Supplementary Materials

FAQs Handouts References ESL Resources

Instructions Readings Training Tutor Schedule

Computer Resources Developing Courses

Synchronous OWL Asynchronous OWL

Open Hours

Tutoring ESL Students: Supplementary Materials

At this part of the training module, you will find extra resources to help you tutor ESL students.

Links to Other Writing Center Website that relate to tutoring and teaching composition to ESL students:

Georgetown's Writing Center provides a set of comprehensive links to resources for both tutors and ESL students:

The Purdue OWL site offers activities to do with ESL students and information to help you understanding the rhetorical style of other languages:

Skyline College Learning Center provides an ESL tutor-training module with a suggested time breakdown of how to frame a discussion of writing with ESL students.

Read about a Sociolinguistics Study Done by Writing and Media Help Center Tutors

"The role of cross-cultural rhetoric and sociolinguistics in tutoring ESL students in the Writing and Media Help Center" by Ann Mincks and Kate Hellmann.

Helpful books and articles to consider when tutoring or teaching composition to ESL students:

(Note: these texts can all be found at the Parks Library on the Iowa State campus or online)

1. Eli Hinkel's "Teaching Academic ESL Writing: Practical Techniques in Vocabulary and Grammar."

This book bridges a gap between second language acquisition acquisition (SLA) research and the actual ESL composition classroom as it provides teachers with a framework in which to view exercises in vocabulary and grammar in relation to research.

2. Mina P. Shaughnessy's "Errors and Expectations: A Guide for the Teacher of Basic Writing."

This text utilizes theory by psychologist Vygotsky and linguist Labov to discuss rhetorical issues and problems that many college freshman encounter in the composition classroom at college and practically discusses how to address those problems, focusing specifically on the coding and correcting of grammatical or sentence-level errors.

3. "Tutoring ESL Students: Issues and Options" by Muriel Harris and Tony Silva from College Composition and Communication

This article intends to help Writing Center tutors gain perspective of the rhetorical situation from which ESL students are writing. It discusses the need to prioritize and quickly assess ESL student writing in order to best serve each individual student's needs.

4. Ann Raimes's "How English Works: A Grammar Handbook with Readings"

This book provides a nice overview of many of the problematic grammar areas that plague ESL students and provides practical, relevant grammar exercises for students to do.

5. Reference list for all subject material and research used to create this website.

ESL Homepage

The Writing and Media Help Center is an Iowa State University based institution and is funded by the English department.
All material posted on the website is strictly for academic purposes.