Correct Response: B. Many English language learners are inhibited about writing in English because they feel overwhelmed by attending to both meaning and form and/or they are overly concerned about making mistakes in English writing conventions such as spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Consequently, they write very little or they limit their writing to simple or rote statements they know they can produce accurately. Freewriting is an instructional strategy designed to help all students increase their writing output by focusing primarily on meaning instead of form. This is especially effective for English language learners because they are likely to feel more at ease about expressing their ideas in writing when they are given opportunities to write without having to worry about avoiding spelling and grammar errors. A is incorrect because frequently writing about a familiar topic will not help students recognize patterns of written discourse (e.g., organizational structures of different types/genres of texts). C and D are incorrect because to promote English language learners' knowledge and skills with different sentence structures and written (i.e., academic) English vocabulary, they need to be provided with explicit instruction and guided practice using these language forms. Freewriting provides a safe context in which students may choose to use previously introduced vocabulary or language forms, but it is not an appropriate context for introducing students to new language or for prompting them to use specific vocabulary or language forms.
