What+kinds+of+assessments+can+we+as+teachers+do+to+figure+out+what+our+students+already+know+about+language+and+where+we+should+start+teaching+it?

We have read several strategies that would give us as teachers a starting point for teaching language. One of the best assessments is having the students do some sort of writing at the beginning of a new class to determine where they stand as writers. For example, you could use an activity similar to the one we did at the beginning of this class, a letter to the teacher. By having the students write a letter to the teacher, the teacher can see the students' style of writing, their techniques, and areas of struggle that may need some work. A teacher can tell where their students are in their exploration of language by having them present a piece of language to be assessed. A formal test or quiz isn't needed and that's refreshing!