Substitution tables are a great strategy to scaffold writing. They are especially effective for New to English EAL learners that need to develop their independent writing skills.
As the image shows, substitution tables seperate language into manageable chunks. Tables can be differentiated according to the proficiency of your EAL learners. For example, New to English learners should be given less choices to make writing more manageable. For more advanced EAL learners you could make the tables longer (by creating more complex sentence patterns) or by including more complex grammatical structures.
Substitution tables model the type of language you want your learners to write in. They give instant access to writing that strategies such as sentence starters do not for New to English learners.
They can be used in any subject and for any type of writing.
I like to use the table function in Microsoft Word to create my substitution tables. Also, have the layout as landscape not potrait.
EAL in the Daylight 