SABES Writing Support

Theory and Research

• The Power of Writing, the Writing of Power
  Subtitled "Approaches to Adult ESOL Writing Instruction," this article by Elsa Auerbach gives a concise, accessible overview of the various schools of thought prevalent in the ESOL teaching field.


• Stages in the Writing Process (Madison [WI] Area Technical College)
  A nice, succinct overview of the basic steps and considerations.


• Teaching Excellence in Adult Literacy (TEAL)
  Funded by USDOE, the site offers a guidebook and fact sheets addressing professional development for writing instructors.

Practice

• Basic Language Literacy: Writing (NoodleTools)


• English Works! — Writing (Gallaudet Univ.)


• ERIC Digests
  From the late, great ERIC Clearinghouse system come several relevant two-page summaries.


• Improving ESL Learners' Writing Skills (1997)
• Revision in the Writing Process (1995)
• Using Computers with Adult ESL Literacy Learners (1990)
• Computer-Assisted Writing Instruction (1994)


• Our Voices, Our Lives, Our Community (Prince William County Public Schools)
  A well-done process writing curriculum, complete with lesson plans, handouts, and visuals.


• Prewriting Strategies (Univ. of Kansas)


• Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL)
  A oft-recommneded collection of exercises, style guides and professional writing tips.


• Puzzle Maker
  Create and print language-based puzzles: "word search," "fallen phrases" and so forth.


• Remembering Smells: Using Your Nose in Writing (Pearson Adult Learning Centre)

Reference

• Bartlett's Familiar Quotations
  Looking for a quote...?


• Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary & Thesaurus
  The complete Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus online — free and searchable with definitions and audio pronunications, as well as the Word of the Day and word games.


• The Phrase Finder
  From Merry Olde England comes this nice site which gives the "meanings and origins of phrases, sayings, cliches and quotes," including proverbs, popular fallacies and phrases related to the body.


• Plain Language Resources
  From the Plain Language Association International comes a relatively short set of tips and guidelines for clear writing.


• Treasure Chest of Web Resources – Writing (Henrico County Public Schools)
  A pointer site to all manner of writing resources.


• Vocabulary.com
  A nice mix of games and puzzles to help develop general vocabulary.


• Word A Day
  Vocabulary development at pre-GED and GED levels. One may subscribe for daily e-mail delivery, if so inclined (or obsessed).


• Writing Rubrics and Checklists (NALD/Samaritan House)
  From our Canadian friends comes this index page linked to all manner of tools covering biographies, techinical writing, business letters, essays, journals and much, much more.

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