Just in time for the fall semester (er, a couple weeks late, but hey), we’ve added several new ESL writing lessons to our writing page. All of these lessons are free of charge, with links to download pdf versions that you can print and copy as much as you need.

The most recent lesson is the 4th Unit from our beginner-level Write Right book. This unit focuses on teaching young students how to write a proper formal letter. It starts with a sample “Letter to a Relative”, written in clear and simple English. This is followed by a lesson explaining the elements of a letter (greeting, body, closing), a worksheet on conjunctions, an error correction review lesson, and finally a structured writing assignment. By the end of this short lesson, students should be able to write their own letters using proper formatting and with few errors.

You can build on the above lesson by having students exchange their letters and correct the errors that they find. Error correction is a crucial part of learning, and especially writing, so this is a fun and interactive way for students to practice reading, writing, and detecting errors.

Scroll down and you’ll see several new intermediate and advanced lessons, most of which focus on the transition words used in formal writing (Therefore, However, Additionally, Despite, etc.). The lessons on transitions and punctuation (here and here) are the most recent addition in this section, and all of the lessons feature relatively simple language, several examples for students to read over, and plenty of chances to practice writing.

The free lessons should be more than enough to get started and teach through a few months. If you need more lessons like these, our Write Right books include these and many, many more. Check them out today!