The population of English learners (ELs) is growing rapidly across the U.S. Concurrently, elementary students throughout the country are being required to produce more sophisticated writing products than ever before as a result of the heavy emphasis on writing instruction in the recently adopted Common Core State Standards. This qualitative study examined how to best support ELs as they develop as writers. It also addressed the strong need to investigate the impact of students discussing ideas with a partner throughout the writing process. In order to determine how ELs develop as writers, a multiple case study was conducted in a fourth-grade English as a Second Language (ESL) classroom. The ESL teacher used the “Thinking Maps” program to teach students to write opinion pieces. Part of the program included partner talk, in which the students conversed with a partner throughout the writing process. The study took place over a period of 6 weeks. During that time, I did twice-weekly observations, took field notes, collected samples of student work, audio recorded students as they participated in partner talk, and conducted interviews with the students and the teacher. In addition to an ongoing, reflective analysis of the field notes and audio files, the grounded theory approach was used for final data analysis. The data analysis and interpretation of the data reflects the constructs and theories that initially structured this study. A number of key elements emerged from the data analysis that indicated that important supports are needed in order for ELs to develop as writers of opinion pieces. These included the opportunity to work with a more knowledgeable other, communicating despite language barriers, utilizing the structure provided with Thinking Maps, a chance to participate in group discussions, and the opportunity to examine written models to use when writing their own opinion pieces.

On september 30th 2017 the Nordic Resistance Movement (NMR) demonstrates, on the same day as the Gothenburg book fair and the jewish holy day Yom Kippur takes place. Not least opinion piece-writers wrote about the demonstration, in newspapers fron Piteå in the north and Ystad in the south. With the use of framing theory we have, by method of quantitative analysis, analyzed 88 of the opinion pieces on the subject of NMR's right to demonstrate in Gothenburg, published in Swedish newspapers. In addition to analyzing how the writers framed NMR's right to demonstrate we have, with the qualitative method argumentation analysis, analyzed the writers' attitudes toward NMRS's right to demonstrate. We find the two most prevalent frames are legal framing (29 out of 88) and democracy framing (28 out of 88). Other than that little consensus can be found amongst the writers on the topic of NMR's right to demonstrate.