Abstract

This thesis describes a project involving reading books with a partner, and writing about the experience in journals kept by each of the partnerships. There were two groups of participants partnered together: one comprised of 12-13 year-old English second language (ESL) learners, and the other, student teachers from a university ESL teaching methodology course. Before and after the project, the ESL participants' attitude toward reading was surveyed and their writing accuracy was measured throughout. They were comprised of two distinct sub-groups: (1) those who had attended an intensive ESL program in their previous school year, and (2) those who had had their additional exposure to English outside the classroom. The first group contained weaker writers who loved books, and who, by the end of the study, had improved their writing accuracy. The second contained stronger writers who did not like to read as much, but who significantly improved their attitude toward books. The journal entries showed that the ESL students were enthusiastic about the project and were able to find books that they liked. The student teachers gained an understanding of the journal writing process and of the students they were about to teach during their upcoming internship.