6 Ways to Scaffold Writing for Multilingual Learners Without Lowering the Bar
Writing is where everything coalesces: content knowledge, academic language, organizational thinking, and the sustained effort to put it all into sentences. For multilingual learners, those demands hit simultaneously — in a language they’re still acquiring.
The two most common responses we see are either a "sink or swim" type approach. All students, regardless of their English proficiency, are expected to do the same task, resulting in a blank page for many of our Multilingual Learners (MLLs). The other equally common scenario is to oversimplify the writing task to the point that it no longer resembles the original task. But simplifying writing tasks for MLLs doesn’t help them become better writers; it keeps them exactly where they are.
With the right scaffolds in place, MLLs can write at a higher level than their current linguistic proficiency would suggest. Here are the six moves that make it happen.
Move 1: Chunk the Thinking First
Before students can write, they need to think. Asking a student to do analytical thinking while simultaneously producing writing in a language they aren't fluent in can be overwhelming.
To avoid that kind of cognitive overload, design a graphic organizer that walks students through each cognitive step before they write a single sentence. For an argumentative paragraph:
Step 1 — state your position; Step 2 — identify evidence; Step 3 — explain how it proves your point; Step 4 — acknowledge a counterargument.
By the time students reach the writing, the thinking is already done. They’re translating organized ideas into sentences, which is a far more manageable task.
Move 2: Scaffold the Content
Writing tasks often require students to incorporate information from various texts or their own research. Wading through many texts to find the content they want to write about can produce such a barrier that students spend all of their time looking for content and never get to the writing. Provide students with shorter texts from which to select their evidence and surface their clear claims. Allow them to engage in discussion (in any language they wish) to process the information, formulate their arguments, and prioritize the evidence they want to use. This gives students the content foundation they need so that the challenge of writing lies solely in expressing their ideas effectively.
Move 3: Chunk the Writing Process
A multi-paragraph essay isn’t one task; it’s a sequence of sub-tasks that each need to be completed before the next one begins:
Use a graphic organizer to plan Paragraph 1
Write Paragraph 1
Peer review Paragraph 1
Use a graphic organizer to plan Paragraph 2
Write Paragraph 2…
This prevents cognitive overload, builds in a natural revision cycle, and gives teachers natural checkpoints to catch problems before they compound.
Move 4: Create a Model Students Can Emulate, Not Copy
A writing model is one of the most powerful scaffolds available, and one of the most commonly overlooked. The model needs to demonstrate the structure and language moves of the task without being copyable. For example, if students are arguing about whether students in general should be allowed to use cell phones in school, the model might argue whether uniforms should be adopted in schools. Students can emulate the structure of the model but will still need to generate their own arguments.
Before students write, analyze an exemplary model together: What does the first sentence do? How does the writer transition to evidence? How does the paragraph end? This builds understanding of structure in a way that no amount of “write a paragraph” can.
Move 5: Make Writing Criteria Visible through Models
For MLLs, don’t stop at a checklist or rubric. Pair each criterion with a model that makes the expected structure, language, and thinking visible. For example, instead of simply listing all of the components to include, show students where and how a model writer does each of these things. Students can then use the criteria not only to understand the task, but also to analyze the model and guide their own writing.
Move 6: Use Sentence Frames to Support Meaning
Sentence frames give MLLs some of the language they need so they can focus more attention on what they want to say, not only on how to say it. The most useful frames are tied directly to the thinking and language demands of the task.
Whenever possible, build the frames into the model itself. Students can first see how a writer uses a structure to communicate an idea, then use that same structure to express their own thinking. You can differentiate frames according to the task's language demand and the student's need for support.
For example:
- Beginning: “I think __ because .”
- Intermediate: “One reason is that. For example, _.”
- Advanced: “While some might argue, the evidence suggests that because _.”
As students develop greater control of the language and structure, frames can become more flexible and eventually be removed.
Do the Assignment Yourself First
Before scaffolding any writing task, do it yourself. Writing the assignment surfaces hidden challenges, gives you deep familiarity with its demands, and provides the raw material for the model you will provide students. It occasionally also reveals that the task, as originally designed, doesn’t quite work — which is far better to discover before students attempt it.
Scaffolding writing for MLLs means maintaining high expectations while providing the support students need to meet them. The bar stays where it is. Students have a way to reach it.
Want to see an example of a task that incorporates all of these moves? Click here.
To explore these strategies in greater depth and see how they come together in classroom writing tasks, join us for our Scaffolding Writing for Multilingual Learners Institute.