Writing is an important part of any English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum, but it can be challenging as students typically learn to listen, speak, read and then achieve writing fluency, in that order. According to John M. Green at Salem State College, "For students who have not yet attained fluency...extensive writing in informal contexts such as journals will probably be more helpful than practice in revising and editing." Activities that provide informal writing experiences will give ESL students both practice and confidence.

Color Association
Color association is a lightening-fast writing activity that reinforces students' knowledge of colors and their function as adjectives. The teacher writes the names of the colors on the blackboard and the students write the name for that color and an object that is primarily the same color.

Alternatively, the teacher can write one color and challenge students to come up with a list of objects that fit that color category in five minutes. This activity will get students talking about vocabulary as they compete to write down the most words associated with a color.

This activity works best with beginning and intermediate ESL classes.

Sequencing
To do a sequencing activity, the teacher writes the steps to an activity such as "How to wash your hands" out of order on the blackboard. It is important that the entire class be familiar with the activity to be sequenced. Students will attempt to write down the steps in the correct order. The teacher can present the correct sequence of events after everyone has had enough time to complete the activity. As a follow-up to sequence writing, students can act out the process while saying the steps out loud.

This activity can easily be adjusted for different ESL levels. The instructions should have three to five steps for beginners, five to nine steps for intermediate students and 10 to 15 steps for advanced students. Intermediate and advanced students can do sequencing activities with fewer steps--the activity will be quicker--but the sentence structure should be more complex.

Alien Adjectives
Alien adjectives is a fun writing activity where each student receives a drawing of an alien. The alien should have several interesting features such as five eyes, twenty toes, sharp teeth, etc. Students then describe the alien using numerical words, colors and other adjectives. Intermediate students can extend the activity by giving the alien a personality. Advanced students can write a story featuring the alien as the main character.

Making a List
Students will enjoy learning more about one another when doing a list-making activity. Here, the teacher gives a prompt to students, and the students make a list of items, feelings, etc. that correspond with the prompt. Examples of good prompts for this activity are:

"My refrigerator has..."
"Careers that have a high salary are..."
"My parents always tell me..."

This activity works best when a sample list--not the same topic--is written on the board beforehand to model what is expected. The teacher sets a timer for five to ten minutes and students write as much of the list as possible before it goes off. Students then discuss the items on their list and why they selected them.

This activity works well with all levels. Beginning students should use lists that deal with basic vocabulary.