Think Alouds in Writing

Eunice Graham and Astrid D work through a writing in present continuous tense think aloud in an ESL 3 class

 

Since learning about RA, I've found that it's not only useful in reading, but also in writing. Writing is often the most difficult skill for ESL students to learn and do well. I've started doing an RA-like routine in which I produce a sample paragraph on the board, doing a "think-aloud" as I write.

My thinking aloud  in the ESL classroom shows the students how I think when I write in English.

T: "Okay, this is a new sentence, so I need to make sure to start with a capital letter."

T: "Let's see, this is a broad statement, so I should give an example."

Students can and do reveal that they are reading and thinking as they do a peer edit.

Ss: "Maybe you need an example here."

Ss: "Why did you change to past tense here?"

Ss: "I am confused by this word. Is this what you mean?"

At my level, a three to five sentence paragraph is all they're expected to produce, so a think-aloud by me doesn't get too long or tedious.

Then, when students check each other's writing, they fairly naturally explain the corrections they're suggesting.

 I ask them to explain what's wrong, not just mark it.), so it turns into something I might call a "write-pair-share."

 

The benefits of using a think aloud in writing class are wide ranging: