated, and will be expanded in the future. The Google site format is simple and clean, easy for students to navigate, and there are no distracting pop-ups. Diana uses this website as a companion to her classroom writing instruction for Low Intermediate ELLs. It provides a back-up for students who miss writing class(es) or a follow-up for those who want extra review or practice. It is accessible from a computer or smart phone.
Currently, there are three sections: Parts of Speech, Verb Tenses, and Sentences. Each section has multiple lessons; all include a voiced-over video (based on class handouts) and quiz (multiple choice or fill-in-the-blank) with immediate feedback. The site is helpful for both Grammar instruction and Sentence/Paragraph Writing instruction.
For more independent use, Diana suggests these steps:
- Show a student or group of students how to find and navigate the website
- Model how to complete the first lesson on nouns (watch video, then do quiz)
- Encourage completion of other lessons in Section 1-3 order
- Once a week, give a writing prompt for application of lesson concepts to composition
- Provide feedback and note correct/incorrect use of taught/learned concepts