Neutralise one of the most common barriers that stops EAL learners from writing and taking part confidently in the tasks you set them

‘Sentence Starters’ EAL Strategy: Explanation and Rationale

When trying to write, getting started can be the hardest thing.

The blank page stares up from the desk offering no help and intimating that, among the seeming infinite supply of possibilities, you must decide what is to be done.

And if you get it wrong, there will be only you to take the blame.

(Or so the perception often goes in learner’s minds.)

It takes effort to go from nothing to something.

Hauling yourself over the psychological barrier that forms between the writer and the empty page requires effort.

Confidence and skill make the job much easier.

The writing flows because the mind feels certain in what it knows. But if this is not the case, there is work to be done.

Many learners struggle to begin written work, including a great number of EAL learners.

There are many reasons for this.

First and foremost is a lack of confidence.

This manifests itself in two ways:

A belief from the learner that they are not good at writing and will therefore make mistakes when they begin.
Indecision about how to start.

These connect together.

In most cases, it matters little how a piece of written work begins.

There are better and worse ways, for sure, but no method, style or set of words exist that are fundamentally ‘correct’, to the exclusion of all others.

Despite the cogency of this fact, it can be difficult for learners to accept.

If they feel unconfident, or see themselves as ineffective writers, then accepting it is asking for a major psychological shift, something that does not come easily to most people.

Sentence starters are a simple, effective means of getting round EAL learners’ difficulties in beginning written work.

They take the pressure off by signalling that an accepted way of starting exists.

If the teacher is suggesting you begin like this, then it must be a good way to start (so the logic goes).

Once learners are up and running, they generally find continuing to write much easier.

Further difficulties may ensue, but these will be tempered by the fact that there is already writing on the page, providing evidence that the learner can indeed ‘do it’.

‘Sentence Starters’ Example One

EAL learners, as well as encountering the issues noted above, may have trouble identifying and recalling the phrases that tend to be used when starting written work.

What these are will differ depending on the age of your learners. Examples include:

In my opinion…
Many people have said…
I think that…
My first idea is …
One thing I know …

Create a sentence starter ‘cheat sheet’ for your EAL learners.

This should include a variety of sentence starters relevant to the age and/or subject you teach.

It can be especially beneficial to have the sentence starters down one side of the sheet, and examples of full sentences on the opposing side.

These serve to exemplify the sentence starters ‘in action’, providing a concrete model your EAL learners can use (and which helps build confidence further).

‘Sentence Starters’ Example Two

Include sentence starters on your resources.

You can do this in one of two ways.

First, include the sentence starters on all your resources and tell your learners that anyone can use them, if they think they are helpful.

This means everyone can gain the benefit of the sentence starters.

It also means you are sharing them with your EAL learners without singling them out for special treatment, which can sometimes be advantageous.

Second, create differentiated materials for your EAL learners.

The key difference will be that your EAL-learner-specific materials will contain relevant sentence starters (and, possibly, exemplar sentences), designed to simplify the act of beginning to write for your EAL learners.

‘Sentence Starters’ Example Three

Identify pieces of work produced by your learners that include good, confident beginnings.

Use these as models for the rest of your class, including your EAL learners.

For example:

Place examples of the work on your classroom walls. Learners are then allowed to go and look at it for inspiration.
Spend time reading and discussing the exemplar work. This could move from small group discussions to a whole-class consideration of why the work begins well and how others could learn from it.
Create a bank of good starts by photocopying examples and collating them together in a book, on pieces of card, or on the wall. Encourage learners to access these as they wish and to copy them if necessary.

With all these, you have the option of doing it for the whole class, or just for your EAL learners.

The last example can be particularly powerful.

By creating a booklet of peer exemplars, you give your EAL learner a reference tool they can go back to any time they are struggling to get started with their writing.