eal creative writing resources

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Printable EAL resources - Writing

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'What's in an image' resource

A lovely resource which encourages your learners to explore an interesting image and create and discuss their own.

Adjective flashcards

Adverbs flashcards

April Fool's Day resource

Basic verbs flashcards

Celebrating amazing women scaffolded resource

Celebrating Cultural Diversity Resource

Christmas Customs Resource

Christmas Resource

Classroom instructions flashcards

Conjunctions - because and so - flashcards

Correction code

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EAL Learners' Writing Assessment Checklist

EAL Wellbeing Resource

Easter resource

Election resource

A useful resource to use with your new arrivals to talk about local or national elections. Includes speaking, listening, reading and writing activities.

Exercise Resource

Feelings flashcards

Graphic organiser template

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Free home learning resources to support EAL pupils

As distance learning becomes the ‘new normal’, the absence of a collaborative classroom environment raises concerns of fewer opportunities for children with English as an additional language (EAL) to continue their English language acquisition.

NAHT partner FlashAcademy® , a digital language-learning platform that teaches English from 45 home languages, has created a raft of free EAL home learning packs to help minimise disruption to English language development during school closures. Each pack is equipped with a lesson planning page, containing brief instructions so that parents and pupils alike can get the most out of EAL home learning. Here is a summary of what the packs contain.

More free home learning packs will be coming soon, including ‘Study Skills’ and ‘Supporting Parents’ – make sure to keep an eye on FlashAcademy®’s Free Resources page!

Home Learning Project Packs

Providing up to four weeks of work, these project packs have been put together with a range of activities to keep EAL learners engaged. The project for week 1 is all about ‘Staying Healthy’, both physically and mentally, with worksheets on hygiene & health, the importance of sleep and staying safe online. Week 2 is ‘All About EAL’ to continue the celebration of multilingualism at home and week 3, ‘Activate Your Imagination’, covers topics like literacy and storytelling. The fourth and final project, ‘The World Around Us’, allows EAL pupils to continue learning about geography & UK culture at home.

Home Learning for Maths & Literacy

This pack has been designed to support younger & new-to-English pupils learning at home due to the Coronavirus. The Maths resources offer worksheets and suggestions for maths games and activities. It also includes activities on numbers and shapes in easy Spanish to keep primary school children engaged with languages. The Literacy pack provides worksheets and activities on phonics, word types, and sentence building.

EAL Pupil Podcast

Speaking in English can be one of the most difficult skills for EAL learners to feel comfortable with, but this is mainly down to confidence. This EAL Pupil Podcast project allows pupils to practise their speaking skills at their own pace and offers over 30 different topics to choose from that interest learners most. The project encourages learners to reflect on the script they have written, such as checking spelling and grammar, and listen back to the audio they’ve recorded to check their voice is loud and clear. It’s basically a three-in-one package for EAL learners to practise not just their speaking but listening and writing, too! Reflection activities are also a great way for parents to get involved.

Creative Story-Writing

Suitable for younger and new-to-English learners, these worksheets have been designed to help guide EAL pupils through the process of story writing – from setting the scene and character description, to plot development and reflection. A great opportunity for pupils to activate their creativity from home and to even get the parents involved!

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About Our Free Resources

Our expert Learning & Publishing team here at FlashAcademy have created over 300 free EAL resources for teachers to download and use in the classroom to help welcome and engage their EAL pupils.

Whether you are looking for EAL worksheets, Welcome Packs, Grammar tips or Learner Profiles, we’ve got you covered.

At FlashAcademy, we have developed 300+ free EAL resources to help support EAL pupils in schools by creating fun and engaging activities but also to support EAL specialists and teachers to plan lessons for their pupils, ensuring EAL pupils are engaged in lessons.

Our resources are categorised by different types such as grammar, vocabulary and phonics, designed for EAL pupils. The resources are also grouped into curriculum subjects to support EAL pupils and allow them to engage in lessons that meet the DfE school curriculum, such as Maths, Science and Humanities. Plus, don’t forget our School Essentials EAL resource category, designed to help and support EAL pupils who are newly arrived at a UK school.

The FlashAcademy team have also created free EAL learner profiles for various languages that are designed to help teachers understand the background of their students, the intricacies of their home languages and some cultural tips.

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Lanternfish ESL

Creative Writing Worksheets and Teaching Resources

This is a collection of free, printable creative writing prompts for teaching ESL.

Creative Writing Prompts

These creative writing worksheets can can be used both in class or as weekly homework assignments. We are always looking for more contributions so if you have an idea please send it to us. Eventually all of the story starters will be turned into worksheets and posted here.

The Secret Passage

The students take a field trip to an Egyptian pyramid and find a secret undiscovered passage within.

Brueghel' Painting

Students visit an art gallery and watch a painting by Brueghel come alive.

The students find a mysterious tunnel in the forest and follow it to find what is inside.

The Tricksters in the Tree

The students overhear a group of tricksters plotting to trick them and decide to turn the tables.

Fairies in Danger

A group of forest creatures in danger because of development. The students have to help them out.

Superpowers for a Day

Students imagine what they would do if they had superpowers for a day.

Talking to the Animals

Students imagine if they had the powers of Dr. Doolittle and could talk to animals.

A mysterious portal appears to another world. But where does it lead?

The Villain

A diabolical villain poisons the hero and forces the hero to do the villains bidding.

The Letter from Afar

Students imagine their trip to a far away exotic land and write a letter home.

The Shadow from the Depths

A mysterious shadow from the depths of the ocean swims under the ship.

The Time Machine

Where would you go if you had a time machine?

The Invisibility Potion

What would you do if you had an invisibility potion?

The Water Molecule

You are a molecule of water travelling through the water cycle. Describe your journey.

The Alien School

Ack! You discover your teacher is actually an alien.

A dark cavern in a mountain. What mystery lies within?

Beware of Humans

Changing perspective. Imagine you were a crocodile. What would you tell your children about humans?

Settlers on Mars

Imagine you were a settler on Mars. What challenges would you face?

The Voice from the Box

There is a box on the table and you hear a voice within. Do you open the box?

The Door Guard

You have to get past the door but the guard is in the way. What do you do?

The Old Lamp

You find an old lamp and rub it. ... What do you wish for?

The Strange Machine

There is a strange machine in your uncle's attic. But what does it do?

The Padlocked Chest

Why is the chest locked? Will you open it?

The Shrinking Potion

What would you do if you had a potion that allowed you to shrink?

The Petsitter

It seemed like easy money until you actually saw the pet.

The Wings of Icarus

Students find an old pair of wings on the island of Crete.

The Labors of Heracles

What chores would you make your siblings do if you had some compromising information on them?

The Greek God Election

Every Greek city had their patron gods. Imagine you were a Greek God. How would you get elected to be patron good of a city?

A Letter from Afar

Students write a letter home describing what they are doing on their travels.

What are these gnomes doing in the park? Students follow them and find out.

How to Care for You Dragon 1

How do you care for a dragon? Version 1.

How to Care for You Dragon 2

How do you care for a dragon? Version 2

How to Care for You Dinosaur 1

How do you care for a dinosaur? Version 2

How to Care for You Dinosaur 2

Planet pollutonia.

You are elected governor of Pollutonia. How do you clean it up?

Planet Criminolia

You are elected governor of Criminolia. How do stop the crime?

The Footprints in the Sand

A strange set of footprints are in the sand. Follow them to find out what made them.

Future School

What will school be like in the future?

The Door in the Woods

A mysterious door in a tree in the woods. Open it and find out where it goes.(sent in by Katelyn)

You decide you are going to pull the greatest prank ever.

A mysterious seed with a sign that says: Do not plant. Ever! What do you do?

The Lephrechaun's Gold

How are you going to trap the leprechaun and get its gold.

The Island of Dr. Moreau

You are a mad scientist creating new animals. What do you create?

The Evil Scientist

You follow an evil scientist into a dark room and can't forget what you saw. (sent in by Curt Winstead)

The Last Tree

All the trees are gone but one. . . (Sent in by Katie Seafield)

Sports Creative Writing

In goal for the rockets.

Students are mistakenly put into net for the Rockets.

The Monster Match

When the students get out onto the field, they find out that the other team are behemoths.

Minutes to Go: Socccer

Students write about a close game of soccer.

Minutes to Go: Baseball

Students write about a close game of baseball.

Minutes to Go: Hockey

Students write about a close game of hockey.

Christmas Creative Writing

Saving santa.

Santa is stuck in a chimney. Who will save Christmas?

Candycane Mystery

Who stole all the stripes on the candycanes?

Elves on Strike

The elves are striking for better pay and working conditions.

Fall and Halloween Creatie Writing

Are you a witch.

Students design a test to see if someone is a witch.

Are you a Werewolf?

Students design a test to see if someone is a werewolf.

Are you a Vampire?

Students design a test to see if someone is a vampire.

The Haunted House

Students complete a story about ending up at a haunted house on Halloween.

Those Pesky Crows

How are going to keep those pesky crows out of your crops?

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British Industrial Revolution 8 of 17 - Child Labor

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ESL Activities

ESL Games, Activities, Lesson Plans, Jobs & More

ESL Writing Activities, Games, Worksheets & Lesson Plans

If you’re teaching writing and are looking for some of the best ESL writing activities, along with worksheets, lesson plans and more then you’re in the right place. Keep on reading for everything you need to know about teaching English writing.

ESL writing exercises and games

Let’s check out the top ESOL writing exercises and activities to consider trying out with your students.

ESL Writing Activities and Games for All Ages

Are you ready to get into the ESL writing exercises? Then let’s get to the best English writing ideas. Also, check out some great writing prompts ideas to use in your writing lesson.

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#1: 3 Things ESL Writing Activity

I’m ALL about simple and easy for writing activities in emergency situations when you don’t have a lot of time to prep. 3 Things is ideal because it requires nothing except a pen and paper and also requires no prep time.

The way it works is that students think of 3 random things. Then, they give those words to a partner who has to write a short story using them. It can be serious or silly and kind of depends on the words chosen.

Do you want to give it a try with your students? Check out all the details here: 3 Things English Writing Activity .

#2: Journaling for English Learners

When I teach ESL writing classes, I always have students keep a journal. It can either be with pen and paper or online. It’s a fun way for students to work on writing fluency and have some freedom to write about topics they want to write about, not just the ones that I assign.

If you want to see how I set up this ESL writing exercise, check out the following: Journaling for ESL Students . It makes a nice free write activity.

#3: Postcards ESOL Writing Exercise

If you’re looking for a simple, fun ESL writing activity, then you may want to consider having your students write some postcards. Ideally, you could get your hands of a stack of blank, unused postcards. But, if not, students can design their own and then trade with someone else who can fill in the back.

Learn more about this fun writing activity here: ESL Postcard Writing Activity .

#4: A to Z Alphabet Game

Remember that writing is more than a 5-paragraph essay. It’s any time a student is writing something, even one word. With that in mind, you may want to try out this ESL writing game for beginners.

The way it works is that you name a topic. Jobs or animals for example. Then, students have to think of one word for each letter. I give my students a certain amount of time and the team with the most words is the winner.

Do you want to give this writing activity for beginners a try? Check it out here: A-Z ESL Writing Activity .

#5: Conjunctions and Transitions

Words like but, so, and, however, etc. are key in English writing because they join ideas, sentences and paragraphs together. This makes writing easier to understand and helps it to flow better. Even beginners can learn about using things like and or but.

Here are some of the ideas for teaching these words: ESL Conjunction and Transition Activities .

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• Bolen, Jackie (Author)
• English (Publication Language)
• 85 Pages - 02/02/2020 (Publication Date)

#6: Whiteboard Games for ESL Writing Practice 

I don’t know why, but students really love to write on the whiteboard. There are a ton of relay type ESL writing activities that you can do. Here are some of the best ones:

ESL Whiteboard Activities .

#7: Dictogloss ESOL Writing Exercise

If you want to challenge your students with some serious listening and writing, then consider this dictogloss ESL activity. The way it works is that you find a passage or write one at an appropriate level for your students.

Then, put the student into pairs and read out the passage at a slightly faster pace than normal. Students have to take notes and then attempt to recreate what they heard by writing. Read the passage again and students add to what they have. Finally, they can compare their version with the original one.

Do you want to give it a try? Read this first: Dictogloss ESL Writing and Listening Activity .

#8: How to Teach English Writing to Beginners

Back when I did the CELTA course, my tutor told me that writing doesn’t have to be a 5 paragraph essay. It can actually be any time the students are writing something in English. With this in mind, here are some of the best activities for absolute beginners to English writing:

Teaching ESL Writing to Beginners .

#9: Fill out an Application Form

One very practical writing activity that we can do with our students is getting them to fill out an application form. If they plan on living in an English speaking country, they’ll certainly have to do this. And, there’s often some very specific vocabulary and expected answers that you can help them with.

More details here: ESL Writing Application Form .

#10: Sentence Structure Activities

Try out these activities to give students some ESL writing practice opportunities.

In speaking, our students can sometimes get away without having great sentence structure. This is because people often speak in sentence fragments and rarely in full sentences.

However, in writing, sentence structure is key and vital to helping our students get their ideas across on paper. Here are some of the best activities to help our students practice this:

ESL Sentence Structure Games and Activities .

ESL writing games and activities

#11: Is that Sentence Correct?

A simple reading and writing activity is this one that focuses on error correction. The way it works is that you make some sentences, some of which have errors and some that do not. Students have to decide which ones are incorrect and them correct them. It’s ideal for review at the end of class or the beginning of the next one.

Learn more about this writing activity here: ESL Error Correction Activity .

#12: Proof-Reading and Editing

A key part of writing well is proof-reading and editing. Everyone does it, even professional writers! Instead of the students relying on me to correct their errors for them, I like to teach them do to edit their own work. It’s a key skill in the writing process but often overlooked by many English teachers.

Check out this activity for helping students with this writing skill: ESL Proofreading and Editing .

• 146 Pages - 06/18/2020 (Publication Date)

Spending some time working on self-editing skills, instead of relying on the teacher-editing model is a nice way to improve student autonomy in English writing classes.

#13: Focus on Fluency Activity

Many ESL writing textbooks (and teachers too) focus on accuracy in English writing at the expense of fluency. However, both are needed if students are to become proficient in English essay writing. After all, no employer is going to appreciate an employee who can write a simple, but perfect email in half a day! Most would expect it to happen in a few minutes. But, this nice free write activity helps students with writing more quickly.

Check out this ESOL writing exercise to help our students out with this: Fluency ESL Writing Activity .

#14: How to Teach ESL Writing on the Let’s Talk TEFL Podcast

#15: word association.

I like to use this quick writing activity if I know that students have studied the topic of the day before. For example, jobs and weather are very common in almost all ESL textbooks and if students are at a high-beginner or intermediate level, I guarantee that they already know some of these vocabulary items.

You can find out how to do it right here: ESL Word Association Activity .

#16 : ESL Surveys

I love to use surveys in my classes. They are a super versatile activity that covers all 4 skills, including writing. It’s also easy to make a survey for just about any topic or grammar point. See why I love them so much?

If you want to know more, then you’ll want to check this out: TEFL Surveys.

• Smith, Jennifer Booker (Author)
• 134 Pages - 03/31/2016 (Publication Date)

#17: Opinion Activities and Games

Opinion essays are a classic writing activity for both English learners and students in high school or university. That’s why I like to give my students some chances to practice writing and supporting their opinions in my classes. Do you want to try out some of the best ones? You can find out all the details right here:

ESL Opinion Activities .

#18: Parts of Speech Activities for ESL

English writing is ALL about parts of speech. After all, if you don’t know where the verb, subject, object, adjectives and adverbs go, how can you have any chance of making a coherent English sentence? It’s nearly impossible!

That’s why I like to do some worksheets and practice with my students related to this. If you want to try it out too, here are some of the best ideas:

ESL Parts of Speech Activities .

Top 17 ESL writing games and activities

#19: Spelling Challenge Game

Spelling is an important, but often neglected part of writing. In my opinion, it’s worth spending some classroom time on and one way to do that is with this word challenge game. Because it’s done on the whiteboard, it’s ideal for smaller classes.

Want to find out what it’s all about? You can right here: ESL Spelling Challenge Activity.

#20: Dictation 

A nice TEFL writing activity that you might want to try out is dictation. It covers not only writing, but also listening, spelling, punctuation, grammar and vocabulary in a big way. Is it obvious why I like it so much?

Try it out with your students today. Learn more here: ESL Dictation Writing Activity .

#21: Write an Interesting Story in English

It can be fun to get students to write their own stories in English. Check out these 6 simple steps to get started:

Writing and Interesting English Story .

#22: TEFL Writing Activities and Games

#23: brainstorm games and activities.

One of my favourite, simple ESL writing activities is to get students to brainstorm words or things related to a certain topic or category. It’s a nice way to get some creative juices flowing and can also be used for a quick warmer or review activity.

There are a number of engaging, student-centred activities to consider. Here are some of my favourites: Brain Storming Games.

#24: Freeze Writing Activity

Group writing activities for TEFL classes are few and far between. However, freeze is one of the best ones to consider. Students have to work collaboratively to make stories, line by line is a fun and engaging way.

Want to give it a try? Find out how: Freeze Activity .

#25: Five-Paragraph Essay Writing

For higher-level students, it can be a worthwhile activity to teach students how to write academic essays. Here’s an outline and some tips for how to do that:

Five-Paragraph Essay Template . 

#26: More Ideas for TEFL Writing

#27: fill in the blank sentences games.

A nice option for beginners in English writing is to use fill in the blanks. This adds a bit of structure to it and makes it much easier for students! Have a look at some of my favourite options:

Fill In The Blank Sentences Games .

#28: Round Robin Story

Try out this simple story writing activity that can be used for speaking & listening, or writing. Learn more:

Round Robin Story .

#29: Five Senses

Try out this simple activity that involves a lot of adjectives. It can be done with speaking or writing.

#30: Story Starters ESOL Writing Exercise

Provide students with a sentence or a short paragraph to serve as a story starter. Students then continue the story, adding their own ideas and developing the plot. This game encourages creativity, storytelling, and writing fluency. Try out one of my favourite ESOL writing exercises!

#31: Picture Prompts

Show students a captivating image or provide them with a set of pictures. Ask them to choose one or a combination of pictures and write a story, description, or dialogue based on the visuals. Pictures can stimulate imagination and inspire students to write.

#32: Sentence Relay

Divide the class into teams. Give each team a writing prompt or topic. The first student from each team writes a sentence based on the prompt, then passes the paper to the next student, who adds another sentence. The relay continues, and students build a coherent piece of writing. The team with the most creative and well-structured writing wins.

#33: ESL Writing Olympics

Create a series of writing challenges that test different writing skills, such as grammar, vocabulary, sentence structure, or creative writing. Set a time limit for each challenge, and award points to students based on their performance. Students can compete individually or in teams, making it a lively and competitive writing activity.

ESL Writing FAQs

There are a number of common questions that people have about teaching English writing. Here are the answers to some of the most popular ones.

What is ESL Writing?

ESL technically refers to English as a Second Language but the more common usage is anyone who is a non-native speaker of English, whether or not it’s their second, third or fourth language. ESL writing focus specifically on writing skills.

How can ESL Students Improve Writing?

There are a number of ways that ESL students can improve their writing skills:

• Practice, both in class and outside of class is key.
• Give students a reason to write.
• Use peer correction.
• Offer self-editing checklists.
• Give students some freedom to choose what to write about.
• Use a variety of writing activities and games.
• Give students a chance to revise their work based on feedback.
• Strive to make English writing fun and engaging
• Make it relevant to real-life.
• Ensure that your ESL writing classes target the level of the students.

How Can ESL Beginners Learn to Write?

Remember that ESL beginners will not be able to write a 5-paragraph academic essay. Instead, you may want to focus on things like filling in the blanks on a worksheet or writing very simple sentences with a subject, verb, and object.

Why is Writing Difficult for ESL Students?

Writing can be a little bit difficult for ESL students because it not only involves vocabulary and grammar, but things like punctuation, capital letters as well as style and other writing conventions. What does make it easier is that it doesn’t happen in real time like with speaking.

What types of writing assignments are suitable for English learners?

Start with simple assignments like journal writing, personal narratives, and gradually progress to more complex assignments such as essays and reports.

How can I make writing more engaging for English learners?

Make it engaging by using interesting prompts, creative assignments, and real-life scenarios that connect to their experiences and interests.

Should I focus on grammar and vocabulary in writing instruction?

Yes, grammar and vocabulary are essential components of writing. Students should learn to use them correctly to convey their ideas effectively.

What’s the role of peer review in teaching writing to English learners?

Peer review helps students develop critical reading and editing skills, and it allows them to receive feedback from peers before finalizing their work.

How can I help English learners overcome writer’s block?

Encourage them to start with a simple outline, use writing prompts, and create a supportive, low-pressure writing environment in the classroom.

What strategies can I use to assess English learners’ writing effectively?

Use rubrics and clear criteria for assessing content, organization, grammar, and vocabulary. Offer specific feedback to help students understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Did you Like these ESOL Writing Exercises?

• 72 Pages - 12/09/2019 (Publication Date) - Independently published (Publisher)

Yes? Thought so. Then you’re going to love this book you can easily find on Amazon: ESL Writing Activities, Games & Teaching Tips . It’s the first and only ESL activity book dedicated exclusively to teaching writing and it’s a must-have if you’re teaching these kinds of classes.

You can easily get these ESL writing activities in both digital and print formats. Consider keeping a copy on the bookshelf in your office and using it as a handy reference guide. Or, bring the digital version with you on your phone or tablet to your favourite coffee shop for some serious lesson planning for your English writing classes.

It really is that easy to have ESL writing classes! Check out the book on Amazon, but only if you want to get yourself a serious dose of ESL teaching awesome in your life:

Do you Have an ESL Writing Grading Rubric?

If you’re looking for a bit of guidance on how to evaluate your students’ writing, then you’re in the right place. We strongly recommend using a simple rubric that’ll save you a ton of time. Plus, students will understand why they got the grade that they did. All the details can be found here:

ESL Writing Grading Rubric .

ESL Writing Lesson Plans

If you’re looking for some ready-made writing lesson plans that can help your students improve their skills in a big way, you’ll want to check out our top recommendations:

One Stop English

ESL Library

Writing practice for English learners

ESL Writing Worksheets

The good news for English teachers is that there are a ton of English writing worksheets to help you out with just about anything! Why reinvent the wheel if another English teacher has already done the hard work, right? Here are some of the best ESL writing worksheets:

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ESL Writing Assignments

If you’re not sure about writing assignment options for your ESL/EFL students, here are some of the best ideas that you’ll want to check out:

Tips for Teaching Writing to English Learners

Teaching writing to ESL learners requires a combination of strategies to develop their skills and confidence. Here are some tips to enhance your ESL writing lessons:

Provide Clear Instructions

Begin each writing task by clearly explaining the objectives, requirements, and expectations to the students. Break down the task into smaller steps to make it more manageable.

Model Writing

Show students examples of well-written texts in the target genre or format. Analyze the structure, language features, and organization. Model the thought process and decision-making involved in writing.

Teach the Writing Process

Introduce students to the writing process, which includes prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing. Emphasize the importance of brainstorming, organizing ideas, and revising for clarity and coherence.

Develop Vocabulary and Language Skills

Help students expand their vocabulary and language skills by providing word banks, relevant phrases, and sentence starters. Teach them how to use transition words and cohesive devices to enhance the flow of their writing.

Focus on Grammar and Sentence Structure in TEFL Writing Games and Activities

Address common grammar errors and sentence structure issues that students may encounter. Incorporate targeted grammar exercises and provide feedback on their writing to improve accuracy.

Encourage Pre-writing Activities

Engage students in pre-writing activities, such as brainstorming, mind mapping, or outlining, to generate ideas and organize their thoughts before starting to write. This helps students structure their writing more effectively.

Provide Writing Prompts

Offer a variety of engaging and relevant writing prompts to spark students’ creativity and interest. Ensure the prompts are aligned with their language proficiency level and encourage critical thinking and personal expression. Here are some ideas:

Peer Feedback and Revision

Incorporate peer feedback sessions where students exchange their writing with classmates for constructive feedback. Encourage students to revise their work based on the suggestions provided, promoting collaboration and revision skills.

Offer Individualized Support

Provide one-on-one guidance and support to students who may require additional assistance. Offer personalized feedback and suggestions for improvement based on their individual writing challenges.

Celebrate Progress

Recognize and celebrate students’ progress in writing. Highlight their strengths and areas of improvement, and provide specific feedback on their achievements. Encourage a growth mindset and foster a positive writing environment.

Encourage Frequent Writing Practice

Assign regular writing assignments to give students ample opportunities to practice their writing skills. Provide a variety of writing tasks, such as descriptive essays, opinion pieces, narratives, or reflective journal entries.

Use Authentic Materials for ESL Writing Activities

Integrate authentic materials like newspaper articles, short stories, or blog posts to expose students to real-life writing and develop their understanding of different writing styles and genres.

Have your say about these ESL Writing Activities and Exercises

What do you think about these writing ESL activities? Did you try out one of them from this or have another that you’d like to recommend? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.  We’d love to hear from you.

Also be sure to give this article a share on Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter. It’ll help other busy English teachers, like yourself find this useful resource for teaching English writing.

Last update on 2022-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API

About Jackie

Jackie Bolen has been teaching English for more than 15 years to students in South Korea and Canada. She's taught all ages, levels and kinds of TEFL classes. She holds an MA degree, along with the Celta and Delta English teaching certifications.

Jackie is the author of more than 60 books for English teachers and English learners, including Business English Vocabulary Builder and 39 No-Prep/Low-Prep ESL Speaking Activities for Teenagers and Adults . She loves to share her ESL games, activities, teaching tips, and more with other teachers throughout the world.

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Creative writing is a form of writing that expresses feelings and emotions or thoughts and ideas, in an imaginative way rather than just as a means of conveying information.

Learning English as a foreign language can be a frustrating experience for many students. It can also be a dry and boring experience if the only writing that is done consists of lists of conjugated verbs or pages of vocabulary.

By introducing an element of creativity into written lessons when learning English, students can not only have more fun learning a language, but also speed up their learning process and boost their confidence. Creative writing exercises can help to dispel some of a student’s frustration by helping them to realize how much they already know. After just a couple of lessons student’s know enough to begin writing simple, yet imaginative stories.

In the early stages of language learning, one of the first lessons taught is often learning how to greet other people, using characteristic words to describe what they look like. These early lessons can incorporate some creative writing by having students write a short paragraph, or poem about a friend. Creative writing at this stage does not have to be grammatically correct. The aim is to use and experiment with the vocabulary and to have fun grouping the words together to describe something or someone who exists. Descriptions don’t even need to be truthful as students can have fun being cheeky and using their creative license.

As students progress with their language learning, so the creative exercises can become more challenging. Students can use aspects of story telling, for instance, by writing a piece that recalls a childhood memory in order to practice spelling and grammar use. They can also improve vocabulary by focusing on one concept, for instance beauty or sadness, and then writing down every word that means the same thing. Using those collected words to then write a poem or a narrative paragraph that incorporates some or all of the words is beneficial as well in advancing the learning process.

Students often know more than they realize. By exploring creative writing exercises they can be encouraged to write what they know, and realize how many different sentences they can form, or ideas they can express, using this technique. Self esteem along with confidence in the language, grows as students are encouraged to break out of the text-book style of learning by repetition.

Students who practice their new language skills creatively can be further encouraged by reading texts similar to those being written. For instance, students who are practicing poetry can be introduced to similar poems styles, such as a Haiku, either in printed books or those written by other ESL students. Creative reading opens up the language to more than just learning new words and how they fit together. Creative reading, whether it’s reading newspapers and magazines or stories, novels and poems, helps the student to experience the language being used as part of everyday communication, and thus grounds the language in the wider world, outside of the classroom and the textbook. Getting the student to connect with the language emotionally by understanding and relating to written creative texts, brings the new language to life in a way that conventional language learning, without elements of creative writing, cannot manage.

Three Creative Writing Exercises

For students of English as a second language, creative writing is a way to learn to play with words and experiment with expressing thoughts and feelings. Creative, or imaginative writing, allows students to practice communicating using everyday language as well as rehearsing the vocabulary used in specific situations, such as when shopping or asking directions. Using creative writing as part of a teaching plan allows ESL teachers to gauge the progress of each student and make sure a student’s foreign language writing abilities are keeping pace with their speaking skills. Here are three specific exercises a student can practice to enhance their creative writing ability:

Keep a Journal

Each student keeps a diary or journal in which they record everyday events and activities. The exercise can be adjusted to allow for different levels of language ability. For instance, ask beginner students to record just one or two words each day to describe the weather, or an item of clothing they are wearing that day. Have more advanced students write in complete sentences, detailing one or more of their daily activities.

Practice Punctuation

Make up two characters to write about and have them discuss a film that the student has recently watched. Have one character love the film and the other character hate it. Write the dialogue between them as they discuss what they thought of the film. Use the correct punctuation for dialogue throughout. Make the exercise more challenging by using two characters who are complete opposites, such as an old lady and a little boy. Adapt the exercise for beginner students by asking them to simply describe characters or actors within a film they have seen.

Past and Future Tense Poems

Writing short poetry verses is a good way to learn how to use the different tenses in the English language. Write a short poem in the past tense that describes what you did yesterday, then write a short poem in the future tense that describes what you have planned for tomorrow. In the past tense you will use phrases such as I went , I saw , I was , and We were and for the future tense you will use phrases such as I will , I am going , and We shall .

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Vocabulary Building GCSE EAL Creative Writing Worksheets 2

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

11 April 2022

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These worksheets were created for Year 10 EAL students who needed help to build vocabulary for the GCSE exams. They would be helpful to any students wishing to expand their vocabulary or to write more concisely.

The set includes tasks based on 12 adjectives that can be used instead of phrases using very.

Worksheet 1 is a word matching table that works well as a group activity / think, pair, share / carousal activity.

Worksheet 2 is a picture match activity. I usually do this as a recap / starter in a later lesson, to see what students remember from the word matching table task.

Worksheet 3 is a cloze activity / gap fill activity where students add the words to paragraphs or sentences that show what the word mean.

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A bundle is a package of resources grouped together to teach a particular topic, or a series of lessons, in one place.

Vocabulary Building Bundle GCSE Creative Writing EAL

Huge bundle of resources to help students improve their vocabulary.

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amandagodden

This works really for EAL or for just building confidence with vocabulary in general - thank you!

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