1. Effective ELL Writing Strategies
By: Angela Hortman

2. English Language Learners
English Language Learners are students who have been identified as limited English proficient and participate in the English to Speakers of Other Languages Program. The students vary in ability levels and come from diverse language backgrounds. ELLs are served daily through various models including the push-in and pull-out models. They are assessed annually using the ACCESS test created by the WIDA Consortium. The test assess their English ability in listening, speaking, reading, and writing.

3. Writing Strategy
Writing is always the most difficult domain for English language Learners to master.
I will be using Storybird to support student writing. Storybird “reverses visual storytelling by starting with the image and "unlocking" the story inside.”

4. Overall Composite Proficiency Levels
Case Study
This Case Study will take place in a 2nd grade ESOL pull-out classroom. There are two participants that will be observed for three weeks. Both participants are from Spanish speaking backgrounds, but are on different proficiency levels as shown below.
*6.0 displays mastery
Speaking
Listening
Reading
Writing
Overall Composite Proficiency Levels
Student A
ACCESS
5.0
6.0
2.8
3.9
Student B
W-APT
1.0

5. Method and Data Collection
The students will use Storybird daily for three weeks. The students will choose a picture of their choice in the platform and create their own writing to go with the visuals. ELLs rely on visuals often to aid in their understanding. I will be using the WIDA Writing Rubric (as shown) to assess student writing. Student A is currently on a level 2.8 and Student B is on a level 1..0 I will be looking for linguistic complexity, vocabulary usage, and language control. Through this data collection I want to discover if using a technology resource that provides a visual aid to support writing will increase ELL writing overall.

6. Hypothesis and Questions
Will Storybird improve ELL student writing?
Questions
Will visuals support student writing?
How can technology assist students to produce effective writing?