Moving from prompt-based writing instruction to reading-to-write instruction in ESL

Abstract

Impromptu writing prompts are defined as open-ended questions of relatively modest length,
characterized by decontextualized statements or questions to which respondents are expected to
demonstrate their writing ability. This type of prompt is pervasive across genres (e.g.,
persuasive, argumentative, cause and effect, academic), providing a common method to initiate writing
and to teach essay-writing techniques. In learning to write in a second language, however, writing
pedagogy based on decontextualized prompts is woefully inadequate; the point of departure for L2
writing should be situated in reading—i.e., a source text that allows the learner to mimic the linguistic
elements of the written input in a process known as language style matching (LSM).