Students who thought they were doing well and who were receiving praise for
their spoken language may flounder when it comes to written language, causing
them to disengage during writing exercises. The main reason is because mistakes
are harder to overlook when they’re written out. When your students speak, they
can use gestures and body language to make their meaning clear. When they
write, those context clues are missing. Written language tends to be more formal
than spoken language as well, with less room for the use of slang or dialectic
choices. When ESL students are speaking, they can often make it clear what
they’re saying even if they don’t use the perfect part of speech. As a rule, writing
is much less forgiving. 
The followings are some tips of how to approach teaching writing to ESL
students that will help teachers bridge the gap between speaking and writing.
First, teachers should develop their lesson plans. When teaching a subject, the
first step should be developing a lesson plan. It’s a good idea to start by quizzing
students on what they already know, so teachers can determine where the lesson
needs to begin. They will need to gauge what students should know by the end of
class time with them.
Second, teachers should start with the most basic concepts and build from there.
If some of students are lagging behind others, consider offering after-hours study
sessions to help them catch up. 
Third, teachers should motivate their students. Sometimes, teachers will come
across students who seem disinterested in learning ESL writing. Reaching
students who aren’t motivated is one of the biggest challenges that teachers face.
Therefore, to find a way to motivate students, one of the best things teachers can
do is try to look at the lesson from students’ point of view. 
Next, the only way for students to get better at writing is to write. That’s why it’s
important to get students in the habit of practicing their writing daily. Tips for
incorporating writing practice into the lessons include: 
 Start each lesson by asking students to write a short paragraph to answer a
question. The question can be about anything from why they love their
favorite movie to what they’re looking forward to doing this weekend. 
 Require students to keep a daily journal in English. Grade this journal on
completion, rather than on content. This is a great way for students to
write about things that interest them without the pressure of perfect
spelling and grammar.
 Give students individual spelling lists based on words they misspelled on
their latest papers. Pair students off and have their peers read their spelling
list to them so they can practice spelling the words. 

Furthermore, teachers should ask students to write about things that they’re
passionate about.  They’ll love feeling like an expert, and it will motivate them to
work harder. This also helps students understand how their writing is relevant to
them.