Faculty Resources | Understanding and responding to NNES students' writing


	Understanding and responding to NNES students' writing




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				Non-native English speaking (NNES) students at CUNY
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				Understanding and responding to NNES students' writing
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Long-term U.S. Resident English Language Learners

Long-term U.S. Resident English Language Learners

Unlike foreign students and new immigrants, long-term U.S. resident English language learners have been immersed in American culture and school from an early age, before they had the chance to become fully literate in their first language. They are “ear learners” of English and may sound like native speakers because they acquired their English through listening rather than reading and writing. However, they are often unaware of rhetorical conventions and English grammar. Most of these students have learned informal spoken forms of English that they transfer to their writing. In addition, their writing also displays certain non-native features, such as count noun errors, incorrect verb complements or inappropriate collocations. Their written English may lack non-salient grammatical features and academic conventions.

Writing Samples of Long-term U.S. Resident English Language Learners

In the samples below, the students write as they speak, exhibiting such elements of colloquial English as systematic absence of –ed and –s endings, omissions of words, contractions, and errors in verb tense and form. In addition, word choice and preposition errors are characteristic of non-native speakers of English. Although the writers show great fluency and ease of language use, it is evident that they are unaware of academic rules and language.

First off if criminals are sent to capital punishment they wont suffer or even pay for the crime they committ. Capital punishment isn’t the answer. Criminals wont suffer, the only time the person suffers is waiting to be excuted after death criminal don’t feel nothing. If these criminals stay in jail not only will they suffer but they might start to develop a consious. These people would start to think about their acts and relize that there freedom was taken away because of there acts. Some of these criminals will maybe start to fell the guilt while seening that they just kill someone a human being. The biggest punishment that a criminal can receive is jail without bial and for life.

Sometimes when I speak to my grandmother in Spanish is kind of hard to explain myself in Spanish to her and she would get mad at me because Spanish is my first language but I am so use to talking english and writing english. That when I do speak Spanish I forget a little.

	Tips for Helping Long-term U.S. Resident English Language Learners with Their Writing

	Do not mark all the mistakes in the students’ first drafts. Receiving a draft covered in red can be extremely discouraging for students. Instead, identify one or two frequently occurring errors and focus on those. You can also advise students to seek assistance at a tutoring center for English learners or the writing center at your college before handing in their papers. Rely on the students’ skills as oral communicators of English. When setting up an editing task, encourage them to think about what information is essential in order for the reader to understand their message. Instead of saying "use the past form/ -ed ending," ask "How can you make sure your reader understands this happened last week?" Point out grammar patterns rather than stating rules using grammar terms. For example, instead of using the terms "past participle" and "present participle," you could show the students that after "have/has" they always need an –ed verb, and after "is/am/are" they cannot have a verb without an –ed or –ing ending. Demonstrate to students how to edit their writing rather than pointing out types of errors such as word forms and run-ons. They may not understand the grammar terms and thus may not be able to edit their work. You can, for example, edit one paragraph for them to have as a model and ask them to edit the rest of the paper. Expose them to academic writing tasks and offer them the opportunity to revise and edit their work over multiple drafts. This will provide them with the practice they lack in completing academic assignments.

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