Write a two page analysis of the ELL student’s writing, and fill out the form provided.
Study Tina’s writing to identify patterns in her written English that reveal her Interlanguage—her English writing at this point in her development. You are looking for aspects of morphology and syntax to help you describe what she has acquired so far and what elements she is still in the process of developing. Consider: Are there any parts of the journal that are difficult to understand?
Use information from Lightbrown and Spada’s article to look closely at and describe Tina’s language development. A list of morphemes is provided on p. 84; several grammatical constructions are discussed on pp. 85-92. Are there other grammatical or morphological elements that are evident in Tina’s writing that are not listed here? You can also use the Cappellini chart of English Language Patterns to help identify particular language elements. Download the Developmental Checklist the document that I modified from Cappellini’s chart to help you identify grammatical or morphological elements in Tina’s writing.
Use what you’ve learned: Make a list of morphemes that Tina seems to have acquired well and those that she is still in the process of developing. Locate and write down actual examples to provide evidence for your claims. Also make a list of grammar elements that Tina is still in the process of developing. Write down examples from her writing that provide evidence for this as well.