Using Emoji as a higher Order Support for EL Summary Writing

Abstract

To become successful summary writers, English Learner high school students need to be explicitly taught inferencing that allows them to develop the necessary higher-order thinking skills necessary for academic success. ELs need writing supports that help them become more confident writers. By using social media messages that contain emoji, inferencing skills can be developed while activating student background and cultural knowledge, and motivating students with comprehensible input. While other visuals could also be used in teaching inferencing, emoji are unique in that they are used daily in written communication and present in a standardized form under the Unicode Consortium. This paper explores the benefits and challenges of using emoji and offers a unit of lessons to demonstrate how emoji can be incorporated into the English language classroom.