So what to do if there is an advanced kid in the class? Most kids who have lived in other countries where the TL is spoken are not literate. They can speak and understand, but they can’t write or read much. Many teachers differentiate with the writing piece. But we know from field experience and from Dr. Krashen that more writing doesn’t result in more gains in writing. So those kids must read. I just had a student leave the room who is vastly overqualified in terms of listening and speaking. For the entire block he read and wrote a synopsis of what he read. Will I grade the synopsis with a red pen, pointing out the grammar errors? Why do that? It doesn’t help. I will have him read some more and then write some more but base everything he writes on what he reads. And he will read far more than write. He can join the class if he wants to, to take a break, but I feel that the reading card is the one to play with such kids who need differentiation in our L2 classes when they are misplaced. Students write better because they read more, not because they write more.
