Writing samples have been included for each of the eleven stages of the ESL Companion. These help provide annotated examples of the writing of students working at the relevant stage. The samples are all first drafts to ensure that the kinds of language features demonstrated by second language learners are visible in the text.
| accessible texts: | Texts that are at the student's level of conceptual understanding and understanding of English |
| cloze: | A teaching strategy in which words are deleted from a text either randomly or on the basis of function, such as nouns, verbs, pronouns. Students replace the missing words with appropriate alternatives. |
| cohesion/cohesive devices: | Words that link ideas within or between sentences. Many cohesive devices carry out a particular language function, signalling cause-effect, time sequence, condition or purpose. |
| concept map: | A group of words clustered around a central theme or word, according to a student's understanding of the topic. |
| culturally appropriate texts: | Texts that are within the range of a student's cultural understanding. |
| data chart: | A chart or table that supports students by providing a template they can use to place information gained from reading a text. Data charts help the reader organise information into meaningful categories. |
| decontextualised: | Spoken or written language which is outside the immediate context in time and/or place. |
| dictogloss: | A teaching strategy where the teacher reads a short text, which students then reconstruct using their notes and cues from the surrounding text. |
| formulaic language/phrases: | A segment of language made up of several words or phrases that are learned together and used as if they were a single item, for example: How are you? My name is... The function of the formula rather than its individual words will be understood. |
| graphic outline: | A strategy for previewing a text. By using headings, subheadings and illustrations from the text, the reader constructs an outline that helps in predicting what the text may be about. |
| information gap activity: | A communicative activity where one student, or group of students, holds different information from another. The individuals or groups must communicate with each other to obtain the information required to fill the gaps. |
| metalanguage: | The language which is used to discuss language, or an aspect of language. |
| scaffolding: | The support given to students to help them build a target language structure for a particular purpose. It may be a speaking, reading or writing activity. |
| structured overview: | A framework showing the relationship of ideas within a topic. Usually arranged in a hierarchy. |
| syntax: | The rules that govern the formation of sentences. |
| telegraphic utterances: | Phrases or sentences in which the content words are used and function words are omitted, e.g. Me go shop. |
| three-level reading guides: | A teaching strategy that helps students gain a deeper level of understanding when reading. They explore literal, interpretive, and applied levels of meaning in texts. |
| turn-taking: | A range of linguistic and non-linguistic strategies or techniques that manage the flow of conversation between speakers. |
